About Degrees (Degree Detail)

A student's degree controls the student's academic major(s) and minor(s). Campus Cafe supports at most three simultaneous majors. Campus Cafe supports recording external degrees, which are those a student earned at another institution in addition to recording the student's internal (your) degrees.

Internal Degrees

Internal degrees are degrees awarded by your institution. “Degree” may include any credential from certificate to doctorate degree or something else. Institutions can define degrees types (see degrees setup documentation).

Autocreation

An initial degree row may automatically be created during the admissions application process.

Custom Control ProgramID AD100, Sequence 1, Parameter 3 controls the stage at which the degree row is created. Many schools use a value of Y (applied), which means the student record is visible at this stage for financial aid, etc. The disadvantage of creating the record early is that the data might change (e.g. change of major) and the degree row manually updated. Also, you will end up with more rows in the student finder for students who might not actually enroll.

Only one code is supported. Only the below codes may be used:

Auto-Creation Options

NO: Do not auto insert degree row

Y: Insert row when application set to applied

A: Insert row when application set to accepted

P: Insert row when set to deposited

Reapplicant Degree Creation

When a student reapplies, the same rules apply, but the degree row inserted, based upon the above AD100 Sequence 1: Parameter 3 settings, will NOT be marked as the active degree. Reapplicants' active degree will need to be manually set.

Accessing/Editing Internal Degrees

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About degrees (degree detail)

Your students will pursue various academic programs at your institution such as majors, minors, concentrations, etc. Each of your programs leads to a credential such as a certificate, bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, etc.

In Campus Cafe, each student is assigned at least one internal degree that contains their academic programs. For example, a student’s undergraduate bachelor’s degree may include a math major, a political science major and a journalism minor. Campus Cafe supports at most three simultaneous majors and three simultaneous minors.

Students have only one current (active) degree at a time and this degree controls functions from billing to course registration pre-requisites.

Separately, you can optionally use Campus Cafe to record external degrees, or degrees students earned at other institutions. For example, you may wish to record external degrees to track the academic history of transfer students or students joining your graduate program after completing an undergraduate program elsewhere.

Prerequisites

• Create majors (academic programs)

Required permissions

Internal degrees

Internal degrees are degrees awarded by your institution and students have one current (active) degree at a time. “Degree” may include any credential from certificate to doctorate degree or something else. You can define degrees types.

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Auto-create degrees for students

You can control at what stage of the admissions process individuals receive a degree record (row). Once individuals receive a degree row other functions become available such as being able to award financial aid and course registration.

What stage you create the degree row will depend on your institution’s business processes. The typical admissions flow is Inquired > Applied > Accepted > Deposited. Many schools create the degree when a student applies so the degree record is visible at this stage for financial aid, etc. The disadvantage of creating the record at this stage is that the data might change (e.g. change of major) and the degree will need to be manually updated. Also, you will have more rows in the Student Finder for individuals who might not actually enroll.

1. Go to Admin > Custom Control.

2. In Search enter AD100.

3. Next to Seq 1, Parm 3 click the pencil.

4. In Parameter 3 enter the admissions progress code that will create the degree row.

   • Enter a Y to create the degree when an individual applies.

   • Enter an A to create the degree when an individual is accepted for admission.

   • Enter a P to create the degree when an individual places an admissions deposit.

   • Enter NO to never automatically create a degree.

5. Click Save.

Degrees for individual who reapply

An individual may apply, have a degree record (row) created, but never attend your institution. The same individual may apply again in the future.

Regardless of how you configure the auto-creation of degrees, Campus Cafe will never automatically mark any subsequent degrees automatically created as current (active). An administrator must set the new degree as current after confirming the previous degree record has been fully closed. For example, all financial aid packages cleared, and charges and payments properly accounted.

View or change internal degree

If a student withdraws from your institution, takes a leave or changes academic programs, you’ll need to update their degree.

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To access degrees

1. Navigate Go to the personstudent’s profile.

2. Navigate Go to Person Selected > DegreeSelected > Degrees/Majors.

3. Click the pencil icon to the left of the degree to edit (On the degree listing screen, the sequence number indicates the order in which the degree was added. The first degree record will be sequence 0, the second 1, and so on.)

Explanation of fields

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1. To view additional detail click the magnifying glass meaning you can only view data or under the Edit column the pencil meaning you can change data.

