Missing Prerequisites

Are you a:

New student
Current student

For a list of all registration errors and codes, please visit the Office of the Registrar Registration page.

What is a prerequisite?

A prerequisite course is an academic requirement that must be completed prior to the student taking a course. Unless otherwise stated, a passing grade of  D- or better is required to satisfy as a prerequisite course.

When searching the course schedule, you may find that some prerequisites may be taken concurrently (at the same time). These will be identified in the course schedule legend.

For example: CHEM 204 has a prerequisite of CHEM 201-3 and BIOL 103-3, BIOL 123-1, BIOL 104-3 and BIOL 124-1. CHEM 204 also has a prerequisite of CHEM 203 that can be taken concurrently or prior to registration in CHEM 204.

Prerequisites are used to ensure that a student has the required background to successfully complete the course. Prerequisites may also have prerequisites. These prerequisites must also be fulfilled.

For example: COMM 314-3 has a prerequisite of COMM 313-3, COMM 313-3 has a prerequisite of COMM 210-3, and COMM 210-3 has a prerequisite of COMM 100-3. In this case, a student must have credit for COMM 313-3, COMM 210-3, and COMM 100-3 before being eligible to enrol in COMM 314-3.

What is a co-requisite?

A co-requisite is a course which must taken concurrently with another course.

New students

If you have been conditionally admitted to UNBC and your high school transcript shows that you are missing at least one of the following courses, please review the following information. Note that prerequisites may be important for progression in your program. In most cases, students are able to complete their admission prerequisites while pursuing the courses within their program. 

British Columbia course required UNBC alternative  Prerequisite
Pre-Calculus 11 UNBC UNIV 113 Foundations of Math 11, or permission of the Chair of Mathematics and Statistics. Students who do not meet the prerequisites are encouraged to reach out to their Student Advisor. 
Pre-Calculus 12 UNBC MATH 115 Pre-Calculus 11 (C or 60%), or Foundations of Math 12 minimum grade (B or 73%), or all UNBC Continuing Studies XMAT 161-1 and XMAT 162-1 and XMAT 163-1 with a minimum grade (C- or 60%) in each)
Physics 11 or 12 UNBC PHYS 115 None
Note: Students with credit in Physics 12 require permission of the Physics Program Chair for registration.
Life Sciences 11 or Anatomy and Physiology 12 UNBC BIOL 110 with a minimum grade of C+ None

Please visit the admission from secondary schools and CEGEP in other Canadian provinces web page for more information about high school course equivalencies between provinces and territories.

If you have any further questions, please contact your Student Advisor at advising@unbc.ca. 

Current students

I have the required prerequisite, but I am getting an error that says I don't meet the prerequisite.

A student who is trying to take a course without meeting the prerequisites will receive a "test score and prerequisite" error during course registration. If you are certain that you have completed the prerequisite course at UNBC, we encourage you to first look at the course description via the course schedule to confirm what prerequisite is needed to register. Once you have confirmed, we encourage you to visit your unofficial transcript via your MyUNBC account and double check that you have indeed completed the prerequisite. Your unofficial transcript will show you all the courses you have completed at UNBC or transferred to UNBC. If you are still certain that you meet the prerequisite and the system will not allow you to register, please touch base with your Student Advisor. 
NOTE: If the course has a prerequisite which is a high school level course, you will need to touch base with your Student Advisor.  

I don't have the prerequisite I need.

Remember that prerequisites are in place to ensure that students are successful in the course. A current student who is trying to take a course without meeting the prerequisites will receive a "test score and prerequisite" error during course registration. The student will need permission from the instructor of the course, or the Chair of the subject program (faculty dependent) to take the course without meeting the prerequisite. When emailing the instructor or Chair of the subject program, be sure to include your full name, student number, and program of study, and an explanation of how you will ensure you are successful in the course without the prerequisite.  

When written permission is received, please forward it to studentinfo@unbc.ca so that an override can be placed on your account which will allow you to register. Email approvals from the instructor/Chair are appropriate and no form needs to be filled out. 

 I can't find the prerequisite I need.

To find the appropriate prerequisite for the course, we encourage you to visit the course schedule and select the term/semester in which you are trying to register. Once you have done this, select the subject and enter the course number that you are looking for. Select "Class Search" and hover over the hyperlinked course number/title . There is a legend that states that green prerequisites must be completed before registering in the course, red prerequisites can be taken concurrently with the course, and magenta co-requisites must be taken at the same time as the course. If there are prerequisites for the course, they will be noted under the legend. 

 I want to take course A at the same time as course B, but course B is a prerequisite for course A.

Students who want to take the prerequisite simultaneously with the course still have not met the prerequisite.  The student will need permission from the course instructor or the Chair of the subject program (faculty dependent) to take it. When emailing the instructor or Chair of the subject program, be sure to include full name, student number, program of study, and an explanation of how you will ensure you are successful in said course while taking the prerequisite.  

When written permission is received, please forward it to studentinfo@unbc.ca so that an override can be placed on your account which will allow you to register. Email approvals from the instructor/Chair are appropriate and no form needs to be filled out. 

 I am receiving a Class Restriction error. I meet the prerequisites, or there are no prerequisites.

Some courses are restricted to a certain number of completed credit hours or a “year of study.” This is determined by the total credit hours a student has completed and includes any in-progress coursework taken in the previous semester. Examples include, “must have 90 credit hours completed.” If you have completed 87 credit hours, you will receive a Class Restriction error as you do not meet the criteria for registration. If you have any questions, please email studentinfo@unbc.ca or contact your Student Advisor.

For a list of other registration error messages and their descriptions, please visit the Office of the Registrar Registration web page.

 The prerequisites on the course schedule are different than the prerequisites in the Academic Calendar.

If you have found differing prerequisites, please reach out to your Student Advisor by emailing advising@unbc.ca.