Choosing Your Courses

How to Choose Your Courses

Step 1. Decide What Courses You Want to Take

Explore the University Calendar

    • The listings of all the courses at a university is called a program and course calendar.
    • View the VIU Program Calendar
    • What you’ll see: The VIU Program and Course Calendar contains information about what courses are offered at our university. It allows you to browse by:
      • the program area that interests you
      • the degree/diploma/certificate you want to achieve
      • The program you have chosen may require you to take a very specific set of courses, or it may have many options allowing you to choose from a wide variety of possibilities.
      • Review program in Program Search or
      • See the Areas of Study

Talk to an Educational Advisor.

Educational Advisors are people who can give you assistance in making educational and career goals. They are knowledgeable about the various programs and courses at VIU, and they can help you decide what courses to take.

Cowichan and Powell River Campuses also have advisors and provide the above services.

Step 2. Find Your Courses in the Timetable

Once you know what courses you want to take, find your courses in the Timetable to check when they are available.

View the Course Timetable. Search by:

  • Term (e.g. Fall or Spring)
  • Campus (e.g. Nanaimo, Cowichan, Powell River, online)
  • Program Area (e.g., Degree and Diploma for most students doing web registration)
  • Subject Area: (e.g., Biology, Management, Practical Nursing)

Things to Know:

  • Not all courses listed in the Calendar (the full listings of VIU’s courses) are available every semester.
  • Courses listed in the Timetable are those that are scheduled to run for a particular semester.
  • Make sure to check any Pre-requisites and Co-requisites to ensure you will meet the requirements for that course.
  • In many programs, you decide on your own Course Load.

Step 3. Build Your Own Personal Timetable.

Make sure you build your timetable for both semesters (Fall and Spring)!

Now that you know what courses you want to take and when they are available, you can build your personal timetable using the Web Registration system.