2. Campus Cafe displays the following information about the degree record.

Current Degree: Selected (checked) indicates this degree is the active degree. The major and entering semester from the current degree record is what will be used in registration programs such as degree audits, transcripts and report programs.

Type (RGDEGR/DEGREE_CODE1): This field contains a code that indicates the type of degree. For example: AS=Associate of Science, BA=Bachelor of Arts: The credential the student earns when completing this record. For example, an associate’s, bachelor’s, etc. If Campus Café is you’ve set Campus Cafe to auto create a degree record at point of application, this field will be filled Campus Cafe completes this based on the degree specified in configured on the major table.

Level (RGDEGR/DEGREE_LEVEL): This field is a key control field. Among other impacts, when an enrollment is added for a student, that enrollment adopts this level for that enrollment. On the transcript, :. The degree level of study corresponding to the major. For example, undergraduate or graduate. This controls the level added to the student’s class registration record and, by extension, controls how the class (enrollment) is shown on the transcript. For example, on the transcript all level 1 enrollments (e.g. bachelor’s) will be grouped with the level 1 degree. If the student has a second degree row for level 5 (e.g. master’s), then all level 5 enrollments would be grouped with that degree on the transcript. The degree audit is also separated by level. Degree level 4 is reserved to hide enrollments Class registrations (enrollments) associated with this degree level 4 won’t ever appear on the transcript and degree audit.

Degree Start Date (May Override) (RGDEGR/START_DATE_OVERRIDE): If Custom Control DEGREE_OVR 1-1 is set to Y, then this field will be automatically filled in from the value in the Semester Dates Table associated with this degree rowCampus Cafe automatically completes this date with the first day of the student’s entering semester. The semester start date is set in semester configuration. This date is important to drive for reporting. It will not be updated automatically Campus Cafe doesn’t automatically update this date if the entering semester is changed.

Degree End Date (May Override) (RGDEGR/END_DATE_OVERRIDE(May Override): If Custom Control DEGREE_OVR 1-1 is set to Y, then this field will be automatically filled in from the value in the Semester Dates Table associated with this degree rowCampus Cafe automatically completes this date with the last day of the student’s expected graduation semester. The semester end date is set in semester configuration. This date is important to drive for reporting. It will not be updated automatically Campus Cafe doesn’t automatically update this date if the expected grad graduation semester is changed.

Status (RGDEGR/DEGREE_STATUS): This field indicates Indicates the current status of the student. This field should not be confused with the status history table described below. The status history table is used for more specific statuses and dates. For example, a student may go on leave of absence and the current degree row will be marked with a L. a record is entered into status history with the start and end date of the leave. The student returns and the current degree row status is manually changed back to E. This reflects a current status of E while the status history remains as a permanent academic historical record.

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Code

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Description

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Logic

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Blank

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The degree row has been auto created from admissions and the student has not been enrolled in any classes yet.

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A

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Active-Not Enrolled

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The student is active but not currently enrolled in a class. The system will automatically change the status from ‘E’ to ‘A’ when all grades have been entered if they are already an ‘E’, ‘A’, or blank. No other status would be changed in this scenario.

An active student represents one whose academic degree remains open. The student is not enrolled and has not been explicitly withdrawn from the degree or graduated.

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C

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Completed

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The student has completed the program, but has not yet officially graduated (been conferred).

Institutions may optionally use this status as an in-between status for students who completed their final classes but whose official graduation is on hold.

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E

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Enrolled

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The student is enrolled in at least one class without a final grade. The system will automatically change the status from blank or ‘A’ to ‘E’ when a student is enrolled in a class.

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I

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Inactive

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The student changes academic programs within the same degree level. The former row is marked inactive rather than withdrawn because the student did not technically withdraw from the institution.

If a student withdraws from a the institution and then returns later to the same program, the old degree row should have W in the status and a new degree row created.

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L

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Leave of Absence

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The student is on an approved leave of absence.

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N

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No Start

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The individual never began the degree, but a record is desired to be kept.

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W

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Withdrawn

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The student has withdrawn from the degree and the institution.

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X

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Cancelled

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Indicates a student that started a program and left within a trial or probationary period.

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Y

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Degree Conferred

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The student has officially graduated and been conferred the degree. The degree will print on the transcript as completed.

