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Tips on Registering for Courses

Course Codes

All Penn courses are identified by a course code that is made up of three elements: a four-letter department code, a three-digit course number, and a three-digit section number. All parts of the course code must be entered in order for the registration to be successful. Course codes are listed for each semester in the Course Timetable and the Course and Room Roster. (See a sample entry.)

Course Times

Course listed in the Timetable for one hour (e.g., 9:00 to 10:00 a.m.) actually meet for only 50 minutes. Ten minutes of each class period are allocated for travel between classes. Students may schedule classes back-to-back, but are expected to arrive at the second class on time.
(Note: The code for Thursday is R.)

Multi-Activity Courses

Multi-activity courses are divided into lecture, recitation and/or a laboratory. These lectures are typically led by a professor and take place in a large group. Lectures are often, but not always, divided into subgroups called recitations that typically meet once each week in smaller groups for discussions. Each of these "activities" has its own course code.

Only one part of a multi-activity course actually carries the credit. When registering for such a course, the credit-bearing portion must be requested first, and students must be sure to register for all parts. If a course has several lecture sections, the recitation needs to correspond to the appropriate lecture.