Course planning tips

Many courses at Douglas College require the completion of pre-requisites before registration. A pre-requisite is a course, assessment test or transfer credit that must exist on your record, or be in progress, before registering for the next course.
 
For example, to register in ACCT 1210, you need to have taken ACCT 1110 or currently have ACCT 1110 in progress.

Make sure that you have met all pre-requisites before registration. The registration system will not permit registration in a course unless the pre-requisites have been met or are currently in progress. 
  
There are two ways to find pre-requisites:  

1. Explore Programs and Courses on the website by selecting the course you are interested in; or

2. When using the Browse Classes tool, click on the Title of the Course. A pop-up window will open and in the first section called Section Notes & Pre-reqs, there will be a direct link to the website for all the course details including the pre-requisites for the course.

In-progress pre-requisite courses

If you are currently completing a course at Douglas College that is a pre-requisite for a course you are trying to enrol in, the system will let you register/waitlist for the course and your status will show Registered/Waitlisted. If you meet the pre-requisite, when the final grade for the current course is received, no changes will be made to your registration. If you do not meet the pre-requisite, based on your final grade, the system will automatically de-register you from the course.  The minimum grade required to meet your pre-requisite is C- unless stated otherwise on the course page. Note: Check your registration after grades have been submitted for the specific semester.

A grade of "I" (Incomplete) does not qualify as a course pre-requisite. If you are aware, you will receive an "I" grade in a pre-requisite course, then you must request departmental permission to continue in the course that is dependent on the pre-requisite. Permission must be requested before the ‘I’ grade is entered on your record. Permission must come from the teaching department, not Enrolment Services.

Transfer credit for post-secondary courses

If you have taken courses at other post-secondary institutions and would like to use them as pre-requisites, you  must follow the steps on our Transfer Your Credits page.
  
Transfer Credit requests may take approximately two to three weeks to process, and up to three months for courses taken at post-secondary institutions out of province or out of Canada that require detailed course outlines to be evaluated. 

Assessment test

Some courses will give the option to meet pre-requisites by taking an assessment test. You can check the available schedule for your desired assessment test exam by using the Browse Classes tool.
  
To book your assessment, please contact Enrolment Services well in advance of registering for courses. Visit  Assessment Testing for more information.

Check program and graduation requirements in the Catalogue.

To have a better understanding of your program, plan out all your courses for each semester; you may need to revise each semester accordingly.  Have a Plan B if you do not get into the courses you want. Many classes have more than one section; this means it is the same class, just offered at various times and usually taught by different instructors.  You may choose whichever section you like as long as there is space available.

Start filling in your timetable with classes that have the least number of sections available. For example, if you want to take both a French and English class, fill in your timetable with the class that has only one section available first. Then choose the section of the other class that fits your schedule best.

Set academic goals and plan backwards by starting with your end goal. For example, if your end goal is to complete a Master’s Degree:

• Research the admission requirements for your Master's program.
• If a Bachelor’s Degree is required, review its admissions and/or program requirements.
• Planning and research may take time as you will be navigating different post-secondary institution websites, visit information sessions and seek advice from advisors.

Create a schedule, manage your time and identify your course load: Create a Draft Schedule

If you would like to take a full-time course load, 9 credits are recommended in the first semester unless otherwise required. Once you feel comfortable with the course load, you may increase it to 12 credits if you feel that it is manageable. 15 credits are not typically recommended, however, if you choose 15 credits, consider cutting back on your work hours.

Start filling in your timetable with classes that have the least number of sections available. For example, if you want to take both a French and English class, fill in your timetable with the class that has only one section available first. Then choose the section of the other class that fits your schedule best.

Co-requisites

If you register for a course with a co-requisite, you must register in both courses at the same time or you will be dropped from that course without notice. If you receive an error message, please check your registration information to ensure you are trying to register in the correct combination of courses. This information is available online using the Browse Classes tool. 

Linked courses (labs and tutorials)

If you are registering in a course that requires a lab or tutorial section, this information will be linked on the Browse Classes tool under Status. For example, for MATH 2232: you must ALSO register in MATH 2232 T01 or T02 sections. Register in one of the listed Tutorial Sections (section starts with T for Tutorial and L for Lab) as registration in the lecture section does not register you in the linked (lab / tutorial) section. Tutorials and Lab sections have their own CRN. 

Courses that are linked (lecture+lab or lecture+tutorial) will gather a waitlist on only the lecture or lab/tutorial CRN. When a space becomes available, you can register in both the lecture and lab/tutorial, based on the single waitlist offer, as long as registration is done within the offer window. 

By clicking on the title of a course through the Browse Classes tool , you can view the pop-up box called Section Notes & Pre-reqs that will include information and/or restrictions of the selected section of the course.  Some sections are restricted to students enrolled in specific programs.

• Give priority to classes with the least sections
• Make sure to put yourself on the waitlist if classes are full

Become familiar with our Waitlist Procedure.