Elective courses

General regulations

The regulations about elective courses have been stipulated in article 42 of the Education and Examination Code. The inclusion of an elective course in the student’s curriculum is to be approved by the faculty's Curriculum Committee on the basis of the student’s choices within the study programme overview.

Rules for choosing an elective course

Add and submit an elective course

You have to add the elective course(s) that you wish to follow in academic year 2024-2025 via Oasis before September 30th. For some courses it is very important to attend the first class, which means that you should already add and submit your elective course(s) via Oasis before the start of the academic year.

Number of credits

You can enrol for more credits than the minimum required number. However, you cannot add supernumerary course units. This means that you can combine an elective course of 3 credits with an elective course of 4 credits, but you cannot combine an elective course of 3 credits with another elective course of 6 credits.

Deviant elective course

In very exceptional cases (for example in function of your master's dissertation or internship) and with a strong motivation, you can apply to follow an elective course which is not mentioned on the list. In order to do so, you need to fill in the form 'Application deviation elective course' and send it to the faculty student administration before the deadline. Your request will be evaluated by the faculty's Curriculum Committee.

Change an elective course

You can apply to change the elective course you had chosen. The deadline for first semester courses is November 14th 2024, the deadline for second semester courses is February 28th 2025.

Note that some courses have a different deadline, which is mentioned in the elective course list per programme.

Replace an elective course after failing

It is not possible to replace an elective course from the first semester that you did not pass by another elective course from the second semester.

It is also not not possible to replace an elective course that you did not pass after the first examination period by another elective course in the resit examination period.

Advice for choosing an elective course

Two semesters

It is not obligated to spread the elective courses over two semester. It can, however, be advisable because of the high workload.

Class and exam overlap

The class and exam schedule can have overlap between elective courses and compulsory courses. All UGent class schedules can be consulted in the Study Guide. It is your own responsibility if you choose to follow an elective course which causes overlap in your class and/or exam schedule.

Required initial competences

Some courses require initial competences. You could have already acquired these initial competences during your previous studies or in the first semester at Ghent University, which would enable you to follow the elective course in the second semester. It is your own responsibility to check the initial competences in the course specifications, which you can find in the Study Guide. You can also contact the lecturer in question to ask more information about the initial competences.

Course specifications

Before you choose an elective course, it is always recommended to check the course specifications in the Study Guide. The course specifications provide more information about the contents, learning materials, teaching methods, evaluation methods, the teaching language, ... If you wish to follow an elective course organised by another faculty, it is recommended to contact the lecturer in question (preferably via phone).

Specific information and elective course list per programme

The elective course lists and specific information per programme can be found here.