Course Enrollment Information

In most cases, you'll be able to add courses during course selection,  your enrollment appointment time , or the add/drop period using Quest.

However, there might be times when you receive an error message when trying to enroll.

If you receive an error message, follow the two-step process below to add courses.

Step 1: Email the department offering the course for the necessary approval i.e. requisites, class limit, or time conflict (see below for more specific instructions based on the error message you receive). 

Step 2: Forward the department's approval to the SE program manager. 

• Emails should come from your UW account and should include:
  • Your student number and first/last name in the subject line.
  • The course name i.e. PSYCH 101, the 4-digit class number, and the 3-digit section number for all course components, i.e. lec/lab/tut – get this info from the schedule of classes. You don't need to include these details during course selection, but we need them for add/drop period.
• Let us know what we're overriding, i.e. term maximum, time conflict, etc.
• Sometimes, you're unable to enroll for multiple reasons i.e. you're missing requisites and there is a time conflict.
• Before emailing us, make sure you've identified and resolved all possible enrollment errors.

You'll receive this message if you're trying to take two courses on co-op or overload during an academic term. Students can take one course on co-op without employer permission and two courses with employer permission. Your employer must send an approval email to the SE program manager.

Action:

• Email the SE program manager if you'd like to take two courses on co-op. You must have prior written approval from your employer.
• Email the SE program manager if you'd like to overload during an academic term. 

It is possible, in some cases, to take an extra course during an academic term or on co-op.

Overloading during an academic term:

It is considered overloading a term if you take more than the required number of courses in a term. The required number of courses in a term is usually 5 or 6. There is a corner case in 4B: the 4B term definition requires 5 courses (SE491 + 4 electives). However, a student who has overloaded in prior terms might not need 5 courses in 4B to meet degree requirements. But, by Engineering promotion rules, they must take at least 4 courses in 4B.

Students who have overloaded in previous terms and only need 3 courses (SE491 + 2 electives) to meet degree requirements must still take at least 4 courses (SE 491 + 3 electives), and pass all 4 courses in order to graduate. If any of the 4 courses are failed, then graduation will be delayed until the failure is cleared, either by retaking the elective or by taking an approved substitute.

Action:

• Email the SE program manager.
• Students with a term average of at least 80% or a cumulative average of at least 80% will automatically get 0.5 added to their course load so they can overload without contacting the SE office.

Two courses during co-op:

• You may take one extra course during co-op without any permission by simply adding the course on Quest.
• If you wish to take two courses on co-op, you must obtain written permission from your direct supervisor.
• Availability: the schedule of class for the next term says what is being taught --- and indicates which courses are taught online.
• Tuition: You will be charged the UW per-course rate.

Action:

• Forward the permission from your supervisor to the SE program manager.
• Emails should come from your UW account, and should include:
  • Your student number and first/last name in the subject line.
  • The course name, i.e. PSYCH 101, and the 4-digit class number and the 3-digit section number for all course components, i.e. lec/lab/tut – get this info from the schedule of classes. You don't need to include these details during course selection.
• Before emailing us, check to make sure that you have the necessary requisites, that the course isn’t full, and that there aren’t any reserves on the course.

Except of SE 499, this message does not refer to consent from the SE program - it refers to the department offering the course. 

Action:

• For ECE courses, email ECE Advising.
• For CS courses, email the CS advisors; You probably will not get into a CS course if you didn’t course select.
• For Math courses, email the Math Undergrad Office.
• For other courses, email an advisor from the department offering the course to get permission.
• If they agree to override the “department consent” then forward their email to the SE Program Manager and we’ll get the course added for you.
• Some departments use permission numbers. If this is the case, then you can use the permission number to self-enroll through Quest.

You'll get this message if you’re missing the prerequisites or co-requisites for a course.

Action:

• Check the courses descriptions to see which requisites you’re missing. You must have the exact courses that are on the list. If you feel you have an equivalent requisite course, you must get a prerequisite or co-requisite override from the offering department.
  • For ECE courses, email ECE Advising.
  • For CS courses, email the CS advisors.
  • For Math courses, email the Math Undergrad Office.
• For other courses, email the program advisor or course professor to get permission.
• If they agree, forward their email to the SE program manager and we’ll add the course for you.

You will get this message if the course is reserved for a specific group of students.

Action: 

• Contact the department offering the course to see if they'll override the reserve.
• If they agree, forward their email to the SE program manager and we’ll add the course for you.
• If they cannot override the reserve, then ask if they’re keeping a waiting list. This is the case for some ENGL and CS courses.
• All reserves will get dropped around the second week of classes, so you should be able to self-enroll through Quest if there’s still space available. 

You'll get this message if the course is currently full.

Action:

• Email the department offering the course to see if they’ll override the class limit.
• For ECE courses, email ECE Advising.
• For CS courses, email the CS advisors.
• For Math courses, email the Math Undergrad Office. They typically do not override any class limit.
• If they agree, forward their email to the SE program manager and we’ll add the course for you.
• If they don’t agree, then keep watching the course – a spot might become available as students make changes to their schedules.

You'll get this message if there is a time conflict between between two courses. You must get permission for both courses involved in the conflict.

• For SE courses, email the instructor to get permission. Email the SE Program Manager to find out who is teaching the class.
• For ECE courses, email ECE Advising.
• For CS courses, email the CS advisors.
• For Math courses, email the Math Undergrad Office.
• For other courses, email the professor to get permission.
• If they agree, forward their email(s) to the SE program manager and we’ll add the course for you.

 Students are responsible for dealing with the consequences of time conflicts.

CS advisors sign students into courses. Drop by during their office hours or email the CS advisors to get enrolled. You should course select for any CS electives that you plan to take. If you fail to do that and the class fills up, they will probably not accommodate you. To choose your CS electives, look through the course descriptions.

You'll get this message if the course you want to take is not offered that term.

Action:

• Check the schedule of classes for current offerings.

Refer to the Software Engineering Academic Calendar for your elective requirements.

It is possible to have other electives approved by the SE director.

Students must pass failed courses that are required for their degree so that their failure count is equal to zero prior to graduation. We strongly encourage students to clear failed courses ASAP while the course material is still fresh.

If a student accumulates three failed courses, they must go into a non-degree term and take courses to bring their failure count down to one in order to proceed in the program.

Learn about how to clear failed courses and academic standings.

Each term students are expected to enrol in at least the number of courses specified in the calendar they are following. A reduced-load student may drop one elective course per term by obtaining approval from the SE Program Manager, SE Associate Director or SE Director. Dropped electives must be completed prior to graduation. 

Student are not allowed to drop core courses unless they've received permission from the SE Program Manager, SE Associate Director or SE Director to go on an approved reduced load.