Status date (RGDEGR/STATUS_DATE): This field is used to specify the date for a current status. The system will automatically enter the date if the system changes the status or default to today upon a change of status.  Otherwise, the date would typically be changed by the user when a status is changed (e.g. a student withdraws as of a given date. The status is changed to ‘W’ and that date is entered in the status date field. 

General usage notes for status date- If a student graduates, then the status date will typically be the same as the degree granted date.  The degree granted date may be different if the degree is actually granted on a later date. If a student withdraws, the status date will be the actual date of withdrawal.  In some reports, there is an LDA (last date of attendance). This date is derived from the attendance system as the last date that a student attended.  

For non-semester or term based programs where the start date, mid-point date, and end date overrides are used, the end date is typically the expected graduation date and this date may be left alone when a student actually graduates. 

Majors 1, 2, 3 (RGDEGR/MAJOR_CODE): This field contains the major(s) for this . (This is separate from the student’s Status History record.)

Status Date: Specifies the start date for the current status. Campus Cafe automatically enters the date if it changes the status or defaults to today upon a change of status. Otherwise, the date would typically be changed by an administrator when a status is changed.

While your institution’s business practices will determine the date to use, commonly:

• When a student graduates, the status date is set to the last day the student attended or the last day of the student’s last semester. This may or may not align with the conferral, commencement or ceremonial date when the diploma is presented. Enter that date in Date Granted.

• When a student withdraws from the institution, the status date is the date the student last attended (withdrawal date). In some Campus Cafe reports, Campus Cafe uses instead a calculated last day of attendance based on attendance records in the system. For consistency, we recommend that institutions check the attendance system and ensure the last day of recorded attendance matches the withdrawal status date.

Majors 1, 2, 3: The academic majors associated with the degree. If this is the current record, this major is used in registration programs such as degree audits, plans of study, transcripts, and reports. Campus Cafe completes the major(s) based on the admissions majors during the auto degree creation process. If the degree row is added at the applied stage, then the admissions applied for majors are used. If the degree row is added at the accepted stage, then the admissions accepted majors are used. If the degree row is auto added at the applied stage and then the student is accepted into a different program, the major(s) must be manually updated in the degree row.

Major 1 Declared : This user-defined field is used to indicate how the student selected the major listed in Major 1. Values are set through STParm RZMJDX.

Minor 1, 2, 3: The academic minors associated with the degree. Campus Cafe completes this field based on the admissions majors during the auto degree creation process using the same logic as when it automatically completes majors.

Begin Semester: The academic period when the student started the degree. If this is the current record, this major is what will be is the entering semester used in registration programs such as degree audits, transcripts, and report programs. This field will be filled in based on the admissions majors during the auto add process.  If the degree row is added at the applied stage, then the admissions applied for majors are used.  If the degree row is added at the accepted stage, then the admissions accepted majors are used. If the degree row is auto added at the applied stage and then the student is accepted into a different program, the major(s) must be manually updated in the degree row.

Major 1 Declared (RGDEGR/MAJOR_DECLARE1): This user-defined field is used to indicate how the major listed in Major1 has been declared. Values are set through STParm RZMJDX.

Minor 1, 2, 3 (RGDEGR/MINOR): This field contains the minor(s) for this degree.  Rules for auto insert same as for majors.

Begin Semester (RGDEGR/ENTERING_SEM): This is the semester that the degree was begun. If this is the current record, this is the entering semester that will be used in registration programs such as degree audits, transcripts, and report programs. This will be defaulted from the admissions entering semester.

Degree Audit Semester (RGDEGR/DEG_AUDIT_SEMESTER): This semester is used to locate the appropriate catalog semester for the student’s degree audit.  If this field is blank, then then entering semester will be used. The degree audit semester may not always be the same as the entering semester, and this field gives the administrator flexibility to assign a catalog semester for the degree audit.  During the degree row creation process, the degree audit semester will default to the entering semester.

Expected Grad Sem (RGDEGR/EXPECTED_GRAD_SEM): This is the expected semester of completion or graduation.  This field is important for NSLDS (Clearinghouse) reporting where the expected graduation semester is a required field.  During automatic creation of the degree row, the expected grad semester will automatically be derived and entered.  

