This worksheet provides step-by-step help for configuring the Major Category filter for your majors in the CCCApply Standard & International applications. This worksheet references user information detailed the CCCApply Administrator User Guide. If your college opts to implement this filter, we recommend using this worksheet to keep track of your categories before you begin.

General Notes & Definitions

The Majors Admin Module

A series of configurable data fields used in the CCCApply applications.  The Majors module is accessible in the CCCApply Administrator by authorized college or district staff.  From the CCCApply or International Administrator homepage, select "Majors" from the modules menu bar.

The Major Category Field

An optional data field added to the Majors table in CCCApply. The <major_category> data field is a text field, allowing 100 maximum characters (per category entry). There is no limit to the number of category entries that can be defined for this field by the college. Just like Majors, categories must be configured separately for your CCCApply Standard and International applications (if applicable).  When implemented correctly, your categories will display in a Category dropdown immediately preceding the Intended Major or Program of Study dropdown allowing you to group your majors in a custom way in the CCCApply application. 

• Categories are configured in the Majors module in the CCCApply Administrator.

• Categories must be configured separately for each CCCApply applications (if applicable).

• Majors can be aligned to one or more Categories using the Import Majors CSV file.

• Categories are NOT available in the Noncredit application.
  
  

The Major Category Filter

When implemented, the dynamic display of your custom-defined categories drop down will appear on the Enrollment page in your CCCApply Standard or International application (if applicable). The filter is enabled when the first category is configured and added to a Major. The filter prompts the applicant to choose a group or higher-level category before selecting a major or program. Each major may be assigned to one or more category. Any major that is not assigned to a category will appear alphabetically in an All Majors category.

• The default sort order for Majors without any filters added is: alphabetical, ascending, by <major_description> (not Major code, but the description of the major (i.e., Art History 1A = description, vs. ART1A = major code.)

• Only the Major description field displays to the student in the Apply & International applications.  This is what appears in the "Intended Major or Program of Study" dropdown menu that the student chooses.  If no filtering is added in the Administrator, the long, flat list of majors should appear in alphabetical order to the student in the menu in the application.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• Custom categories are restricted to 100 characters each.

• No limit to the number of categories that can be defined and aligned to individual majors; however, every major should be aligned to at least one category.

• A category can be added, edited, disassociated, imported and exported in the Majors module in the CCCApply Administrator.

• Categories, also known as response options/values to the <major_category> field, are case-sensitive and must be spelled correctly and spaced consistently.

  • If a category is accidentally misspelled or if extra spaces are added, the system will consider it a separate and unique category and add it to the list of categories.

• Categories may be added manually to a major via the “Add/Edit Major” modal; however we strongly recommend using the "Import Majors" process described in the sections below.

  • If adding categories manually in the "Add/Edit Major" modal, you MUST HIT ENTER after adding each (case sensitive) category.

• The Major Category filter must be configured separately in each CCCApply application.

Configuring the Major Category Filter

The Major Category data field and filter is OPTIONAL. If your college chooses to implement categories to filter or group their existing majors, such as meta majors, they should plan out their categories using this worksheet and determine which majors should align to each category in advance.

Therefore, if the college does not want to filter or group their existing majors by category type, they should not setup categories in the Majors module in the CCCApply Administrator.  

• IF the college adds one or more custom category names in the Category input field in the "Add Majors" modal, or by Importing Majors, THEN the "Major Category" dropdown menu will appear as a required field in the student-facing CCCApply application. The Major Category menu will appear between the Education Goal field and the Intended Major or Program of Study field on the Enrollment page.
  
  

• IF the college DOES NOT add one or more custom Categories in the Majors module for their CCCApply application, THEN the Major Category menu DOES NOT appear in the application and their list of majors will display in alphabetical order by Major Description in the Intended Major or Program of Study menu in CCCApply.
  
  

• The Major Category filter can be turned off by removing all custom categories created in the Category field for every major listed for your college in the Administrator.  This will remove the Major Category menu from the student-facing CCCApply applications and the Intended Major or Program of Study menu will revert back to displaying the full list of majors and programs in alphabetical order by Major Description.
  
