How to Read Your Academic Requirements Report

Your Academic Requirements Report (also known as your degree audit) is an unofficial working copy of your degree progress, including requirements you have completed and courses you must still complete to earn your degree. If you have transferred credits to Penn State from another institution, they will be included in your Academic Requirements Report. As you schedule and complete future degree requirements, your Academic Requirements Report will be updated. Certification of your degree requirements for graduation is subject to approval by the dean of your college.

If you are considering changing your major or are in a pre-major program, you may also use a What-If Report or What-If Audit to determine how courses you have already completed would apply to your new major and what courses are remaining. This pre-major audit may not be accurate if you are transferring in credits or making course substitutions. If you choose to run a What-If Audit, we recommend you discuss the results with your adviser before making course decisions.

Access Your Academic Requirements Report 

You can find your Academic Requirements Report (degree audit) in the Degree Planning and Progress section of your homepage in LionPATH. If you have any questions about your report, or if you would like assistance reviewing your progress toward your degree and planning future courses, please contact your academic adviser.

You can also view LionPATH tutorials to learn more about accessing and interpreting your Academic Requirements Report (degree audit).

Identifying What Courses You Should Take

Your Academic Requirements Report shows what courses you still need to take to complete your degree.

Sections of Your Academic Requirements Report

Each major has its own requirements and organization of courses. Some of the sections you may find on your Academic Requirements Report include:

Every degree program has Entrance to Major requirements. You may have been admitted into a pre-major program until you complete these requirements. You can enter your intended major when you complete the Entrance to Major requirements by using the Update Academics tool in the Degree Planning and Progress section on your homepage in LionPATH.

Every major has specific courses to prepare students for a specific field depending on the requirements of the major. The major requirements section will often be divided into three possible parts — prescribed courses, additional courses, and supporting courses.

Some degree programs require you to choose an option, which is a concentration of courses that add knowledge in a particular focus area, like business or life sciences.

Some degree programs have laboratory requirements. Each of these majors has its own list of approved courses that fulfill this requirement. Check with your adviser to find out which courses are recommended for your program.

Every undergraduate major has general education requirements, which fall into several categories: Quantification (GQ), General Health and Wellness (GHW), Natural Sciences (GN), Arts (GA), Humanities (GH), Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS), and Integrative Studies (Interdomain). General Education requirements also include English and speech courses. General Education courses allow you to get a more well-rounded education by focusing on topics and courses that fall outside of your major requirements. Read more about why general education is important.

To meet this requirement, you can typically take any course that World Campus offers, as long as you meet prerequisites. Some degree programs have additional restrictions. Contact your adviser with any questions.

Required for all Bachelor of Arts degrees. You will need to complete up to the third level of one language. For example, taking SPAN 1, 2, and 3 would meet this requirement; however, taking SPAN 1, French 1, and GER 1 would not meet this requirement. Previous foreign language course experience will determine which level language course you may be allowed to enroll in to start. If you have any questions about foreign language course levels and which level you may be allowed to begin with at Penn State, please contact the Global Languages department at [email protected].

Only required for Bachelor of Arts programs. This is an extension of the General Education requirement. Courses taken for General Education cannot double-count with the Bachelor of Arts requirements.

Required for all degree programs. Students can choose General Education courses in Arts (GA), Humanities (GH), Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS), or Natural Sciences (GN) that also fulfill these requirements. Some degree programs use major requirement courses to also fulfill United States and International Cultures requirements.

Although this may appear on your Academic Requirements Report, it doesn't apply to Penn State World Campus students.

This is required for all programs. To fulfill this, you will need to complete one writing-intensive course. To find these courses, you can search for the writing across the curriculum course attribute. In some majors, you will fulfill this requirement by completing your major requirements. Check with your adviser if you have questions.

This section shows the minimum number of credits required (total credits and total taken at Penn State), and minimum GPA required, to successfully obtain your degree. If you transfer in credits, you may graduate with more credits than the minimum listed for your degree, because some credits may count as electives rather than fulfilling degree requirements.