The department reflects an organizational unit that is responsible for revenues and expenses, and typically contains people and a budget.
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Format: Department is a five-digit number (#####).
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Status: Department is always a required field on transactions.
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Security: Department can be used to establish user security.
Department ChartField Structure and Usage
Most organizational units are divided into more than one department to provide additional reporting distinctions. These are sometimes referred to as “sub-departments.” The department structure of a typical academic organization is illustrated below. The first three digits in a department, and the first two or three characters in a Department Description, denote the organization to which that department belongs (e.g. 219 / SCI = Science Department).
| Department | Description | Usage |
|---|---|---|
| 21900 | SCI-Science | Main operating / home department |
| 21901 | SCI-Chair/Director | Used at the chair or director’s discretion. Sometimes contains transactions that are more sensitive in nature. |
| 21902 | SCI-Graduate | Tracks activity associated with graduate student instruction. |
| 21903 | SCI-Undergraduate | Tracks activity associated with undergraduate student instruction. |
| 2190# | SCI-XXXXX | Additional departments as needed. Can include research, recharge centers, academic centers, etc. |
Department Tree and Reference Guides
Departments are organized into a “Department Tree,” which depicts how academic and administrative organizations are summarized, or rolled up, for financial reporting purposes. The Department Tree has seven levels: Organizations are summarized under areas; areas are summarized under VP regions; and VP regions are summarized under VP’s. This structure enables various, diverse levels of financial reporting and security provisioning.
View the Department Reference Report
The Department Hierarchy Report on the Information Warehouse provides a complete list of all Departments and their hierarchy/ tree groupings. View the Chart of Accounts: Department Hierarchy guide on our Financial Report Reference Guides website for more information.
Department ChartField Request
For department requests, complete the Department ChartField Request form.