Registering for subjects

You need to register for all the subjects you will complete during your studies in the SIS (except for the state final exam subjects in the third year). No subjects – not even compulsory ones – will be registered automatically for you (the only exception is those parts of the state final exam that the Department of Student Affairs registers for students). Because you can only complete the subjects you have registered for, please pay close attention to this chapter.

The period for registering subjects is determined by the respective academic year schedule(natur.cuni.cz/eng/study/student/academic-calendar); course registration for the winter and summer semesters is carried out separately. The course registration process for each semester is conducted in two rounds. In the first round of registration, you pre-register for the courses in your study plan (without the timetable) that you wish to or should take in the given semester. After the first round of registration ends, the timetable coordinators will compile and publish the schedules; information about the opening date for timetable registration for individual so-called timetable slots will appear in the SIS. In the second round of adjustments, you can again add or drop already registered courses (with the timetable). The second round is mainly for making minor adjustments in case of schedule conflicts with registered courses. If you decide to drop a selected course, it is necessary to cancel the course registration in addition to removing it from the relevant timetable slot – this needs to be done separately and is not automatic. Instructions for registering courses in the SIS are available on the website in the Guides and Information section.

We strongly recommend avoiding a scenario where you leave the registration of all subjects for the second (additional) round. This is because the capacity of certain subjects may already be fully occupied. Also, there is a greater probability of scheduling conflicts between different subjects. The first week of the first round is always priority-based – some subjects are only open for registration to those students for whom such subjects are mandatory in their curricula. Once the final adjustments have been completed, the Department of Student Affairs will register the subjects on a binding basis. Until then, the registration for subjects is preliminary only; this is also indicated in the overview of the subjects registered in the SIS. Following the binding registration (in about the second week of the semester), it is no longer possible to freely register or deregister for subjects. It is only possible, in exceptional cases, to submit an official application for this to the Department of Student Affairs.

Starting in the third year of the Bachelor's degree and in the follow-up Master's degree, it is possible to enroll in the Bachelor's/Diploma Project courses taught in the summer semester already during the additional enrolment (2nd round) for the winter semester. This priority enrollment allows students in their final year to take the winter term state exams. However, you will no longer be able to cross out such courses when registering for the summer term once you have been mandatorily enrolled by the Office of Academic Affairs.

You choose optional subjects depending on your interests; we recommend choosing them from the range of optional subjects recommended for your curriculum and/or with regard to the topic of your final thesis. The subjects may be taught by the Section you study in, as well as by other Sections of the Faculty of Science, other faculties of Charles University, and even by other tertiary schools. However, the timing for subject registration differs for each faculty. We recommend selecting subjects based on the recommended curriculum for each field specified in the Karolinka and, as the case may be, consulting study advisors on your choices (see Who to See for Which Issue). Keep in mind that all subjects taught at the Faculty of Arts but also at Charles University can be found in SIS under the Subjects tab and there is a large offer.

Courses from other faculties of Charles University available in SIS are written by the student during the period specified by the faculty's schedule. If the course is taught by another university, the student completes a written application with the necessary data for entering the record into SIS after fulfilling this obligation. The fulfilled degree requirement will be entered into the SIS as an elective by the Office of Academic Affairs.

Requisite Relationships and Registration Verification

The linkage of subjects and the (im)possibility of registering certain subjects simultaneously is described as requisite relationships. These relationships are Co-requisite (“K”), Pre-requisite (“P”), Incompatibility (“N”) and Interchangeability (“Z”). You can find details of all the requisites of the individual subjects in the SIS  and Karolinka. Here are a few examples of how requisites work.

Co-requisite: This is typically a relationship between a lecture and an extension exercise; for example, the subject Nuclear Chemistry Exercise is a co-requisite with Nuclear Chemistry. If you want to register for the exercise, you also need to have completed or at least have registered for Nuclear Chemistry lectures. Nuclear Chemistry Exercise will be recognised as completed and corresponding credits for added only after you successfully complete a Nuclear Chemistry exam. Co-requisites usually apply in one direction only, i.e. you can register for Nuclear Chemistry without the exercise (this is distinguished in the SIS as “is a co-requisite for” and “has a co-requisite”). A mutual co-requisite relationship is less frequent; if this is indicated, you may only register for the two subjects together and will receive your credits only after you have completed both. One subject may have more than one co-requisite; if it does, you will need to complete each one.

Pre-requisite: This relationship is usually between a principal subject and an extension subject; for example, Cell Biology is a pre-requisite for Cell Physiology. In order to register for Cell Physiology, you will need to have completed Cell Biology, otherwise the Department of Student Affairs will delete your Cell Physiology registration after the second round. Hence, it is not enough to register for both subjects at the same time. Pre-requisites are one-way relationships – they do not apply vice versa.

Incompatibility typically occurs between courses with similar syllabi but different depths of coverage. For example, Mathematics A is incompatible with Mathematics C. Upon enrolling in or completing Mathematics A, you can no longer enroll in or complete Mathematics C. However, if you enroll in Mathematics A and do not complete it, you can enroll in and complete Mathematics C. This is usually a one-way relationship (you can complete Mathematics C first and then enroll in the more advanced variant, Mathematics A), but some courses are mutually incompatible. If multiple courses are listed as incompatible, any one of them would prevent you from enrolling in the course.

If you enroll in and complete a course that is incompatible with a required course in your study plan, you will not be able to fulfill your study plan. Therefore, be cautious when enrolling and register for courses based on their code, not just their name.

Interchangeability is a rare requisite relationship used when a subject is discontinued and replaced by another subject. 

Please note: If you do not respect the requisite relationships when registering for subjects, that is to say, if you register for a prohibited combination of subjects, you will not be registered for those subjects on a binding basis. As a result, you will not be able to take exams/credits in those subjects. Problems with registered subjects and requisites can be identified using the registration verification tool, which you can find in the in the module Registering for Subjects and Schedule application on the Verification tab on the tab Control. We recommend verifying the subjects prior to completing your registrations. A safe way to avoid issues with requisites is to register for subjects in accordance with your recommended curriculum.

Annual enrolment in the next study section is done only electronically (does not apply to incoming students in the first year of Bachelor's and Master's studies). You must complete it no later than the deadlines listed in the academic year schedule. You must first check that you have met the requirements for progression to the next year. You can check your own compliance with these on an ongoing basis in SIS: Exam Results - Viewing / Checks / Self-Check Request. If you meet the conditions, request a check from the Study Department in SIS. If you have met the conditions for progression, the study officer will enrol you in the next section of your studies and this information will appear in SIS. You can then generate an electronically signed confirmation of your studies for the next academic year from SIS yourself or have them validated by the study department.

Detailed information, instructions, and current news are all available on the Department of Student Affairs website: natur.cuni.cz/eng/study/student/bachelors-and-masters/manuals-and-information