What is the difference between Enforced and Unenforced Prerequisites?
Enforced prerequisites are entered into ECAS at the course level and restrict access to a class during registration based on prerequisite classes and/or student standing.
Unenforced (also known as Advisory) prerequisites are recommended for course enrollment but are not enforced at the point of registration. These are entered into ECAS as part of the course Catalog Description and may be enforced or waived by the instructor, even though they are not enforced at the time of registration.
Can prerequisites be overridden?
Yes. Permission numbers can override Enforced Prerequisites if set up to do so. See more details on how permission numbers can be set up in this past news item.
Is there policy surrounding the use of prerequisites?
Yes. Please review the policy in the UMN Policy Library.
How do prerequisites show up in the Class Search?
Enforced prereqs are captured in the "Enrollment Requirements" field. Unenforced prereqs are captured in the "Description" field of Class Details (bottom section in image below).
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As course changes go through ECAS, the Catalog Description field does go through a Catalog Editor to ensure that there is not duplication between the information displayed in "Enrollment Requirements" and the "Description" field.
