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Course Terminology and Description


To better understand the notations used to describe courses, an illustrated example of a course description is provided.

Sample Course Description


See numbered footnotes for explanations of the information commonly provided in a course description.

Example Course
May not be representative of the actual course in the calendar and is used for the purposes of demostration only.


1. Course Name and Numbers: e.g. UNIV 302 - Research on Global Challenges

The number of the course indicates the level of the course:

- Supplementary study: 100s
- Junior level: 200s
- Senior level: 300s and 400s
- Upper level: 500s
- Graduate level: 600s and 700s

  1. Prerequisites: Courses that must be completed or currently registered in before a student may be able to register in this course.
    Corequisites: Must be completed at the same time as this class.

  2. Antirequisites: Certain courses carry the notation "Not open to students with credit in course number XXX" or "Credit for course number XXX and course number XXX will not be allowed." Students with permission may take these courses if they wish, but credit for both courses will not be granted towards their degree.

    Some antirequisites may include cross-listed courses such as Cellular, Molecular and Microbial Biology 561 and Medical Science 561 or Nursing 221 and Kinesiology 259. These courses are listed under two faculties and can only be taken for credit from one faculty, but not both. The credit is determined by the student's registration in either class.

  3. Notes: This contains any information that may be helpful regarding enrolment in the course. Some examples are: "A supplementary fee will be assessed to cover additional costs associated with this course", or "This course occurs in rugged field conditions and varying weather, for which participants must be prepared and equipped".

  4. Not Included in GPA: A course with this notation is graded as CR (Completed Requirements) or F (Fail). The course is not included in the calculation of the grade point average.

  5. GFC Course Hours: example (1-1T)
    The hours of instruction expected per week are indicated by the numbers contained in the brackets. The first number represents the number of lecture hours per week and the second number represents the number of lab hours per week. For example, (3-0) would indicate 3 hours of lectures per week and no labs. For (2-3), there would be 2 hours of lectures per week, along with 3 hours of lab per week.

    A course labelled (3-3/2) means that there are 3 hours of lecture per week and 3 hours of lab every other week.

    A course may also have tutorial and/or seminar hours assigned. These are indicated with an "S" or a "T", e.g., 3-2T or 3-1S.

    To calculate the total hours of expected instruction one should take the total expected weeks of instruction (which is 12 weeks for 3 units) and multiply by the number of weekly hours in the brackets. For example, Biology 241 (3-3), the total expected lecture hours are 3 (hours) x 12 (weeks) = 36 hours, and similarly 3 x 12=36 lab hours. A course designated 6 units; (3-0) would be 3 (hours) x 24 (weeks) = 72 hours, which may be taught over the course of two terms or entirely in one term, provided total hours equal 72. Courses may be taught during block week, in 3 week approved sessions, 6 week approved sessions, 12 week terms, over 24 weeks or 2 terms, or for approved non-standard dates. Whatever the duration of the course, the total instructional hours should remain the same.

    Courses that use blended learning teaching formats, may meet the required instructional hours using alternate methods such as online instruction. Practicum and field study courses may indicate the total hours of instruction in the brackets instead of a weekly designation used by other courses. For example, Nursing 289 has 6 units; (247 hours) listed as the course hours.

  6. Units: Fees and graduation are determined using “units”. The unit weight of the course is indicated in the calendar by the first part of the course hours, e.g. “3 units”. Program regulations outline the distribution of units required to graduate from the program. Units may be known as 'credits' at other institutions.

  7. May Be Repeated for Credit : Some courses are decimalized in order to accommodate different unique topics of study under a common heading e.g. 499.01, 499.02, etc. If this notation is present, students are allowed to take multiple topics belonging to one course number.

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