Faculty & Staff Information on Prerequisites

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Class Prerequisites

Schedule Builder is an automated tool that provides accurate and consistent prerequisite checking and verification.

The purpose of prerequisite checking is to assist instructors in their responsibility by verifying students have taken specific prerequisite courses, or have submitted a petition for review (Davis Division Regulation 527). The system provides a tool for instructors to drop those students who do not meet the prerequisite check or do not have equivalent work documented in a petition.

Regulations of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate Regulations 527A. The instructor in charge of a course is responsible for determining that enrolled students have completed the prerequisite course(s) listed in the General Catalog. Students who have completed equivalent work may be admitted to the course at the instructor's discretion.

See also Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction (CERJ) recommendations on prerequisites and Academic Senate  prerequisite proposal procedures.

Academic Senate Committee on Elections, Rules and Jurisdiction (CERJ) recommendations on prerequisites.

Academic Senate prerequisite proposal procedures.

Important things to understand:

  • Instructor decision to check prerequisities. The Davis Division of the Academic Senate Regulations give authority for deciding whether to check prerequisites to each course instructor, thus each instructor will need to make the decision whether to check prerequisites for their course at the time of scheduling and have the Department Scheduler record the decision on the Student Information System (SIS) scheduling forms as appropriate.
  • Courses with "Staff" as instructor. Sometimes instructors are not identified until late in the scheduling cycle. As long as the instructor of the course is identified before registration begins each term, prerequisite checking can be adjusted. After Pass One registration begins, as indicated on the Registration Calendar for each term, no adjustments to prerequisite checking can be made. In the absence of an instructor of record the Dean or Department Chair will have to decide if prerequisites should be checked.
  • Prerequisites checked by Banner. Students may have satisfied prerequisites by taking a course that is not stored in Banner. In these cases, students will have to submit a petition with an explanation and proper documentation to the instructor. This process is automated through the registration system. The student will be registered/waitlisted in the course while their petition is pending review. If the instructor approves their petition or takes no action, the student will remain enrolled/waitlisted. If the instructor denies the petition, the student will be removed from the course and another student can register or be moved in from the waitlist.
More detailed information can be found on our prerequisite checking pages.