Course Building

How to Build Your Courses

Throughout the year, the Registrar's Office works in conjunction with academic departments across campus to create the schedule of courses for each upcoming semester. The course building process begins well in advance of the start of each term. Classes offered in the Fall begin being developed in early December, Spring classes in early August, and Summer classes in early October.

As the beginning of the course building process draws closer, our office sends out an email to departmental staff announcing training opportunities and providing updates and general information about the process.

How to Request a Change

Spring 2026 Schedule of Courses Timeline
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Date(s)Event/Deadline
August 4 at 8:00 a.m.SWCSCHD is open to departments. (Refer to Access Guidelines below)
September 2 at 8:00 a.m.Dean’s Office access turned on (dept. access off). (Refer to Access Guidelines below) Course fee reports sent to colleges/schools for review by Student Financial Services. Beginning today, departments must use the SOC Change/New Section forms in myUVM.
September 3Deadline to submit Syllabi for approved Co-locations to Graduate College. Previously approved co-locations must be reviewed and approved by the Dean of the Graduate College each term.
September 12Graduate College list of approved co-locations due to Registrar's Office.
September 15 at 8:00 a.m.Registrar’s Office begins review (dean access off).
September 16Deadline: Deans' Offices to approve Course Action Forms (CAF) for Spring Topics In, PLHC Seminar, and FYS sections lacking Catamount Core (CC) approval. RO sends colleges/schools a list on September 9. CAF requests reviewed at October CCC meeting. See “Variable Content Courses and Catamount Core Designation” section for more info.
September 26“See Also” entries due from College of Arts and Sciences.
September 30 & October 1Final Department Proofing – Limited edit mode in SWCSCHD enabled. (Refer to Access Guidelines below) Proofing changes are due by 4:30 p.m. on October 1. Changes submitted after the deadline will be processed starting October 20 for non-GP classrooms and November 3 for GP classrooms.
Modifying restrictions within the SOC comments will not remove it from the system. Many restrictions are embedded at the section or catalogue level. To request a change to a restriction during periods of limited access, please complete a section change form. Our office will update registration restrictions as necessary. It remains your responsibility to revise the SOC comment text accordingly.
October 2New Section, Section and Room change forms disabled until October 20.
October 3Faculty begin loading Expanded Section Descriptions (ESDs).
October 3-10SOC review for classroom scheduling; meetings with Associate Deans.
October 13-17RO schedules general purpose rooms.
October 20-24Deans' Offices review classroom assignments.
October 20 (updated)
  • Schedule of Courses posted online; faculty can issue overrides.
  • SOC New Section, Section Change, and Room scheduling forms re-enabled.
  • RO begins processing changes to sections in non-GP classrooms. Changes for GP classrooms processed beginning November 3.
  • Limited edit mode in SWCSCHD for Spring 2026 is re-enabled permanently. See the note above for details on restriction changes and SOC comments.
October 27-31Faculty review classroom assignments.
October 27Expanded Section Description Deadline.
November 3-7RO works on classroom change requests.
November 3Faculty can access Spring 2026 sections in Brightspace & add TAs.
November 5Deadline for adding course fees; pending fees will not be published in the SOC or open for registration.
November 10Registration begins.

 

NEW!

Please review each section and indicate in the comments whether it is open to PACE students, or open with permission and override. If the section is not open to PACE students, no comment needs to be added. You will notice there are new attributes on sections this time.

There are three access options:

Access OptionAttributeComment Required
Open to PACE studentsCEXX"Open to Degree and PACE students"
Open with permission and overrideCEIP"PACE students by permission and override"
PACE students can register after level restrictions have been liftedCENO[No comment required]

Please review course sections thoughtfully and select the most appropriate access option. Courses will retain these attributes when rolled to future terms, so please ensure your selections are intentional. If the attribute is incorrect on a section, please use the Note field in SWCSCHD using the type of ATTR and we will adjust the attribute at the catalog level.