  

• All listings of your college majors will display in alphabetical order, including the list of custom categories (major category response options) and each filtered list of majors by category.

Getting Started

1. Plan your implementation before you begin. Use this or some other worksheet to track your category names.
   
   

2. Set up in the Pilot environment first and test.

   1. Navigate to your Pilot CCCApply Administrator system using your new college/district URL

   2. Select "CCCApply Administrator" from the CCC Administrator landing page from the "Applications" menu

   3. From the CCCApply homepage, select the Majors module from the modules menu bar for your college

   4. From the "Majors" module summary page, follow the instructions below to Export Your Majors to begin configuring your major categories.
      
      

3. Configure your categories.

   1. Using the table below, determine names for your custom categories. Remember that each category name will become the custom response options that appear in the "Major Category" dropdown menu on the student-facing application, and will also be the custom data field "values" that will appear in your downloads and reports.*

      1. Category names must not be longer than 100 characters each.

      2. Category names may include multiple words, capitalization, punctuation, and spacing (such as:  Arts, Humanities, Communication & Design).

      3. Category names must be consistent - any deviation in spelling, spacing or punctuation (case sensitive and spacing) will create a separate category in the system.
         
         

Export Your Current Majors List

1. From the Majors summary page, click the “Export Majors” button to download your current list of majors. By default the file will export as a CSV file.

2. Locate and open the CSV file from your Downloads folder and Save As with a name that identifies it as the original export file from your Pilot environment for your college. 

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Identify Your Major Categories

1. Using the table below, define the names of your custom categories. Remember, each category name will become the custom response options that appear in the "Major Category" dropdown menu on the student-facing application, and will also be the custom data field "values" that will appear in your downloads and reports.*

   1. Category names must not be longer than 100 characters each.

   2. Category names may include multiple words, capitalization, punctuation, and spacing (such as:  Arts, Humanities, Communication & Design).

   3. Category names must be consistent - any deviation in spelling, spacing or punctuation (case sensitive and spacing) will create a separate category in the system.

[Add more rows to the table above, if needed.]

Align Your Categories & Majors

Editing the Export Majors CSV File

The Export Majors function exports a .csv file of your existing majors. This file will be edited with your categories and imported back in exactly the same format.

It is important that you maintain the format that is exported. Unless you have experience with text editors and CSV files, the best way to edit your .csv file may be with a spreadsheet application such as Microsoft Excel or OpenOffice Calc.

However, these applications may have default date settings in place that may need to be reset before configuring your file. Please be prepared to reformat your dates across in the mm/dd/yyyy format. Remember to save your file in CSV format when you are finished editing it.

1. Open the exported majors .csv file on your computer using the application of your choice (Microsoft Excel is recommended).

2. Edit the majors data as needed. It is assumed that your intention is to add new majors and/or edit the majors displayed in order to import them with new values for your CCCApply application(s). Use the table below as a guide.

Aligning Your New Categories to Your Majors

Now that your categories are defined and your majors have been exported, your export file now becomes your working spreadsheet to align your categories to each major and configure any other required or optional data to be imported to your Majors table.

1. Ensure your spreadsheet contains the new column format shown in the image above.

2. Each row listed represents a major or program record in your Majors table.

3. Review each major listed and determine which category it should display under when selected by a student in the CCCApply application.

4. A major can be aligned to more than one category; however, every major must be aligned to at least one category.  

5. Align one or more categories to each major in the “Category” column on your spreadsheet.

6. Repeat this process for all majors listed on your spreadsheet.
   
   

The screen shot below shows an example of a typical Majors Export file.  Remember to leave the "eduGoals" column empty and the "created" column empty when you import your configured majors file.

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Configuring the Major Start & End Dates

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Date formats for the Majors .csv file must be in the following format: mm/dd/yyyy.

After configuring the Start and End dates for your custom major list, check to ensure the format of the Start and End dates columns are configured to the correct date format. To correct the format of these columns in your CSV file, highlight the columns and change the date format to “mm/dd/yyyy”.

Major Start Date

• The “Start” date is required.

