Prerequisites
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Course Prerequisites
Prerequisites are requirements that students must complete before enrolling in certain courses. They are designed to help ensure that students have the knowledge and preparation needed to succeed in more advanced coursework.
As Penn expands the use of prerequisite checking in PATH, some prerequisites are enforced during registration while others are reviewed by academic departments after registration. This page explains how prerequisites work, how they are displayed in PATH and the University Catalog, and what students can expect when registering for courses with prerequisite requirements.
What is a Prerequisite?
A prerequisite is generally a course that students must complete before enrolling in a more advanced course.
Sometimes a student is given a choice of prerequisites to complete. In the example below, the student must complete CIS 1210 and CIS 1600 before taking CIS 4810. In other cases, a student may have the choice of achieving a minimum grade or a certain placement test result in lieu of a prerequisite course. Some courses require more than one prerequisite.
Example:
CIS 4810 (Computer Vision & Computational Photography)
*Prerequisites: CIS 1210 and CIS 1600
*If a course has a required prerequisite it will be listed in PATH; students will find the prerequisites within the course information panel.
Prerequisites and Registration
Enforced prerequisites are checked during registration. Students who have not satisfied the required prerequisite(s) will be prevented from enrolling. Enforced prerequisites are displayed in both the University Catalog and in PATH during course registration.
Unenforced prerequisites are listed in the University Catalog but are not automatically checked during registration. Students may be able to register for these courses in PATH even if they have not completed the prerequisite requirements. However, academic departments may review enrollments and enforce prerequisite requirements through departmental processes after registration.
Penn is gradually expanding the use of enforced prerequisites through a phased implementation. During this transition period, some courses will have enforced prerequisites while others will continue to use unenforced prerequisites. Students should carefully review all prerequisite requirements in the University Catalog before registering for a course.
To determine whether a prerequisite is enforced, review the course information in PATH. If prerequisite information appears in PATH, it is enforced at registration. If prerequisite information appears only in the University Catalog, it is not currently enforced through the registration system.
Registration Error Messages
Not all registration messages involve prerequisites, some of them relate to other restrictions on the course. See examples of registration messages below.
Restriction
Prerequisite
Prerequisite Checking for In-Progress Coursework
Students may register for a course while they are currently enrolled in a prerequisite course. In these cases, the registration system recognizes the in-progress enrollment and allows the student to register before a final grade has been awarded.
After grades are submitted, Schools and Departments will perform a prerequisite review to confirm that students successfully completed any prerequisite courses used to satisfy registration requirements. Students who earn the required grade or otherwise satisfy the prerequisite will remain enrolled.
If a student does not successfully complete the prerequisite, the student's school or department may grant a waiver or may require the student to withdraw from the course. Students are encouraged to contact their school or department to discuss their options.
If the course has enforced prerequisites, you cannot. Students must complete a course's prerequisites; the registration system will read your student record, and if there is no evidence of the prerequisite on your record, the system will automatically block your enrollment in the course.
Generally, a student needs a minimum grade of a D- unless the description of the prerequisite lists a higher grade.
If a course has a required prerequisite it will be listed in PATH; students will find the prerequisites within the course information panel.
You will see a warning message when trying to add a course with an unmet prerequisite to your cart.
Contact the department offering the course with questions about prerequisites.
You can use the "Request Permission" link to request an exception to a prerequisite.