 

Summer 2026 Schedule of Courses Timeline
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IMPORTANT – Please note that the Waterman building will be offline for the summer semester.

Date(s)Activity
October 20 (8a.m.), 2025SWCSCHD Available to Departments
November 3 (8a.m.), 2025Dean’s Office Access On (Dept. Access Off) 
 
November 14 (4:30p.m.), 2025All changes must be submitted via the SOC change/new section forms *
November 17 – December 5, 2025PACE Course Review
December 8 – 19, 2025Registrar’s Office Review & Coding (Dean Access Off) 
December 19, 2025Deadline for Catamount Core designations for Topics In sections. See “Variable Content Courses and Catamount Core Designation” section for more info.
December 22-January 2, 2026Deans Access on for proofing**

** Modifying restrictions within the SOC comments will not remove it from the system. Many restrictions are embedded at the section or catalogue level. To request a change to a restriction during periods of Dean’s access, please complete a section change form. Our office will update registration restrictions as necessary. 

It remains your responsibility to revise the SOC comment text accordingly.

January 2, 2026Faculty begin loading Expanded Section Descriptions (ESDs)
January 5-6, 2026RO works on SOC changes
January 7-9, 2026Classroom Scheduling
January 12-13, 2026PACE Works on Missing Room Assignments
January 14, 2026Schedule of Courses Posted Online 
January 17, 2026Deadline for submitting Syllabi for approved Co-locations to Graduate College Previously approved co-locations must be reviewed and approved by the Graduate College each term.
January 30, 2026Graduate College list of approved Co-locations due to Registrar’s Office.
February 13, 2026Expanded Section Description (ESDs) Deadline 
February 25, 2026Deadline for adding course fees; pending fees will not be published in the SOC or open for registration.
March 2, 2026Summer registration begins  

 Schedule of Courses Processing Information:

  • Please note, only standard meeting patterns should be entered for courses in SWCSCHD (see SMP list attached).  Courses allowing a TBA meeting pattern such as internships, independent study, practica, online and travel courses can be entered using the standard meeting pattern date block.  Days and times can be left blank.
  • For the 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 8.1, 8.2, 10.1, 12.0, 12.3, and 12.4 SMP’s, please identify course details in course comments for review.

* Starting 4:30 p.m. on November 14, all changes must be submitted via the SOC change/new section forms in myUVM.   Arts & Sciences course changes and new section requests must be submitted to the appropriate CAS Chair or Program Director and then forwarded to Lise Larose in the CAS Dean’s Office. All others should be submitted directly to PACE. 

