How to build requirements with groups

How to build requirements with groups

Requirements live on the credential, under its Requirements tab (Catalog > Credentials > [credential] > Requirements).

Add a simple section of required courses

Use this when a section just lists courses with one rule (all required, choose one, take N credits, or take N courses).

1. Open the credential’s Requirements tab.
2. Click Add Section.
3. Enter the Section title (for example, “Communication”).
4. Set Requirement to All required, Choose one, Take N credits, or Take N courses. For the last two, enter the number.
5. Click Add Course, search by course code or name, and select each course to add it.
6. Click Save.

Reorder or remove courses in the section with the up/down and remove controls next to each course row.

Group sections under a heading with a credit subtotal

Use this when several sections belong under one labeled block (for example, “General Education Requirements”) with its own credit total.

1. Click Add Heading.
2. Enter the Heading title and, if you want an override, a Credits value. Leave Credits blank to use the automatic total of the sections underneath it.
3. Click Add Section to this heading to add sections inside the block, following the steps in “Add a simple section” above.
4. Reorder headings with the up/down controls, or remove one with the trash icon. Removing a heading removes every section grouped under it.

Build a section with multiple groups (an “or” choice between sets of courses)

Use this when a section needs its own subdivisions, such as “choose 2 of these 3 groups,” each with a different rule or course source.

1. In a section, set Requirement to Complete N groups and enter the number of groups to complete.
2. Click Add Group.
3. Enter the Group title and set the group’s own Requirement (All required, Choose one, Take N credits, or Take N courses).
4. Choose the group’s course source: click Pick courses to search and add specific courses, or By subject to pull in courses by prefix instead (see “Require courses by subject” below).
5. Repeat Add Group for each additional group.
6. Click Save.

Require courses by subject instead of picking each one

Use this when a requirement is “any course with this prefix” rather than a fixed list (for example, “6 credits of any HIS course”).

1. In a group, click By subject.
2. Under Subjects (course prefixes), search and check every course prefix that satisfies the requirement.
3. Optionally add codes under Exclude levels to exclude specific course levels (for example, DEV) from matching.
4. Optionally set Maximum credits per subject to cap how many credits from a single subject count.
5. Optionally add a plain-text Note to explain the rule to students.
6. Click Save.

If a course prefix you need isn’t in the list, create it first, course prefixes are derived automatically from course codes, so add a course with that prefix, then rename the prefix’s display name in Manage Lists > Course Prefixes if needed. See How to manage your lists.

Related reference and explanation

• How requirement groups model a degree audit, the reasoning behind blocks, sections, groups, and subject rules.
• Post types and taxonomies, the course_prefix taxonomy used by subject rules.