Course planning
Congratulations! You have been accepted to Douglas College. Now you need to decide which courses you want to register in. Read the overview for course planning and use our step-by-step guides to make your course planning easier.
Step 1: Review Your Program
You will find it in the Program and Course Catalogue.
- The courses needed to complete your program will be listed under "program requirements."
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You can also review your MyPath audit to track your progress towards your program completion.
Step 2: Plan Your Courses
Now that you know which courses are required for your program, you can start planning which ones to take.
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Courses can be taken in any order as long as you meet the prerequisites – however it is recommended that you start with the lower level courses first.
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Use the Course Scheduling Tool to see which courses are offered.
Contact a Student Success Advisor for further help at studentsuccess@douglascollege.ca.
Please note
Read the Important Terminology before finishing your course planning to help you understand the process better.
Course Planning Resources
- Step-by-step Course Planning Guide
- GPA Calculator (Please note, to calculate your GPA for admission to another institution, refer to the GPA policy for that institution. For transfer, count your credits based on how the course transfers as opposed to how many credits it is worth at Douglas College.)
- Course Scheduling and Time management tools
Where to check prerequisites and co-requisites for courses:
- Click on a course to see content, method of instruction, and more. A list of our courses can be found on the program and course catalogue.
How to start preparing for my prerequisites:
- It's best to start with 1000-level courses (first-year courses), but courses may be taken in any order, provided prerequisites are met first.
Prerequisites will need to be completed first, in earlier semesters. All prerequisites need to be successfully completed with the minimum grade required before you may register for the intended course.
Need a minimum of C- to pass your prerequisites unless stated otherwise on the course page.
- Electives are courses you "elect" to register in - they can be any course of your choice as long as it meets any other requirements listed.
- Elective may be an opportunity to meet additional credential requirements such as a concentration or specialization.
- It can be used to gain breadth knowledge by selecting courses from other faculties.
- You can use electives toward a minor or 2nd concentration or specialization because it would be a great opportunity to select courses from other faculties to gain breadth knowledge.
- Sometimes electives must be UT - (University Transferable), which means, it must transfer for credit to at least 1 of the 5 research universities (UBCV, UBCO, SFU, UNBC, UVIC) on the BC transfer guide website.
- If you are planning to transfer to another institution, see the University Transfer page.
This course will include some synchronous on-line activities. Students should plan to be available online at scheduled course times. Synchronous online activities may include lectures or they may not. In some courses, synchronous class time may be used instead, for active learning components (e.g. discussions, labs).
If your course has a synchronous component, you will need to be online on scheduled days and times.
This course will include synchronous online tests/exams. Students should plan to be available online at scheduled course times
All course activities will be asynchronous. Students will not be required to be online at specific scheduled times.
This course is offered on-campus. Attendance in person at scheduled day(s) and times as determined by the instructor is required.
This section is offered in a hybrid format. It includes both online components and in-person on-campus activities. Check Blackboard and your Douglas College email for specific details about on-campus dates. The instructor will provide advance notice of the dates of on-campus activities.
Registration
After all your course planning is done, you will need to register for your courses. You can find an overview of registration and step-by-step registration guides on this page.
Make sure to check out the tips and tricks the Student Success Advisors (SSAs) have prepared for you.
Step 1: Determine your course load
How many courses should you take? It depends.
- Most full-time students in limited-enrolment programs take courses in a set order as indicated in the program requirements tab. Contact the faculty for further guidance.
- Students in open-enrolment programs can take up to 17.5 credits per semester. Select the number of credits that are manageable for you.
- It can be dependent on other obligations such as student loans, being an athlete, program requirements, hours of work outside of school, and etc.
Contact your SSAs for more information regarding these situations.
Step 2: Build your schedule
You can use the course scheduling tool to find:
- Classes available in that semester
- Instructors teaching the course
- Class recurrence and times
Before registering for courses, draft a sample of your course schedule to make sure your class times don't overlap and all your prerequisite are met for the desired courses.
Step 3: Register for courses
When you are ready to register at your appointed registration time, login to your account and choose your courses. For help on the registration process look into the Resources below or contact your SSA.
Registration Resources
ASSOCIATE DEGREE
To learn about Associate Degree in detail visit the Associate Degree page.
Arts electives include the following departments and subjects:
| *English Electives | Humanities |
Social Sciences |
Can substitute Arts |
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| *English courses can include courses in written Communications and Creative Writing that transfer to one of the Research Universities as ENGL credit. A maximum of 3 credits can come from such as an equivalent; at least 3 credits must be earned in an actual ENGL course. For purposes of the Associate of Arts degree, ENGL. courses cannot be counted as Humanities courses |
| **Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies |
| Human Geography and most Psychology courses are designated as Arts courses |
| A course is considered university-transferable (UT) if it transfers to at least one of British Columbia's five research universities (UBC-Vancouver, UBC-Okanagan, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, or University of Northern British Columbia) as per the BC Transfer Guide. |
Resources
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Access to Psychology Communication Centre hosted on Blackboard.
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Bachelor of Arts - Applied Psychology BA FAQ's and Checklists
- Associate of Science Degree checklist (PDF)
A course which transfers as an assigned or unassigned credit at 100-level to at least one Research University.
A course which transfers as an assigned or unassigned credit at 200-level or higher to at least one Research University.
An Arts course is defined to be any 100- or 200-level course in a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Arts degree at: SFU, UBC, UBC-O, UNBC, or UVIC (including Math and Economics).
A science course is defined to be any course within a subject area for which there is a Baccalaureate of Science degree or Baccalaureate of Applied Science degree at one of the Research Universities: SFU, UBC, UBC-O, UNBC, or UVIC.
Here are some tips from your Student Success Advisor for Course Planning and Registration!
Course planning Tips
By checking, it will help you understand what courses to take each semester.
Check program and graduation requirements on the program page.
Plan out all your semesters so you have an understanding of the big picture. Then 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, 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.
Plan backwards. Start with your end goal. For example, if your end goal is to complete a master's in counselling – start with researching the admission requirements for your Master's program. Then research what you need to complete for admissions and/or program requirements for your Bachelor’s program.
Create a schedule , manage your time and identify your course load- Click for more information
Registration Tips
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.
For Time management tips read the following.
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.
Classes will always have a lecture, however if labs or tutorials are listed as well, you must choose one section of each, and register for both the lecture and the lab or tutorial at the same time.
Sometimes seats are reserved for a specific program. Seat reservations are indicated below the section information. If the only remaining seats are reserved for another program, you will not be able to take that section. Some sections are also restricted to specific programs. If an entire course is restricted to another program, you will not be able to take that course unless otherwise noted.
Set a reminder in your calendar not to forget your registration time and date
- 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.