Creating or Modifying a Course

Points to Consider When Creating or Modifying a Course in the my.harvard Course Search 

When creating or modifying a course, faculty members are advised to consult with the appropriate curricular committee(s). Curricular committees may create or modify course "subjects" (the high-level subject category in the online catalog). The points listed below are based on the policies of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The Academic Planning group in the Registrar's Office will work with faculty members to set and display a course (or set of courses) in a manner that best reflects the pedagogy of the course within the bounds of current technical resources. 

Courses are numbered according to the following scheme: 

1-99 or 910-999: Primarily for Undergraduates 
100-199 or 1000-1999: For Undergraduates and Graduates 
200-299 or 2000-2999: Primarily for Graduates 
300-399 or 3000-3999: Graduate Courses of Reading and Research
 
  • Courses may have only one number. An FAS course may be listed in more than one FAS department, but only with permission of the concerned departments. Faculty will have access to a roster that includes enrollment for both classes. Both classes will emerge in the my.harvard Course Search results when searching for either of the two courses.
  • Faculty members are encouraged to submit a title of no more than 100 characters to appear on student transcripts and my.harvard Course Search.
  • Course descriptions are limited to 4,000 characters. Since students often search for courses on mobile devices, however, we encourage faculty to limit the descriptions to 100 words.
  • Courses listed but not offered in the current academic year are designated by enclosing the course number and title in square brackets. Bracketed courses should include the term when it will be next offered and may also include the instructor's name. Courses may be bracketed for three consecutive years. After three years, the course should be scheduled or inactivated.
  • Faculty who limit the number of students who may enroll in a course are required by Faculty policy to approve student enrollment; that is, the course must require instructor consent and faculty will approve requests to enroll. It is possible, however, to require instructor consent even if the course is not limited in enrollment. The my.harvard Course Search will list capacity and instructor's permission as needed. All tutorials and 300/3000-level courses should have limited enrollments and require the instructor's permission to enroll.  
  • Faculty may consult the Registrar’s Office to learn about other enrollment control options, such as system enforced pre-, anti-, or co-requisites. Courses with requisites cannot also have instructor consent present, or the requisite will be nullified. 300/3000-level courses should add requisites or instructor consent but not both.
  • A meeting time compliant with the FAS Schedule is necessary for all courses including tutorials, laboratory sessions, and section meetings.
  • For purposes of cross-registration between Harvard Schools, courses that are jointly offered will be indicated in the my.harvard Course Search as "Jointly Offered."
  • Occasionally, two departments in the FAS may offer courses with similar content. Should faculty members conclude that two courses are of sufficient similarity to preclude students earning credit for both, contact the Registrar's Office to request an anti-requisite so students are unable to enroll in both courses for credit.
  • During prior term registration faculty will plan what times discussion sections will meet before registration opens. Students will enroll in timed discussion sections during registration. Every course with multiple sections is expected to schedule the majority of the sections with meeting patterns and capped enrollment. Faculty have the option to offer a single placeholder section in addition to the timed and capped sections, as allocated by the Office of Undergraduate Education (OUE).