Degree auditing done right — so students graduate on time and advisors spend less time guessing.
Ellucian Degree Works is one of the most powerful tools in your student success arsenal — when it’s set up correctly. It automates degree auditing, supports academic planning, and gives advisors and students a clear, real-time view of where they stand on the path to completion.
But too many institutions are only scratching the surface of what Degree Works can do, relying on outdated scribes, incomplete program configurations, or manual workarounds that undermine the tool’s value. SIG has been working with Degree Works since the system was introduced into the higher ed landscape. We know where institutions get into trouble — and how to get them out of it.
Degree Works Consulting Across the Full Implementation Lifecycle
SIG works across every phase of the Degree Works lifecycle, from initial setup to ongoing scribe maintenance to SaaS migration.
Ellucian Degree Works Implementation Services
The success of a Degree Works implementation relies heavily on how well your scribe logic maps to your catalog. Getting that right from the start will set you up for long-term success.
We handle full implementations for institutions launching Degree Works for the first time, as well as post-go-live remediation for institutions that inherited an environment that was never quite right.
SIG manages the complete implementation — from catalog analysis and scribe development to integration with your Banner or Colleague environment, student and advisor portal configuration, testing, training, and go-live.
Scribe Development & Maintenance
Scribes are the engine behind every degree audit, and poorly written or outdated scribes are the number one reason Degree Works underperforms.
SIG writes, audits, and maintains Degree Works scribes for institutions that have fallen behind, those building new programs, and those that simply don't have the in-house expertise to keep up. We also do scribe translation work for institutions migrating from Degree Works Classic to SaaS, where the scribing syntax changes.
Degree Works Optimization & Configuration
Already running Degree Works but not getting the value you expected? SIG audits your current configuration, identifies gaps in scribe logic, cleans up exception handling, and optimizes how the tool integrates with your SIS and advising workflows.
Degree Works Features & Components SIG Supports
- Degree Works dashboard configuration
- Degree Works degree audit engine
- Degree Works SaaS portal configuration
- Degree Works security and role configuration
- Degree Works Student Planner
- Degree Works transfer articulation & equivalency
- Degree Works What-If scenarios
- Self-Service Banner (SSB9) integration with Degree Works
SaaS Migration & Upgrade Support
Moving to Degree Works SaaS or upgrading to the latest version requires careful planning — especially around scribe compatibility, data migration, and integration testing. SIG manages the transition end-to-end so your advising operations don’t miss a beat.
Degree Works Training & Knowledge Transfer
Build internal capacity to maintain and evolve your Degree Works environment. SIG provides hands-on training for registrar staff, scribe writers, functional administrators, and advising teams — so your institution isn’t dependent on a single person or a single partner for ongoing success. We also build documentation so that when a key staff member leaves, their institutional knowledge isn't totally lost.
Why Higher Ed Institutions Choose SIG for Degree Works
Degree Works expertise is rare — and most of it lives in the heads of a shrinking number of experienced scribe writers and registrar staff.
SIG’s Degree Works consultants have implemented, optimized, and supported the platform at institutions across the country, working with every variety of catalog structure, academic policy, and exception workflow. We also have deep experience with the Banner and Colleague environments that Degree Works integrates with, which enables us to identify errors faster and with more accuracy.
As an Ellucian Premier Service Partner, we bring the technical depth and the institutional understanding to make Degree Works work the way it should — for your students, your advisors, and your registrar’s office.
Ready to unlock the full potential of Degree Works?
Every day is a chance to dismantle the status quo.
I almost look at SIG as our safety net. We have Ellucian implementing the software, we have our Broward team, but then we have SIG. If we’re going to stumble or fall, SIG is going to be there to help pick us up—because they’re in it with us for the long haul.
Liz Perrone, Implementation Director, Broward College