DegreePlus Information for Students

DegreePlus is a voluntary three-level experiential program which uses extracurricular experiences to help you build one or more transferable skills. (A transferable skill is a skill that can be used in any career, no matter what you choose to do.) What's cool about DegreePlus is you can go at your own pace and complete as many levels and skills as you want. And there are rewards at every level!

DegreePlus Skills

• Cultural Responsiveness
• Professionalism
• Leadership
• Teamwork

DegreePlus Levels

• DP1 - Experience and Exposure
  Attend 5 in-person or online DegreePlus-designated events of your choice in one skill.
  Reward: a great gift!    
• DP2 - Integration & Application
  Attend DegreePlus Day or a makeup session in the Spring or Fall Semester. At DegreePlus Day, you meet other DegreePlus participants, listen to students in DP3 present, and join a small group discussion led by a DegreePlus staff or faculty mentor. In the discussion you reflect on the events you attended, think about how the skill applies to your academic, personal, and professional journey, and start planning your DP3 Experience  (formerly the DegreePlus capstone). Following DegreePlus Day, you submit your DP3 Experience Plan of Action to your DegreePlus Mentor for review and suggestions for improvement. You complete DP2 when your plan is approved.
  Rewards: certificate, business cards, eligible for a paid DP Ambassador position, alumni mentor, job shadowing, and more!
• DP3 - Reflection & Articulation
  

  Apply the learning outcomes of your skill in an experience of your choice. A DP3 Experience can be something you already plan to do or an experience you create just for DegreePlus. Examples include an internship, academic capstone assignment, research, study abroad, senior showcase, volunteer or paid work project, leadership role, or anything that helps you further explore the skill you selected. Following the completion of your DP3 Experience, you review how you applied the five learning outcomes, what you learned from the process, and use your experience to create a poster presentation for DegreePlus Day or other approved venue. The posters are evaluated as Pass or Redo. You complete DP3 when you receive a Pass.
  Rewards: Notation on your transcript, engraved plaque, wearable badge, career support, and more.

Once you've completed Level 3, you can complete another skill at any time. It's up to you!

OK. We know you already have a lot to do at WCU. But, consider this --

• Getting involved in the DegreePlus program can make you feel good about yourself because you are learning skills that will help you now and in the future.
• DegreePlus adds to the value of your degree. You can put your DegreePlus participation on your resume or talk about it in interviews. When you let future employers or graduate/professional schools know what you've learned from DegreePlus, you set yourself apart and signal to them that you're motivated to do well. 
• You get a "co-curricular transcript." This is like your academic transcript, except it includes your experiences in DegreePlus as well as other valuable extracurricular and co-curricular experiences at WCU, such as internships, service, athletic, club, and Greek leadership, etc. This is a useful document to have as a reference to showcase all you have accomplished at WCU!

According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, the top attributes employers look for on a candidate's resume are leadership, ability to work in a team, communication skills (verbal and written), problem-solving skills, strong work ethic, cultural awareness, initiative, and analytic skills. While some of these skills can be developed in the classroom, they can be strengthened through extracurricular experiences. When you speak to employers, you want to be able to tell them the experiences you have had that make you a good candidate for the position in addition to your degree. Participating in DegreePlus can help you do just that!

DegreePlus is available at any point throughout your time at WCU! We encourage you to get involved early to have time to move through the program, develop your skill set and learn how to use it for your personal and professional development. You can do more than one skill at a time!

DegreePlus uses WCU ENGAGE to post a calendar of DegreePlus in-person and online events, track your DegreePlus Path Progress, and manage your co-curricular transcript. Just go to engage.wcu.edu and search for DegreePlus. If you join, you receive a weekly calendar of events and alerts, and can view your DegreePlus Path Progress. It's that easy!

There is no cost to participate in DegreePlus, just your dedication. However, some events that are designated as DegreePlus opportunities may have an associated charge (for example, the Etiquette Reception and Alternative Spring Break).

To be designated as a DegreePlus activity or event, the program must meet the following criteria:

• Address at least one or more Student Learning Outcomes for a DegreePlus skill (Professionalism, Cultural Responsiveness, Leadership, Teamwork)
• Be open for participation to all WCU students or another large student group (It's OK to have a cap on attendance)
• Be extracurricular in nature

To submit an event for DegreePlus use this Qualtrics form DEGREEPLUS EVENT REQUEST FORM. All event requests are approved by the Associate Director of DegreePlus. Events that are submitted less than two weeks prior to the event are not guaranteed to be accepted for DegreePlus consideration due to the volume of requests.

For questions about qualifying your DegreePlus event, contact Associate Director of DegreePlus, Heather Gordon at hgordon@wcu.edu / 828.227.3815 or CCPD/DegreePlus Administrative Support Associate Tara Smith at tysmith@wcu.edu.