The expected grad semester initial calculation is based on the logic outlined below when adding the Degree Record automatically through the admissions system:  The majors table contains a value for years to complete and part time years to complete.  The semester dates table contains 8 buckets for Expected Grad Sem For Year 1-8 and these are used together to calculate the expected grad sem.

For example , a student is starting in Fall 2018 (201910) and enrolling in a program that takes 4 years to complete. (this is specified in the majors table).   The admissions part time code is blank which means the student is full time.  In the semester dates record for the entering semester, The Expected Grad Sem For Year 4 is 202220 (Spring 2022).   The value 202220 will be placed in the expected grad semester field.

Date Granted (RGDEGR/DEGREE_GRANTED_DATE): This contains the date that the degree was actually granted and appears on the transcript.

Class Of: An information field to associate the student with a graduating class, e.g. Class of 2020. This field is utilized by the alumni module to associate graduates with a class year.

Transcript Footnote Code (RGDEGR/FOOTNOTE_CODE): This drop down is used to specify a pre-built footnote that will appear on the transcript.

Program Accept Date (RGDEGR/PROGRAM_ACCDEPT_DATE): This field is used to specify the date that the student accepts a program/major. 

Use in Alumni (RGDEGR/ALUMNI_DEV_PREF_REC): Not in use.

Student Site (RGDEGR/STUDENT_SITE): This field is used to specify the site or location for a student.  This would typically be used for institutions with multiple sites. The student site is used as a filter in reporting and the finders.  It can also optionally be used to restrict registration by site. Please note that there are other “sites” in the system (example course site, billing site). 

Part Time Code: Enrollment load used by the financial aid module to determine eligibility for federal financial aid.

Enrollment Verification Override (RGDEGR/ENROLLMENT_VERIFICATION_DATE): This field is used for mid-point date.  If Custom Control/MSPARM DEGREE_OVR 1-1 is set to Y, then this field will be automatically filled in from the value in the Semester Dates Table associated with this degree row. The field is generally intended for clock-hour programs and may be searched using the student finder. The field does not affect other areas of the system.

Change Degree Status in Batch

The Student Finder allows the changing of student degree statuses in batchreports. The begin semester is initially populated based on the student’s admitted semester.

Degree Audit Semester: The semester corresponding to the curriculum the student is following. This is often known as a student’s catalog semester. During the degree row creation process, the degree audit semester will default to the entering semester. Campus Cafe uses this semester for the degree audit. (If degree audit semester is blank then then the degree audit uses the student’s entering semester.) The degree audit semester doesn’t need to be the same as the student’s entering semester. Hence, you have flexibility to assign a catalog semester that aligns with your institution's business processes.

Expected Grad Sem: The academic period in which the student is expected to complete their academic program. This is important for NSLDS (Clearinghouse) reporting where the expected graduation semester is required. During automatic creation of the degree row, the expected grad semester will automatically be derived and entered.  

The expected graduation date is initially filled in by Campus Cafe by checking the admitted semester and then computing the time to completion based on the program length (years to complete) set in the major setup and whether the student is set as expected to be full time or part time.

For example, a student is starting in Fall 2018 (201910) and enrolling in a program that takes 4 years to complete. The admissions part time code is blank which means the student is full time. In the semester dates record for the entering semester, The Expected Grad Sem For Year 4 is 202220 (Spring 2022). The value 202220 will be placed in the expected grad semester field.

Date Granted: This is the date the degree was actually granted and appears on the transcript.

Class Of: An information field to associate the student with a graduating class, e.g. Class of 2024. This is utilized by the alumni module to associate graduates with a class year.

Transcript Footnote Code: Specifies a pre-built footnote that will appear on the student’s transcript.

Program Accept Date: The date the student was accepted into the degree.

Use in Alumni: Not in use.

Student Degree Site: Associates the student with a physical campus location or a programmatic location, for example in-person vs online student. The degree site can be used to control class registration and used a a filter in reporting and finders. Please note that there are other “sites” in the system (example course site, billing site). 

Part Time Code: Enrollment load used by the financial aid module to determine eligibility for federal financial aid.

Enrollment Verification Date Override: This field is used for mid-point date. If Custom Control DEGREE_OVR 1-1 is set to Y, then this field will be automatically filled in from the value the semester configuration. The field is generally intended for clock-hour programs and may be searched using the student finder. The field does not affect other areas of the Campus Cafe.

Last Licensure Exam Date: Used for Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency reporting.

