Major Programs

As part of the transition to Workday Student, many of the major programs (MPs) from SIS, our legacy student information system, were converted to programs of study.  

The mapping table linked below includes a list of MPs and their corresponding programs of study in Workday. Not all MPs were brought over to Workday for several reasons as explained in the background section below. 

Use the filters in Row 5 of the mapping table to quickly find a specific course. 

Background 

During the MP to program of study transformation, the project refined program names, excluded inactive (obsolete) programs that weren’t needed to support active students, and consolidated duplicate programs where other Workday functionality meets business needs (e.g., MPs that are cohorts in Workday).  

In addition, we created new program types that allow parent-child relationships at the graduate level, such as a degree program that offers concentrations or specializations. This will make it easier for staff to maintain policies and academic requirements associated with programs of study. 

Naming Programs of Study 

Having clear, consistent program of study names in Workday improves the experience of our students and staff and takes advantage of Workday’s searching/tracking functionality. 

Workday relies on keywords rather than program codes as the primary search element. In SIS, staff have been dependent on MP codes as shorthand for searching, sorting, and filtering within reports. These codes are based on SIS logic, which does not translate into Workday. 

In Workday, codes are part of the program of study definition, but they are not easily visible on students’ records or delivered reports, rendering them far less useful to student, advising, and administrative users. Program of study names therefore need to be very clear. 

Also, field length restrictions in SIS led to the use of acronyms and abbreviations in program names. This constraint doesn’t exist in Workday, which allows us to more clearly and accurately represent each program. 

In SIS, programs conferring the same credential (e.g., A.M.) begin with the same acronym and type, for example, A.M. IN ENGLISH AND AM. LIT (WITHOUT THESIS). This makes it harder for students and staff to use sorting to find a particular program.  

In Workday, programs now start with the academic discipline and list the credential as a trailing element following this pattern: <discipline or subject> <program of study type name, if needed>, <credential>. For example, English and American Literature, M.A. 

In Workday, as in SIS, program of study names will be listed on transcripts. The new program of study names are more consistent and easier for external viewers to understand.