Overview

Once a Degree Program and its Course Categories have been created, the final setup step is to assign Eligible Courses to each category.

Eligible Courses are the individual courses that students can complete to fulfill the credit requirements of a Course Category. During a Degree Audit, openSIS evaluates the courses a student has successfully completed and compares them against the requirements defined for the program.

Without assigning eligible courses, openSIS cannot accurately determine whether students have met the graduation requirements for a Degree Program.

Why Assign Eligible Courses?

Each Course Category represents an academic requirement, but it does not automatically contain courses.

Assigning Eligible Courses allows openSIS to:

• Track completed program requirements.
• Calculate earned credit hours.
• Support Degree Audit.
• Verify graduation eligibility.
• Organize courses by academic requirement.
• Provide accurate academic advising.

Before You Begin

Before assigning courses, ensure that:

• A Degree Program has been created.
• Course Categories have been configured.
• Courses already exist in openSIS.
• Required Credit Hours have been defined.

How to Add Eligible Courses

Step 1: Navigate to Graduation Requirements / Degree Audit

Go to:

Settings → Grades → Graduation Requirements / Degree Audit

Select the appropriate Degree Program.

Step 2: Select a Course Category

Click the Course Category where you want to assign courses.

The Course Category details page displays:

• Degree Program
• Course Category
• Required Credit Hours
• Required ECTS Credits
• Existing Eligible Courses

Step 3: Click Add Course

Select Add Course.

A list of available courses appears.

Step 4: Select the Course

Choose the course you want to associate with the selected Course Category.

Examples:

Business Strategy
Financial Accounting
Marketing Principles
Business Analytics
Project Management

The selected course becomes an Eligible Course for that category.

Step 5: Repeat as Needed

Continue adding courses until all required courses for the category have been assigned.

Example:

Step 6: Save

After assigning the required courses, save your changes.

The selected courses are now associated with the Course Category and will be considered during Degree Audit.

Understanding the "Unassociated Courses" Warning

You may see a message similar to:
Some course(s) are in this Program but are not associated to any Course Categories. They need your attention!

This indicates that one or more courses belong to the Degree Program but have not yet been assigned to a Course Category.

To resolve this:

1. Review the list of unassociated courses displayed below the warning.
2. Select the appropriate Course Category from the drop-down list.
3. Assign the course to the selected category.

Once all courses have been assigned, the warning will no longer appear.

Removing a Course from a Category

If a course should no longer count toward a particular requirement:

1. Open the Course Category.
2. Locate the course.
3. Click the Delete icon beside the course.
4. Confirm the removal.

The course is removed from that Course Category but remains available in openSIS.

Example

Degree Program

Bachelor of Business Administration

Course Category

Core Courses

Eligible Courses

If the Course Category requires 12 Credit Hours, students must successfully complete these courses (or the required combination, based on institutional policy) to satisfy the requirement.

Benefits of Assigning Eligible Courses

Accurate Degree Audits

Degree Audit evaluates completed courses against program requirements.

Better Graduation Tracking

Administrators can quickly identify missing requirements.

Organized Academic Structure

Courses remain grouped under meaningful graduation categories.

Improved Academic Advising

Advisors can guide students based on remaining program requirements.

Simplified Program Management

Course requirements are maintained from a centralized location.

Best Practices

Assign Every Course

Ensure all courses within a Degree Program belong to an appropriate Course Category.

Avoid Duplicate Assignments

Review Course Categories before assigning the same course multiple times.

Organize Similar Courses Together

Group courses logically, such as Core, Electives, Internship, or Capstone.

Review After Curriculum Changes

Update Course Categories whenever courses are added or removed from a program.

Resolve Warning Messages Promptly

Address unassociated courses to ensure Degree Audit produces accurate results.

Common Questions

Why should I assign courses to a Course Category?

Degree Audit uses these assignments to determine whether students have completed the required coursework for graduation.

Can one Course Category contain multiple courses?

Yes. Each Course Category can include as many eligible courses as needed.

What happens if a course is not assigned to a Course Category?

It will not be counted toward the graduation requirements for that Degree Program until it is assigned.

Can I remove a course from a Course Category?

Yes. Courses can be removed or reassigned whenever graduation requirements change.