DARS Instructional Material (PDF)
DARS
An Overview of DARS
DARS is an acronym for a program called the Degree Audit Reporting System. DARS produces a report reflecting academic progress toward completion of an undergraduate degree in a declared or proposed major according to the catalog year in which the student entered the program. The DARS report, or degree audit, shows how University of Wisconsin-Parkside courses, transfer courses, and courses in progress apply toward degree requirements. The Degree Audit Report is an internal document. It should be used as a tool to assist students and advisers in planning future coursework. It is not an official certification of a student’s academic record.
DARS is a tool used by students, advisors and the Graduation Services Coordinator.
How does DARS work?
The DARS audit 'reads' all courses completed or accepted in transfer at UW-P and shows how those courses have been applied toward a declared program(s) according to the catalog requirements for the year in which the student entered UW-P.
DARS provides assistance in determining a student's progress in the completion of their chosen degree program. It shows the entire catalog requirements needed to obtain a degree, indicating which ones have been completed and which requirements are yet needed to be finished. This information is shown in a document called an audit.
In order for DARS to produce the proper results, it needs to know some basic pieces of information about a student:
- the catalog year for General Education Requirements
- their declared major(s), concentration(s), minor(s) and certificate(s)
- the catalog year for Program Requirements (link to Catalog Year info)
Satisfied requirements have "OK" displayed on their left side, while unsatisfied ones have "NO" shown. Components of requirements (sub-requirements) have "+" displayed on their left side when fulfilled and "-" when they are not. Items which are unsatisfied or unfulfilled generally show the courses that can be used to complete the items.
Along with requirements being shown on audits, other information is displayed, such as credits totals, GPA's, all courses taken, advisors, etc. There are three major components to the audit:- General University Requirements
- General Education Requirements
- Major/Concentration/Minor/Certificate Requirements
Important Note Regarding In-Progress Courses An "in progress" course is one for which you have not yet received a final grade. This includes courses in which you are currently enrolled (which are reported on the audit with a grade of IP) and any course with a grade of X, I, or N. This report assumes you will satisfactorily complete the courses for which you are currently registered and that none of these is a duplicate or exceeds the maximum allowed toward degree requirements |
Exceptions An exception reflects any changes, such as waivers or substitutions, applied to your academic program by an Executive Action by your Department. This allows DARS to individualize your specific degree program. |
Questions concerning DARS and transfer work should be directed to Transfer Evaluation Department at 262-595-2445.
Questions concerning DARS and the analysis of your degree requirements should be directed to DARS@uwp.edu
Questions regarding technical problems with DARS
If you get an error message when running a degree audit or the audit simply does not appear when you try to run your report, you should contact the UW-P Service Desk (WYLL D150) at 262-595-2444 .