Fall 2026 Schedule of Courses Timeline
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Date(s)Event/Deadline
December 1, 8:00 AMSWCSCHD is open to departments. (Refer to Access Guidelines below)
January 20, 8:00 AMDean’s Office access turned on (dept. access off). (Refer to Access Guidelines below) Course fee reports sent to colleges/schools for review by Student Financial Services. Beginning today, departments must use the SOC Change/New Section forms in myUVM.
January 23Deadline to submit Syllabi for approved Co-locations to Graduate College. Previously approved co-locations must be reviewed and approved by the Dean of the Graduate College each term.
February 2, 8:00 AMRegistrar’s Office begins review (dean access off).
February 6Graduate College list of approved Co-locations due to Registrar’s Office.
February 13“See Also” entries due from College of Arts & Sciences.
February 17 & 18Final Department Proofing – Limited edit mode in SWCSCHD enabled. (Refer to Access Guidelines below) Proofing changes are due by 4:30 p.m. on February 18. Changes submitted after the deadline will be processed starting March 16 for non-GP classrooms and March 23 for GP classrooms.
Modifying restrictions within the SOC comments will not remove it from the system. Many restrictions are embedded at the section or catalogue level. To request a change to a restriction during periods of limited access, please complete a section change form. Our office will update registration restrictions as necessary. It remains your responsibility to revise the SOC comment text accordingly.
February 19New Section, Section and Room change forms disabled until March 16.
February 20Faculty begin loading Expanded Section Descriptions (ESDs).
February 20-27SOC review for classroom scheduling; meetings with Associate Deans.
March 2-6RO schedules general purpose rooms.
March 3Deadline: Deans' Offices to approve Course Action Forms (CAF) for Fall Topics In and PLHC Sophomore Seminar sections that have not received Catamount Core Curriculum (CCC) designation(s) approval.  RO will send colleges/schools a list on February 25th. CAF requests will be reviewed at the March CCCC committee meeting.  See “Variable Content Courses and Catamount Core Designation” section for more info.
March 9-13Dean’s Offices review classroom assignments.
March 16
  • Schedule of Courses posted online; faculty can issue overrides.
  • SOC New Section, Section Change, and Room scheduling forms re-enabled.
  • RO begins processing changes to sections in non-GP classrooms. Changes for GP classrooms processed beginning March 23.  
  • Limited edit mode in SWCSCHD for Fall 2026 is re-enabled permanently. See the note above for details on restriction changes and SOC comments.
March 17Deadline to submit Course Action Form (CAF) for Fall PLHC First Year Seminar and Fall First Year Seminar (CAS FYS) sections that have not received Catamount Core Curriculum (CCC) designation(s) approval.  RO will send college/schools a list on March 6th. CAF requests will be reviewed at the April CCCC committee meeting. See “Variable Content Courses and Catamount Core Designation” section for more information.
March 16-20Faculty review classroom assignments.
March 20Expanded Section Description Deadline.
March 23-27RO works on classroom change requests.
March 27Faculty can access Fall 2026 sections in Brightspace & add TAs.
March 30Deadline for adding course fees; pending fees will not be published in the SOC or open for registration.
April 3Registration begins.

Important Course Building Information

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  • If your course requires a learning tool/platform like Top Hat or Packback that requires students to pay a fee, please enter a LEARN Note stating which learning tool/platform students are required to use. The information will not appear in the SOC.
  • To clarify that Special Topics sections cannot have CC designations, even if cross-listed or co-located with a section that does have CC designations, this comment will be placed on all Special Topics sections: “Special Topics sections cannot have CC designations.”   Please note, this refers to UG/UG co-locations.  UG/GR co-locations with Special Topics are no longer permitted.
  • Please use ONCMP SEE NOTES sparingly.  Whenever it is used, be sure to put the location in the SOC comment. This is a safety issue.  If something happens on campus, we need to know where the students are.
  • Review the Instructions for SWCSCHD and refer to the Banner 9 User Guide as needed.
    • REMEMBER! When it is time to proof, please use the SOC Proofing document: Check SOC Loading (Proofing).  This enables you to ensure the major/class/college restrictions were coded properly. Be sure to check the codes used in major/minor/ concentration restrictions. If you have See Also’s, please use ‘Final SOC Proof for Departments (See Also Version)’ to check the accuracy of that coding.
    • REMEMBER! Please use the Note field to enter information that is just intended for the Registrar’s Office. Use Note type ROOM for room information, INSTR for instructor information, LEARN for learning tool information, and DPT for any other information. The SOC comment should only have information pertinent to students.
    • ∗NEW∗ Ensure the HAZM attribute is on appropriate sections that use hazardous materials in their class. If the attribute is not there, please enter a Note type of HAZMAT.
    • Travel Courses: Please enter “DOM TRAVEL” for domestic travel courses and “INTL TRAVEL” for international travel courses in the building/room fields.
  • Co-locations with Special Topics courses (x990) that involve a UG course and a GR course are no longer permitted.  This was only permitted for Fall 23/Spring 24/Summer 24. The only approved UG/GR co-locations are in this list.
  • Remember: Course Safety: If your course will use hazardous materials (chemicals, biological hazards, radio-isotopes) Ensure the HAZM attribute is on appropriate sections. See Safety in Academic and Research Environments for information on hazardous materials.
  • Important Safety Reminder – Distribute to All Faculty

This is a reminder for faculty. UVM strongly discourages the practice of holding classroom break-out groups in hallways, stairways or other areas not designed for assembly. Assembled groups of people in these areas may inhibit safe passage or impede egress in the event of a need to evacuate.  In the case of laboratory buildings, the risks are elevated.  Active laboratories transfer and receive potentially hazardous materials and supplies through these areas. Navigating through groups of people increases the risk of an accident or unplanned release.  

