Reading a course code
Every Arts & Science course code has four parts. Take CSC108H1:
- CSC
- The subject. There are 173 of these three-letter codes.
- 108
- The course number. Its first digit is the level, from 100 (introductory) to 400 (most advanced).
- H
- The weight: H is a half credit (0.5) and Y a full credit (1.0). Of 5,368 courses, 4,736 are H and 632 are Y.
- 1
- The campus: 1 is St. George.
Prerequisites, corequisites and exclusions
3,810 of the 5,368 courses list prerequisites, and 1,777 list exclusions.
- Prerequisite
- What you need before you take the course: another course, a grade or a number of credits.
- Corequisite
- A course you take alongside it, or before it.
- Exclusion
- A course that overlaps too much. With credit for one, you generally can't also get credit for the other.
Programs often leave prerequisites unstated: a Major can list a 300-level course without the 200-level courses it needs. Trace each course back so a gap in second year doesn't hold up a requirement in fourth.
Breadth categories
Most courses count toward one of five Breadth categories, listed with the course. A half credit counts 0.5 toward its category and a full credit 1.0.
- Creative and Cultural Representations (1)1,398 courses
- Thought, Belief and Behaviour (2)675 courses
- Society and its Institutions (3)1,620 courses
- Living Things and Their Environment (4)456 courses
- The Physical and Mathematical Universes (5)513 courses
Degree planning covers how many you need.
Planning term by term
Each course should earn its place: move a program requirement forward, unlock what comes next, or cover a Breadth category you still need, all while building toward 13.0 credits at the 200 level or above and 6.0 at the 300 level or above.
Start from your programs' requirements, place the longest prerequisite chains first, and leave room for courses offered in only one term. Then check the plan as a whole, since a term that looks fine on its own can leave a requirement short later.
Course planning with Atlas
Atlas sorts courses by whether you can take them now, with their prerequisites and the requirements they count toward. Plans check every change against your programs and degree, the timetable fits sections around your week, and Atlas AI answers questions from the Calendar and your record.