Course Selection

When selecting courses, there are a few things to consider:

  1. What are your program/module requirements?
  2. Which courses are you missing?
  3. What prerequisites will you need to complete this year to make sure you are eligible for the courses you may want to take the following year? 
  4. Do you need a first year Math or Data Science course for your program/module? Use this tool to determine the math requirements for your program.


It is important to do your program planning and fill out a checklist to see what may be missing before you launch into course selection. You may contact your Program Advisor and ask for a progression check. For students in their graduating year, we recommend you ask for a graduation check before registration begins. If you are taking combined modules over different departments or faculties, you may contact one of our Counsellors through the Help Portal to ask for help with your checklist.

Once you know what you need and how many electives you can take this year, start researching your course options using the Academic Calendar and Timetable. The Timetable will show you what courses are being offered in the upcoming session, along with any constraints that may be placed on the course. The Academic Calendar gives the course description, outlines any requisites and provides the course weight (e.g. 0.5 or 1.0 credit). Refer to the Glossary on the Academic Calendar if you are unsure what some of the terms mean.

Be prepared to invest some time in your course selection and remember to have a couple alternate courses in mind. You may find the course will be unavailable to you once registration begins. This can happen when a student has overlooked a prerequisite, a restriction or a priority on a course. Also some courses fill up very quickly, and once a course is full the only option is to place your name on the wait list.

Using Draft My Schedule you can develop your course plan before you register. You will find links to the many registration resources available to you in Your Resource Kit under “Registration Tools & Checklists”. Once you are ready to register, you will do so through Student Center. Instructions can be found on the Registrar's site. Any further questions regarding registration should be directed to the Office of the Registrar through their live chat.

See Program Planning for more information about degree requirements. 

Academic Status and Course Load

A full course load is 5.0 credits per Fall/Winter Session. To maintain full-time status, students must be taking 3.5 or more credits. Part-time status means a student is taking 3.0 or less credits. 

In the Summer term, all students are considered part-time and are limited to 2.5 credits. Pay attention to the date overlap of your course selections to ensure that you can manage the demands of the competing course work and expectations.

Course Numbering

Course Numbering
0001 - 0999 Pre-University level introductory courses (may be counted for credit unless taken in a preliminary year; may not be counted toward essay or breadth requirements, or used to meet minimum admission requirements to enter a module)
1000 - 1999 Year 1 courses
2000 - 4999 Senior-level courses

Course Suffixes

Course Suffixes
No Suffix 1.0 course not designated as an essay course
A 0.5 course offered in first term
B 0.5 course offered in second term
A/B 0.5 course offered in first and second term
E Essay course
F Essay course offered in first term
G Essay course offered in second term
F/G Essay course offered in first and second term
K 0.75 course (integrated curriculum of HBA1 program) at the Richard Ivey School of Business

Delivery Type

Courses may be offered in-person, blended or online/distance studies. For in-person and blended courses, students are expected to attend on campus to participate. Accommodations are not available for students who can’t attend in person. If you can’t commit to being on campus, it is recommended that you select online/distance studies courses. Students are permitted to take up to 3.0 credits through online/distance studies during each Fall/Winter Session.

Midterms and final exams will be in-person for all courses except online/distance studies.

Discovery Credits

Discovery credits are a chance for students to take something outside their area of study without the worry of losing their place in a program by lowering their average. For this reason, discovery credits can only be applied to courses outside your field of study, in a subject that you have never taken before. This is a low-risk opportunity to have fun and try something different.

If you are considering a discovery credit, make sure you understand what will qualify before you register to avoid disappointment. More information about discovery credits is available through the Registrar’s Office.

Typical Errors to Avoid

⇒ Taking more than 1.0 credit per session at an Affiliated College (Huron, King's, Brescia)
⇒ Taking senior courses (numbered 2000 or above) in your first year
⇒ Taking too many courses in one subject
⇒ Taking too many first year credits (max 7.0)
⇒ Missing the Category B (e.g. Arts) or Category C (e.g. Science) requirements
⇒ Missing the essay requirements
⇒ Missing prerequisites for courses you are adding
⇒ Taking 2 courses that are antirequisites
⇒ Forgetting to drop second term courses if you did not complete the prerequisite