Contact safety@uvm.edu with any questions.   

While this reminder pertains to all locations, current laboratory buildings include:

  • Aiken Center
  • Colchester Research Facility
  • Bioresearch Complex
  • Delehanty
  • Discovery Building
  • Given Building
  • Health Sciences Research Facility
  • Patrick Leahy Building
  • Innovation Hall
  • Jeffords Hall
  • John Dewey Hall
  • Marsh Life Science Building & Carrigan Wing
  • Perkins Hall
  • Rowell Building
  • Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Center
  • Stafford Building
  • Terrill Building
  • Votey Building

 

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Variable Content Courses and CC Designations

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"Variable Content" Courses and Catamount Core Curriculum (CC) Designation

"Variable content" courses are those courses approved and included in the Catalogue at the course level with very broad definitions but offered in the Schedule of Courses at the section level with permanent content. The content of the sections must align with the broad definition of the course. There are three categories of "variable content" courses: Special Topics, Topics In, and Topics In First-Year Seminar Courses. An example of a "variable content" course and a specific section: Topics in American History (course); Revolutionary War Economy (section). Faculty are encouraged, where feasible, to regularize courses they plan to teach multiple times with similar permanent content by seeking a permanent course designation/number for them.

Special Topics

Special Topics courses and sections may not have CC designations in and of themselves.

Specific Special Topics sections may receive CC designations only as part of the retroactive coding of a permanent content course or when a section of a variable content course is converted to a permanent content course via a new course CAF. Retroactivity may be granted for a period of no more than four semesters.

Topics In 

Multiple "variable content" Topics In courses may be created with similar titles, but with different constellations of CC designations. Ex: SPAN 2200 "Intermediate Spanish II" and SPAN 2202 "Interm Span II: Sustainability".  Topics In courses and their sections must have the same CC designations. 

Topics In courses may only be assigned CC designations when they are initially created. Once the CC designations are approved, they cannot be changed. (This is not the case for permanent content courses.)

Topics In sections must receive Catamount Core Curriculum Committee (CCCC) approval for the identical "variable content" course CC designations in order to be listed under that "variable content" course in the SOC. CC designations will be attached to individual sections for 5 years, at which point proposers will need to apply for reapproval (see “Tracking Process” below).
An individual section that does not receive CCCC approval in the section approval process must be entered in the SOC as, or changed to:

1. A Special Topics section, or a compatible Topics In section with no CC designations, if no CC designation has been approved. As outlined above, Special Topics sections cannot carry CC designations (see note above re: retroactive coding).

Or

2. Another "variable content" course carrying the identical CC designations it did receive.

Timelines

All New Courses

The February 15 deadline remains in place for the establishment of all new courses (whether they are "permanent content" or "variable content" courses).

Course Revisions

The February 15 deadline remains in place for all course revisions except CC designation of sections of "variable content" courses.

"Variable Content" Course CCCC Review Process

CAFs seeking CC designations for a new variable content COURSE must be in the GenEd queue by January 20. Submit the CAF with the requested CC designation(s). The CCCC only requires that the requested CC designation(s) "make sense" with respect to the course title and description. Please do not wait for a section syllabus review to request a new "variable content" course with a particular CC designation for the COURSE. Missing the January 20 deadline to ensure the course has progressed fully through the CAF workflow by February 15 will delay the creation of the "variable content" COURSE until the following catalogue year. 

"Variable Content" Course Sections for CCCC Review

The CCC designation review of sections of the following "variable content" courses may continue beyond February 15; multiple sections of the same course may be attached to a single CAF for CCC review/processing.

