Dear Banner Bestie: The Case of the Missing Degree Audit Courses

You know a student has taken a course - you can see the registration or the grade in Banner. But Degree Works acts like it never happened. Before we blame the audit (or the universe), there’s a very common culprit: course pointers (levels) in Banner.

In this post, your we break down what pointers are, how Banner decides them, where to check them for in-progress vs. graded courses, and the fastest way to request a pointer change, or “double point” a course, so the right audit can finally see it.

You can see the registered and/or graded course in Banner. But Degree Works is acting like it never happened.

Most of the time, the course isn’t missing—it’s pointing to a different level than the degree audit you’re looking at. Let’s decode the most common culprit: pointers.

Pointers are the level a course applies to (the level it “points” to). All courses at a given level apply to that level’s GPA and Degree Works follows that same logic when it decides which requirements to show on a particular audit.

Translation: The course didn’t disappear. It’s filed under a different “level tab.”

Banner looks at the course’s valid levels in SCACRSE and compares them to the student’s priority 10 curriculum level at the time of registration.

Banner assigns the course to the same level as the student’s priority 10 curriculum.

• MGSC 6020 has UG and GR in SCACRSE

  • UG student registers → course points to UG

• SOWK 7230 has GR and G2 in SCACRSE

  • Student has GR at priority 10 and G2 at priority 20 → course points to GR

Banner defaults the course to the first level listed in SCACRSE.

• MGSC 7310 has GR as its first level entry

  • UG student registers and UG isn’t a match → course points to GR

For current or future term registrations, check the Level field in SFAREGS.

Note: in-progress registrations can be changed from one level to another, but they cannot be double pointed until graded.

For completed/graded courses, check the Level section in SHATCKN.

Note: only graded courses can be pointed to multiple levels (“double pointed”) in SHATCKN.

1. Identify which audit is missing the course in Degree Works

   • Use the Degree drop-down and select the audit missing the course

   • Note the level of that audit

   • Pro tip: the audit level reads from the student’s curriculum level in SGASTDN, which can help you confirm you’re looking at the right “lens”

2. Find the course’s current pointer level

   • In progress → SFAREGS (Level field)

   • Graded → SHATCKN (Level section)

3. Compare the pointer level to the audit level

   • If they don’t match, that’s usually the reason the course appears “missing”

   • Example: audit level is G2, but the course points to GR → it may not appear on the G2 audit until corrected (or double pointed, if graded)

If the pointers don’t match the audit level:

• Complete the pointer template

• Submit it to our team via ticket (also available via the Registrar homepage using the “Contact Our Office” button)

We can help with:

• Pointer/level changes (moving a course from one level to another)

• Double pointing for graded courses (applying the same course to more than one level)

If the pointer does match the audit level and the course is still missing, contact the Degree Audit team for additional troubleshooting. At that point, you’ve already ruled out the most common cause.

In closing, Degree Works is usually doing exactly what it was told. When a course seems missing, start with pointers to solve the mystery faster.

For more detail and screenshots, be sure to check out our article: Troubleshooting courses missing from the degree audit

With affection and a color-coded case file,
Your Banner Bestie

• Which audit is missing the course? Confirm the audit level in Degree Works (and SGASTDN if needed).

• Is the course in progress or graded?

  • In progress → check pointer in SFAREGS

  • Graded → check pointer in SHATCKN

• Do the pointer level and audit level match?

  • No → request pointer change or double point (if graded)

  • Yes → escalate to the Degree Audit team

Teaser text for the newsletter:

You know a student has taken a course - you can see the registration or the grade in Banner. But Degree Works acts like it never happened. Before we blame the audit (or the universe), there’s a very common culprit: course pointers (levels) in Banner.

In this post, your we break down what pointers are, how Banner decides them, where to check them for in-progress vs. graded courses, and the fastest way to request a pointer change, or “double point” a course, so the right audit can finally see it.

🔎Open the case file: the full troubleshooting guide

Reference article: Troubleshooting courses missing from the degree audit