Prerequisites, Corequisites, & Advisories
Complete course prerequisites, corequisites, and advisories are listed in this catalog. These requirements are intended to ensure students a reasonable chance of success. Questions regarding course eligibility should be discussed with the faculty advisor.
Prerequisites are a course or courses, skills, or a body of knowledge that students should possess prior to enrolling in a course or program. A prerequisite indicates the College of the Desert course which must be taken prior to enrollment in a given course. Prerequisite requirements must be met before enrollment is permitted. Prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of "C" or better.
Corequisites are a course or courses students are required to take simultaneously in order to enroll in another course. A corequisite represents a set of skills or a body of knowledge students must acquire through concurrent and continued enrollment in another course or courses in order to receive a "C" or better in the course requiring the corequisite.
An advisory is a condition of enrollment that students are advised, but not required, to meet before or concurrently with enrollment in a course or educational program. An advisory suggests skills, experiences, or a body of knowledge with which students would achieve a greater depth or breadth of knowledge or skill development, but without which students are likely to receive a satisfactory grade.
The District has established procedures by which any student who does not meet a prerequisite or corequisite or who is not permitted to enroll due to a limitation on enrollment, but who provides satisfactory evidence, may seek entry into the class according to a challenge process.
Any prerequisite or corequisite may be challenged by a student on one or more of the following grounds:
- The prerequisite or corequisite has not been established according to the District's process of establishing prerequisites and corequisites;
- The prerequisite or corequisite violates Title 5, section 55003 (Policies for Prerequisites);
- The prerequisite or corequisite is either unlawfully discriminatory or is being applied in an unlawfully discriminatory manner;
- The student has the knowledge or ability to succeed in the course or program despite not meeting the stated prerequisite or corequisite;
- The student will be subject to undue delay in attaining the goal stated in the Student Education Plan (SEP) because the prerequisite or corequisite course has not been made reasonably available.
The determination of whether a student meets a prerequisite or corequisite shall be made prior to the student's enrollment in the course.
Students who are seeking to challenge a course prerequisite or corequisite are encouraged to consult with a counselor in the Counseling Center to receive guidance on how to complete the process and on the validity of a challenge prior to it being submitted.
