Course Registration

The college year consists of two regular semesters, fall and spring, plus several summer sessions of varying lengths and a three-week intersession between the fall and spring semesters.  Several programs offer courses in the fall and spring semester that last only a portion of the semester.

The unit of instruction is the semester hour or credit hour, which consists of the equivalent of one lecture period of 55 minutes  (hereafter called a contact-hour) each week for the entire semester (approximately 15 weeks). In addition to the time in class, students are expected to complete approximately twice as much time outside of class working on the course and its materials.

1. The general expectation for one credit hour is one contact-hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of student work completed outside of the classroom each week for approximately fifteen weeks for a traditional semester, or the equivalent amount of work over a different period of time; or
2. For other academic activities (including laboratory work and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours), an amount of work at least equivalent to that required in the above definition, as determined by the University.

In practice, a credit hour or semester hour consists of a minimum of 750 minutes of class time during a semester.

A course having three 55-minute class periods a week will, therefore, earn three semester hours of credit. Other meeting patterns will also fulfill the required contact time. The number of semester credits to be earned in a given course is always indicated by the number after the course title.

Registration Processes

Students register for courses on-line through myCanisius. Once registration has opened, students are encouraged to register as early as possible. Students are required to consult with their advisors each semester to ensure that they are taking the proper courses.

Students who have not completed registration will not be admitted to class. It is the responsibility of all students to be aware of registration procedures.

Prerequisites

Some courses have prerequisites that must be met before a student can register for the course. Prerequisites include such requirements as the successful completion of previous courses, concurrent registration in another course, permission of the instructor or chair, and specific GPA and course grade requirements. A student may not register for a course where prerequisites are indicated unless the prerequisites have been successfully completed.

Note: For two-semester courses that are listed with one title and description (e.g., ACC 711-ACC 712), it is understood that successful completion of the first semester is a prerequisite for admission to the second half of the course.

Course levels

The numerical sequence used at Canisius Univeristy indicates the following: Courses numbered 100-499 are undergraduate courses, and courses numbered 500 and higher are graduate courses.

Course Offerings

The information listed in this catalog about course availability and when courses will be offered was provided by chairs and program directors based on their planned course offerings and is intended to provide students with guidance as they produce their schedules.  However, schedules are subject to change, especially when the availability of appropriate instructors changes. Actual course offerings are listed in the online course schedule produced each semester by the Student Records and Financial Services Center.

Immunization Requirements for Class Attendance

Measles, Mumps, Rubella

New York State law requires all students taking six or more credits, attending any classes on campus, and born on or after January 1, 1957 to provide proof of immunity against measles, mumps and rubella to the Student Health Center prior to class attendance. Students must submit proof of two doses of measles (rubeola) vaccine, one dose of rubella (German measles) vaccine and one dose of mumps vaccine, given on or after their first birthday and after 1967.

Meningitis Requirement

All students registered for 6 or more credits and attending class on campus, regardless of birth date, are required to receive information about the risk of meningococcal disease and the benefit of vaccination. Students are required to read the information and either obtain the meningitis vaccine or sign a vaccine refusal statement within thirty days of first class attendance.

SUBMISSION DATES AND NON-COMPLIANCE

Immunization records, must be submitted by July 31 for fall attendance and January 1 for spring attendance. Summer students must submit records before their first day of class.  Non-compliance with health requirements results in registration cancellation, removal from university housing, and inability to register with the university for future semesters.  If registration is cancelled, a student will be reinstated once the health forms are submitted and deemed complete. Canisius University charges an immunization reinstatement fee.  To view the fee click here   Compliance with New York State health requirements is strictly enforced across the campus. 

Students taking online courses only are generally exempt from these requirements; however some online programs have established stricter immunization requirements.  On line students should discuss health requirements with Admissions or their program directors.

The Student Health Center website has detailed information about health requirements and links to the required forms.

Students enrolled in the Physician Assistant Studies program have additional immunization requirements.  Information about those requirements and deadine for submission to Student Health is available in the Physician Assistant Program Handbook.

Physical Examination Requirement

All full time undergraduates and all international students ( graduate and undergraduate) studying on an F1 Visa  are required to submit a complete physical examination form to Student Health by July 31 for fall attendance and January 1 for spring attendance. 

Graduate students enrolled in the  Physician Assistant Studies Program have an annual physical examination requirement.  Information about that requirement and deadline for submission to Student Health  can be found in that program’s hand book.

Drop/Add Period

In the fall and spring, the first full week of classes of the semester is the Drop/Add week, during which students may drop or add classes without penalty (see Academic Calendar for dates). After that, the withdrawal procedures described below apply. No change or deletion of courses, except for authorized withdrawals, may be made after the first full week of any semester.

Course Withdrawal

A student wishing to withdraw from a course must complete the Class Withdrawal Form, an on-line web application form. Once the request is submitted, it will be automatically routed to the appropriate individuals for approval and back to the student for a final Accept and Submit before it can processed by the Student Records and Financial Services Center. Failure to submit the withdrawal form will mean that an automatic grade of “FX” will be entered on the student’s record.

The deadline for withdrawal without academic penalty is listed in the official academic calendar. Note that summer sessions have their own deadlines for withdrawal in the academic calendar.

Withdrawal from a course automatically results in a notation of “W” (withdrawal) for the course. Ordinarily, no student will be allowed to withdraw from any course after the deadline. However, in extreme circumstances, a student may request permission from the dean and then the instructor of the class to withdraw after the deadline. Such permission will be granted rarely and only in exceptional cases. Written documentation explaining the reasons the withdrawal is being requested is required for all withdrawals after the deadline.