928-523-2230
provost@nau.eduDegree tracking project
Creating a single source of truth
Due to the need to track degrees for both faculty and staff, NAU HR is working with the Office of Institutional Research and Analysis and the Office of the Provost to create one place where faculty and staff can enter their degree information and upload transcripts. ITS created pages in PeopleSoft for entering degree information, uploading transcripts, and verifying degree information. An initial file load of degree information from FAAR to PeopleSoft occurred in April 2020. The degree section in FAAR has now been locked down to read-only. New degree information is now entered into PeopleSoft and fed from PeopleSoft to FAAR.
Any additions or edits to degree information will be possible only at the PeopleSoft self-service tool, available at PeopleSoft. To add your degree in PeopleSoft, navigate to Self-Service > Personal Information > NAU Degree Information. Only enter information on completed associates, bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees. In-progress degrees should be discussed within your self-evaluation. In FAAR, post-degree work should be in Profile > Work Experience, and certificates should be in Profile > Professional Licensures & Certifications.
Frequently asked questions
The degree tracking project allows for better collection of degree data for employees at NAU in a single, central location. Not only is this important for HLC accreditation and ease of degree reporting, accurate data regarding faculty qualifications is needed for many uses on campus.
PeopleSoft holds information on completed associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Any other information in the FAAR Profile > Degree section will remain as-is until the faculty member deletes the entry in FAAR.
In-progress degrees should be discussed within your self-evaluation. In FAAR, post-degree work should be in Profile > Work Experience, and certificates should be in Profile > Professional Licensures & Certifications.
All employees will be impacted, but most have no action required. Faculty will enter new degree information in PeopleSoft instead of FAAR. All other employees will now have a place to enter degree information in PeopleSoft as part of the on-boarding process or soon after obtaining a new degree.
Degree verification
View the administrator guide for viewing, editing and verifying degrees submitted by faculty.
Terminal degree
As part of the Degree Tracking project, unit administrators are asked to verify the highest degrees with transcripts, including whether a degree is considered terminal in their discipline. The following is the NAU-approved list of terminal degrees and the relevant faculty area where such a degree is considered terminal. As an example, an MSW degree is only considered terminal if the degree-holder is teaching in the Social Work department.
Approved list
| Terminal degree earned | Faculty area |
|---|---|
| Doctoral-level degrees (earned degree, not including honorary) | All areas |
| Education Specialist (EdS) | College of Education |
| Master of Fine Arts (MFA) | CAL (fine arts or creative writing), School of Communication |
| Master of Social Work (MSW) | Social Work |
| Master's-level degree in Architecture | Civil Engineering, Construction Management |
| Master's-level degree in Physician Assistant Studies | Physician Assistant Studies |
| Master's-level degree in Library/Information Science | Cline Library |
| Master's-level degree in Dental Hygiene | Dental Hygiene |
| Master of Interior Design, Master of Science in Interior Design, or Master of Architecture | Interior Design in School of Art |