About 64% of all students have a minimum of one-semester degree plans, which is a 30% increase over last year. That percentage increases with newer students, as freshmen are introduced to DegreeWorks in their USU 1010 Connections course. About 89% of Connections students have a one-semester plan or more, and 73% of the total freshmen class has a plan.

DegreeWorks is USU’s degree audit tool to assist academic advisors and students in knowing what classes they need to take and when they need to take them in order to graduate in a timely manner. Essentially, it’s a USU GPS for students. One of the major benefits of DegreeWorks is a student’s ability to access it at any time through Banner. It helps students and advisors get on the same page faster, giving them more time to discuss research and internship opportunities, rather than discussing registration and graduation timelines.

To ensure DegreeWorks is being used to its full potential, a big push was made to train academic advisors. Amanda Stadel, the degree audit specialist at USU, and Andrea Olding, a program coordinator based at USU-Moab, provided a formal training where at least 75% of advisors attended. As more staff continue to use DegreeWorks, it becomes a powerful tool, empowering students as they layout degree plans.