Licensure Exam Passed: Used for Gainful Employment and Financial Value Transparency reporting.

Searching for students in certain programs

The Student Finder supports searching for students in specific majors or minors utilizing the Degree Major 1, Degree Majors, Degree Minor 1, and Degree Minors fields on the student finder. Like all text fields, it may be searched for programs that are, are not, contain, start, or end with a specific string of letters.

• Degree Major 1 and Degree Minor 1 specifically search the Major 1 or Minor 1 field, respectively. A person with the criteria concentration in Major or Minor 2 or 3 will not populate in a search on Major 1 or Minor 1.

• Degree Majors and Degree Minors search all major and minor fields, respectively, including Major 1 and Minor 1.

• To find a student with a concentration in either Major/Minor 2/3, search by Degree Major 1 NOT ANY OF and Degree Majors IS ONE OF (Degree Minor 1/Degree Minors works the same way). This will search for anyone who does NOT have the concentration in the Major/Minor 1 field, but does in either of the Major or Minor 2 or 3 fields.

Change degree status for a group of students

You can use the Student Finder to change the degree status for a group of students at once. For example, you can confer a group of students. The changes will apply to the individual's current degree row.

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1. Navigate Go to Filters > Students.

2. Use the filters to return the desired population.

3. Select the students for which to change degree status.

4. Click +Create AlumniChoose > For Page or For All.

5. In the Degree Status drop down select the new degree status.

6. In the Degree Status Date enter the date the status became effective.

7. In the Degree Granted Date optionally enter the date the degree was granted (this . This is typically the ceremonial date).

8. In the Class of optionally enter the class year the students associate with (for . For example, 2020 for Class of 2020)2024 for students who graduated in spring 2024.

9. In the Constit Codes drop downs optionally select how to classify the students in the alumni module.

10. Click Submit.

Adding/

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changing degree example scenarios 

A student may have multiple internal degree rows. It is It’s important not to delete rows because they are required for keeping a historical record of the student’s academic record and used for government reporting such as changes of program to NSLDS.

Example 1: Student stops one major and starts another

A student stops pursuing one major - Math - and changes to a new major: Journalism.

1. The Math degree row should be marked inactive with a status date equal to the last date of attendance as it relates to the Math major.

2. A new degree row should be created with the new major of Journalism. This should be marked as the current degree.

Example 2: Student graduates

A student completes the requirements for a Math degree that is ready for conferral.

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On the Math Degree row:

• Set the Status to Y - Conferred (The C - Completed Status is an optional step before conferral to note the student has completed the requirements but the degree is not yet ready to be officially conferred and placed on the transcript. Both C and Y statuses are included in the NSC Grads Only report.)

• For the Status Date enter the student's last day of attendance as your institution defines it for Title IV purposes or enter the enter the conferral date. The NSC report may be configured to use this date as the graduation (G) status date.

• For the Date Granted enter the conferral date; this date will appear on the transcript. The NSC report may be configured to use this date as the graduation (G) status date.

• In Class Of optionally enter the year the graduation year for which the student identifies. This field is utilized by the alumni module to segregate graduation classes.

• For the End Date Override enter the student's last day of attendance. The NSC report may be configured to use this date as the graduation (G) status date.

Example 3: Current undergraduate applies for a master’s degree

A current undergraduate student yet to graduate applies for a master’s program. An application will not change the student’s degree or add a new degree row for the master's.

1. Add a second degree row manually containing the master’s degree information. Do not mark the degree as current.

2. When the student completes the undergraduate degree, edit the undergraduate degree to set as conferred. Then edit the graduate degree as the current degree.

External

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degrees

External degrees are degrees the student earned at another institution. Institutions You may optionally record them for reporting and tracking purposes.

External degrees must be defined in Campus Café Cafe to be selected. To differentiate external and internal degrees, Campus Café Cafe recommends starting all external majors with a standard letter code, e.g. X.

Add external degree

1. Navigate Go to the personperson’s profile.

2. Navigate Go to Person Selected > Degrees/Majors.

3. Uncheck the box next to Add Internal or uncheck for External Deg

4. Click Add.

5. At a minimum, chooseselect:

   • Type of degree

   • Level of the degree

   • Major

   • Begin Semester

   • Expected Grad Sem (which would normally be the semester the student graduated)

   • Date Granted

6. Click Save.