C.2.b. Eligibility for Courses

Graduate-Level Courses

The rules established by The Graduate School provide that sophomores who have declared a major, juniors, and seniors may enroll in a 500- to 600-level (graduate-level, open to advanced undergraduates) course. Undeclared sophomores wishing to enroll in a 500- to 600-level course must secure the permission of the instructor of the course and their academic dean. Undergraduates are normally not allowed to enroll in 700-900-level courses. Under exceptional circumstances, however, permission to do so may be granted to a junior or senior, provided the instructor, the director of graduate studies, their academic dean, and the dean of The Graduate School give their signed permission.

Prerequisite Requirements

Students are responsible for ensuring that they have the stated prerequisites for a course. DukeHub prevents registration for some, but not all, courses when the prerequisite is not fulfilled. Students must check the course description to determine if they have taken the necessary prerequisites before enrolling in the course.

Course Sequencing

In certain subjects, such as the sciences, mathematics, and languages (particularly at the introductory and intermediate levels), some lower-level courses must be taken in sequence because the content presented at one level is necessary for successful work at the next level. Given this circumstance, it follows that students who complete a higher-level course in a sequence may not subsequently enroll in a lower one in that sequence. Information about course eligibility is often contained in the official description of the course (see the Courses page). Students may direct additional questions about course sequencing to their academic dean or to the director of undergraduate studies of the department in question.

Repeating Courses

No course may be repeated for credit or a grade if a C- or higher has been earned previously, except where noted in the course description. Furthermore, a course taken at another institution with a grade of C- or above and not transferred to Duke may not be repeated at Duke. If it is determined such a course has been taken elsewhere and repeated at Duke, the Duke course will be removed from the academic record. A course previously passed at another educational institution, however, may be audited at Duke. Physical education activity courses may be repeated, but only one full credit of these courses counts toward graduation.

Students who receive a D-, D, or D+ in any course in Trinity College are allowed to repeat the course only at Duke and with the permission of their academic dean. The original grade, as well as the grade earned in the repeated course, appear on the transcript, the latter identified as a repeat; both grades count in the grade point average, but the credit for only one counts toward the required number of courses for continuation and the 34.0 course credits required for graduation. Course repeat request forms are available online at trinity.duke.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies/repeat-course.

An engineering student who has earned a grade of D-, D, or D+ in a required mathematics, science, or a required engineering course may, with permission of their advisor, director of undergraduate studies, and academic dean, repeat the course. Both grades will remain on the student’s record. Only one credit may be counted toward satisfying continuation requirements and toward fulfilling graduation requirements.

Placement for Courses

For information about placement, students should refer to the placement guidelines on the website of the relevant department, or consult with the relevant program director. Information about mathematics placement is available here, and information about physics placement is available here.

Placement in Languages. Students may consult the placement guidelines linked below for information about placement in French, German, Latin, and Spanish.

In French and Spanish, students must receive permission from the relevant language program director to enroll in a course one level below their placement. Without permission, no credit will be allowed for courses two levels below the achievement score. No credit will be given for French 101 or Spanish 101 to students who have completed more than two years of French or Spanish in high school without permission from the relevant language program director.

Students who wish to continue in any language other than French, German, Latin, or Spanish should consult with the appropriate director of undergraduate studies or language coordinators. Many departments offer a written examination and oral interview, which are used in conjunction with other criteria for placing students at the appropriate level.

C.2. Courses & Registration

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C.2. Courses & Registration

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