When entering a CAF:

  1. Attach a copy of the syllabus for each section (if multiple sections are submitted on a single CAF).
  2. Check “Yes” for “Does this course action include a General Education action?”
  3. In the “Brief Description” box list title(s), the desired CC designation(s) (all must be the same on the CAF and must match the course CAF designations), the first term the section is to be offered, and if retroactive coding is desired, to which terms.
  4. Do not check any of the General Education boxes

The General Education process coordinator (John Sama) will notify both the RO and the Provost’s Office when CCC CAFs need to be advanced through workflow after February 15. Note that the deadlines below do not reflect any additional time that would be needed in cases of requests for proposal modification, and committee decisions will be final for the following semester.

Extenuating circumstances such as late hires, instructor changes due to medical leaves, etc. may allow for expedited approval of an offering within a Topics In "variable content" course carrying CC designations. In these cases, the Associate Dean responsible for enrollment management should contact J. Dickinson and Veronika Carter as soon as possible with a copy of the proposed syllabus.

Course Action

Applicable Deadline

(CAFS due to CCCC)

Notes
Propose New Course

February 15

[CAFs due January 20]

 
"Variable Content" Course SECTION CC Designation: Fall Topics In

March 3

[CAFs due March 3]

Timed to opening of Fall SOC
"Variable Content" Course SECTION CC Designation: Fall PLHC Sophomore Seminars

March 3

[CAFs due March 3]

Timed to opening of Fall SOC
"Variable Content" Course SECTION CC Designation: Fall PLHC First Year Seminars

March 17

[CAFs due March 17]

Timed for summer incoming student registration
"Variable Content" Course SECTION CC Designation: Fall First Year Seminars (CAS FYS)March 17
[CAFs due March 17]		Timed for summer incoming student registration
"Variable Content" Course SECTION CC Designation: Spring Topics In, PLHC seminars, FYS courses

September 16

{CAFs due September 16]

Timed to opening of Spring SOC
"Variable Content" Course SECTION CC Designation: Summer Topics In

December 19

[CAFs due December 19]

Timed to opening of Summer SOC
Tracking Process

The General Education Coordinator (John Sama) will maintain a spreadsheet of all "variable content" course sections approved or denied for CC designation(s), as well as the date by which approved courses must be reapproved (generally, 5 years from the approval semester). The Registrar’s Office will refer to this spreadsheet to confirm the eligibility of "variable content" course sections listed in the Schedule of Courses.

Variable Content Sections, CC Designations, and Co-Locations

Cross-listings and co-locations are only permitted between sections that have the same CC designations.

 

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General Purpose Classrooms

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General Purpose Classrooms

Access Guidelines

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Refer to the appropriate attribute column to determine which fields can be updated based on access status. 

ACCESSATTRIBUTE = CHMNATTRIBUTE = DEAN
OpenThe fields outlined below* may be updatedThe fields outlined below* may be updated
DeanSWCSCHD is view onlyThe fields outlined below* may be updated
Limited
  • Instructor
  • Permission Indicator
  • SOC comments**
  • INSM code
  • Max enrollment (provided it does not exceed room capacity)
  • Projected enrollment
  • Instructor
  • Permission Indicator
  • SOC comments**

* Updatable fields: subj, crs, sect, schd type, insm code, camp code, max enrl, proj enrl, bldg, room, begin/end/days, instructor, credits, perm ind, note, SOC printed comment. Sections may be deleted.

** Do not remove or change information about enforced pre-reqs from the SOC comments. Pre-reqs enforced by the system are hard-coded at the catalogue level and will still be in place even if the language is removed. Removing the language will cause confusion during registration.

** Do not change any wording pertaining to cross-listing or co-locating in the SOC comments. Please submit a section change form if you have changes.

Contact Information

For specific questions or further assistance with the course building process, please contact our office at regsoc@uvm.edu or by calling (802) 656-2045.