Course Catalogue

The Course Catalogue displays course descriptions of all courses offered at Red Deer Polytechnic. 

Some courses are not offered every year. Check RDP's Timetable to see if specific courses will be offered. 

Each course description includes:

• Course Acronym, Number, Name and Description including equivalents and pre/corequisites.
• Numbers of credit hours followed by lecture, lab and other (seminar, practicum, clinical or fieldwork) hours.
• Level of type of course including credit, upgrading etc.
• Schedule type – if this is highlighted, the course was offered in that term
• Department offering the course
• Course Attributes including other information about the course
• You may click on the title for more details

Course credits are displayed differently in recent Course Catalogues, when compared with previous years.

Please see the details below:

Course credits are a measure of learning opportunities based on the number and type of instructional hours or equivalent learning experiences. 

For Red Deer Polytechnic Diploma and Certificate courses, academic credits are normally equal to billing credits. 

For courses in University Transfer Programs, academic credits are normally equal to the credit given at university. This is usually equal to the number of lecture hours.

Credit: The equivalent of 15 hours of class instruction. (Example: 1 hour per week for 15 weeks including the final exam period.

Course: A series of learning opportunities within a specific subject area to which a final grade is assigned. Courses have a variety of learning opportunities, among which are the following:

• Class: a series of learning activities aimed at acquiring theory
  • Activities in the class are directed by the instructor OR
  • Context based Learning
     
• Lab: a series of structured learning activities to facilitate the application of concepts, theories and principles
   
• Seminar/Tutorial: a series of structured learning activities aimed at further exploration and application of concepts, theories and principles
   
• Clinical: a series of learning activities aimed at applying theory in prescribed clinical experiences
   
• Practicum: a learning activity aimed at combining theory with practical experience
   
• Field Work: an educational experience involving work of a practical nature acquired by students in a work situation

Course Length

• Length of courses may vary, see timetable for length of courses
• A term usually lasts 15 weeks, including the exam period. Courses lasting 15 weeks are called term courses
• Some courses last two terms, or 30 weeks. This includes two exam periods, one at the end of each term. These courses usually run from September to April. They are called full courses

Prerequisites and Co-requisites: Courses listed as prerequisites must be completed before you start the course in question. For example, BIOL 297 lists Biology 30 or equivalent as prerequisite. This means that you must complete Biology 30 or equivalent before you can take BIOL 297. Courses listed as co-requisites must be taken at the same time as the course in question.

• Note: You usually have to complete a junior course in the same subject before you can take a senior course. This is true even if it is not listed as a prerequisite. If you wish to register in a 300-level course without having taken at least one 200-level course in the same subject, check with an advisor.

Restricted Courses: Some courses are available only if you are admitted to a certain program.

Reserved Courses: Some courses are available first to students in a certain program. Once most students have registered, these courses are opened to all students. You can find information on restricted and reserved courses in Red Deer Polytechnic Polytechnic's Timetable.