• The Start Date data in this column identifies the date when the Major starts appearing in the "Intended Major or Program of Study" menu in CCCApply applications.

• The Start Date must be configured in the following format:  mm/dd/yyyy

• Cannot be after the major’s End Date or the associated Term's Term End date, else error message will display;

• Must be a valid calendar date (cannot be February 30, etc.)
  
  

Major End Date

• The “End” column identifies the major’s End Date which is the date that the major stops appearing in the "Intended Major or Program of Study" menu in CCCApply applications;

• The End Date is required, else error message.

• The major must be setup with one of the following settings:  

  • Major has no end date, OR

  • Major has end date

• The End Date must be configured in the following format:  mm/dd/yyyy

• Can be added individually by clicking on "Add Major" or "Edit Major" by an authorized user

• Must be a valid calendar date, i.e., cannot be February 30, etc. (else error message appears)

• Cannot be before the Major Start Date, else error message else error message will display

• Can be added by the Import Majors process via a properly formatted .csv file with all required Majors data fields

• If user selects "Major has no end date" THEN  the Major will ALWAYS display in the "Intended Major or Program of Study" menu in CCCApply

• If user selects, "Major has end date" - THEN a valid end date must be provided in the CSV file , else error message should display

Configuring Required Majors Data

Now that you’ve aligned your new categories to each major, you must ensure that all required data is configured correctly in the spreadsheet before importing your Majors file.  Specifications for each required data column appears below.

Importing Your Majors CSV File

You must use a .csv file to import majors into the CCCApply Administrator. The easiest way to do this is usually to export the current majors to a .csv file and then edit the file since a header row and some configuration details are required.

The table below details the add and update functionality for majors imports (no deleting or archiving of any majors occurs upon import).

Use the following steps to import majors:

1. Using the exact same file format, prepare your configured .csv file of majors for importing.  See Editing the Exported Majors CSV File for details.

2. Select either CCCApply or International from the Applications drop-down list.

3. From the Majors module, click Import Majors to display the Import Majors dialog box.
   
   
   
   
   

4. Click the Choose File button to display your computer’s file navigator.

5. Navigate and select the majors .csv file you want to import.  Ensure that, if you selected CCCApply or International in step 2 above, you select the correct application majors .csv file. After selecting your .csv file, the file name displays next to the Choose File button (see example below).
   
   
   
   

6. Click the Import button to import the majors .csv file. The Import Majors dialog box closes automatically, and the Majors table displays with all rows updated and and refreshed to display your edited and new major values.
   
   

Test Your Major Category Implementation

Once you’ve completed your Major Category alignment and imported your Majors Import file to the Pilot (or Production) system, the changes require 30 minutes before they will appear in the student-facing CCCApply application.  

Environment-Specific End-to-End Testing

Remember, changes made in the Pilot CCCApply Administrator will only display in your Pilot CCCApply Application and, for downloadable data fields, are only downloaded from the Pilot Downloads server. This also pertains to reporting. Pilot applications can only be run in the Pilot Report Center. 

This is an important concept to remember when setting up your major categories, configuring your required and optional major data fields, and testing the full workflow of setup (configuration), data collection, data download and data reporting in the same environment.

Log in to the Corresponding CCCApply Application URLs

The URLs shown below are templates. To see your college application, you must replace the "XXX" at the end of the URL with your college's MIS code.  To validate that you have reached your college applications, you should see your college logo in the upper left corner of the header banner. NOTE: We have no district applications, so if you are a single-college district, use your college MIS code to access your application.

Majors Sort Order

• The following Sort Order logic should be in place - The default sort order for Majors without any filters added is: alphabetical, ascending, by <major_description> (not Major code, but the description of the major (i.e., Art History 1A = description, vs. ART1A = major code.)

• Only the Major description field displays to the student in the Apply & International applications.  This is what appears in the "Intended Major or Program of Study" dropdown menu that the student chooses.  If no filtering is added in the Administrator, the long, flat list of majors should appear in alphabetical order to the student in the menu in the application.

• Save- User needs the ability to save so that the major is added and configurations are affiliated.

• Cancel- user needs the ability to cancel out of adding a major without any configurations being saved.