Registration Terminology

The credit value used in fee calculation.

The credit value of the course (ex: 0.5 or 1.0)

Course reference number (CRN) is the unique number that identifies a course. The CRN will vary depending on the section and on the term the course is offered. Each course component (i.e. lecture, tutorial, lab, etc.) will have its own CRN.  

A major teaching division of the University, divided into departments, schools or other units and headed by a Dean (e.g. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences).

Linked sections are sections that you must register in concurrently. If a section is identified as being linked, you must register in all parts of the course at the same time. Keep in mind that if you register for lecture section A, you must register in one of the associated linked sections (ex: discussion group) such as A1 or A2; you cannot add B1 or B2 to the section A lecture.

See “Tutorials and Discussion Groups” below for more information.

This is a term used to describe two or more courses that contain sufficient content in common that credit cannot be earned for more than one of the courses, but it does not mean that the courses are equivalent. For example, MATH 1007 precludes credit for MATH 1004. If you take MATH 1007 first, then register for 1004, you lose the credit gained for 1007.  

Sometimes courses require you to have a certain level of knowledge before registering. For example, you must take a first-year level course in Psychology before you can register in a second-year level Psychology course. Thus, the first-year course is said to be the prerequisite for the second-year course.  

When you look at the class timetable, you will see that the same course, BUSI 1004 for instance, may be listed several times and identified as BUSI 1004 section A, section B and so forth. Each “section” covers the same material in general but the instructors, times and even the textbook can be different. For this reason students must register in one section and stay in that section for the duration of the course.

Tutorials and discussion groups are required components that are linked to a lecture. They break larger courses into smaller groups of students in order to review material from the lectures, complete practice problems, or discuss readings related to the course. They are generally led by Teaching Assistants, and you are expected to attend.

A registration waitlist is a queue of students who are waiting for a space to open in a filled section of a course.  

Year level in current program (e.g. First-year Undergraduate); year standing is calculated according to the number of credits completed with passing grades and counting towards the degree. See section 3.1.8 of the Undergraduate Calendar for more information.

There are currently seats available in the course

There are no seats available in the course

You are already registered in this section

You are already on the waitlist for this section

You have already added this hypothetical course to your worksheet, but you are not yet registered in it

The course has been cancelled for the selected term

There are no seats available in the course, but the course does have a waitlist enabled, and there are spaces available on the waitlist

There are no seats available in the course. The course has a waitlist enabled, but there are no spaces available on the waitlist

The last day for registration into this class has passed; you can no longer register for this course.

What is a First-Year Seminar?

The First-Year Seminar is a prominent part of Carleton University’s course offerings for incoming students to the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Cognitive Science, Bachelor of Global and International Studies, Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies and Bachelor of Economics. Students are strongly encouraged to check regulations pertaining to first-year seminar registration on the First-year Seminar site.

If you are taking a First Year Seminar (FYSM), please note that you can only register in, and receive credit for, one FYSM. The FYSM can either be in your major, or in a discipline that is of interest to you.

What are seminar courses?

University seminar courses are small classes designed to give students the opportunity to discuss and research topics of interest in a core subject area.

Most university students are in their third or fourth year of study before they have the opportunity to take seminar courses. As a Carleton B.A., B.Cog.Sc., B.GInS., B.CoMS or B.Econ. student, you are provided with this experience at the first-year level through enrolment in your first-year seminar (FYSM).

More information, and a list of First-year Seminar courses and topics, can be found on the First-year Seminar site. You may also be interested in viewing this short video explaining why you should take a First Year Seminar.

To add a full session course, register in the fall portion of the course. The winter portion will automatically be added to your winter term registration.

To drop a full session course, drop the Fall term portion of the course within the fall term deadlines. The winter portion will automatically be removed from your winter term registration. You can still drop the winter term portion only within the winter term deadlines.

Some courses may have a discussion group, tutorial or lab. These groups, tutorials and labs are known as LINKED components. Example: BUSI 1004 A (LEC) + BUSI 1004 A1 (TUT). To register in these courses you must add both sections to your schedule. If you do not register in all the required linked components for your course, you will receive a LINK ERROR and must try again.

You can change sections of a tutorial or lab without having to drop your lecture at the same time. When changing your tutorial or lab section, you must select a replacement section from the same course letter section (i.e. changing from A1 to A3). Please note: This registration feature is only available for single term courses. For two-term courses, you risk losing your course registration when changing tutorial or lab sections.

Note: For full session linked courses you must add both sections to your schedule simultaneously.