Course Information

When registering for classes, students are required to adhere to enrollment policies that relate to prerequisites, corequisites, and departmental recommendations.

1. A prerequisite is a course or skill that must be met before a course is taken. Students registered in a class without having completed the prerequisite(s) may be dropped from the class. Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Prerequisite courses completed with a grade of D or F indicate unsatisfactory performance in the course and do not satisfy the prerequisite;
2. A corequisite is a course that must be taken during the same semester as another course in which the student would like to enroll;
3. A departmental recommendation is a suggested course that would be helpful for a student to have completed prior to enrolling. A departmental recommendation is a suggestion, not a requirement.

Students may challenge a prerequisite or corequisite on one or more of the following grounds:

1. The student can demonstrate they have the knowledge or ability to succeed in the course or program despite not having satisfied the prerequisite or corequisite;
2. The student will be subject to undue delay in attaining their educational goal as outlined in their Student Education Plan (SEP) because the prerequisite or corequisite course has not been made reasonably available;
3. The prerequisite or corequisite is discriminatory or is being applied in a discriminatory manner;
4. The prerequisite or corequisite has not been established in accordance with the District’s process for establishing prerequisites and corequisites or was established in violation of Title 5.

It is the student’s responsibility to provide information to support the challenge. Challenges must be filed in the Academic Division Office of the course with the prerequisite being challenged within the first week of class. Once received, the college will process the challenge within five (5) working days. For information on challenging a prerequisite, contact the appropriate Academic Division Office.

Course Repetition in a Non-Repeatable Course

Course repetition allows students to repeat classes under the following circumstances: (Title 5, Section 58161)

1. The student is repeating the course to alleviate substandard work, which has been recorded on the student’s record (D, F, or NP). Courses in which a substandard evaluative symbol has been assigned may be repeated two times for a total of three enrollments. Students may attempt a course more than three times only upon approval through the college’s petition process (Title 5, section 55024).
2. The course outline of record has been officially changed and demonstrates significant curricular changes. A Petition for Academic Exception is required.
3. Repetition of courses where substandard work has not been recorded is permitted when such repetition is necessary for a student to meet a legally mandated training requirement as a condition of continued paid or volunteer employment.
4. Significant lapse of time exception if the following conditions are met:
   • At least 36 months, or more if required be district policy, has elapsed since the student previously was assigned or awarded a grade in the course;
   • The student’s prior grade was a satisfactory grade (55000(w)); and either
     1. The course is required by the district as a properly established recency prerequisite (5503); or
     2. Another institution or higher education to which the student is seeking to transfer requires the student to have taken the course more recently than the student’s last enrollment.

Non-Degree Applicable Courses