Common Registration Errors FAQ and Help

The information below is aimed at troubleshooting registration errors for BIOLOGY courses only.  Please review the common errors listed below and tips for resolving your error.  If you are still unable to resolve your registration error, please complete the form below for assistance from our Undergraduate Office.

If you are receiving a registration error for any other department courses, you must contact that department.

Courses with Special instructions:

BIOL 1150 and BIOL 1151:  You must register for the SAME SECTION for 1150 AND 1151.  The lecture time indicates the in-class time for both lecture and recitation.  In August, there will be a restriction added on these courses and you will be prevented from making schedule changes.

BIOL 3504 or BIOL 3550: In order to register for research courses, please speak directly with a faculty member.  The faculty member must initiate a contract (similar to an individual syllabus) and you must agree to the terms in the contract.  Once this has happened, our office will receive a notification and register you.  Please check your schedule for accuracy before the end of the course adjustment period.

Please click on the error you are receiving for troubleshooting help?

Prerequisite and Test Score Error

What it means

You are missing either a required prerequisite course or a test score for placement into the course.

What to do

Option 1

Check the course catalog for a list of required prerequisites for the course you are attempting to register for.  Check your academic transcript to see if you have completed the prerequisites per the catalog.  If you transferred in the prerequisite, this is a crucial step.

To access your transcript, log in to PiratePort, find Student Self Service, select Student Profile and last select Academic Transcript from the left navigation.

If your transcript does not show the exact prerequisite and you have completed the prerequisite course(s) required, please complete the form below.  Banner is looking for matching course numbers.  Banner does not take into account 1XXX or 2XXX courses, nor does it consider Degreeworks substitutions.

Option 2

Often the prerequisite and test score error will show when you are not registering for the required COREQUISITE as well.

Provided that you have all the prerequisites, as stated in the catalog, if you are receiving the prerequisite and test score error check to make sure that you are first adding the CRN for the lecture to your worksheet then adding the CRN for the lab to your worksheet second. Once you have both CRNs on your worksheet you can submit changes. Lecture and Lab must be registered simultaneously.

Option 3

If you completed the prerequisite course outside of ECU, you may receive this error if the prerequisite course is not showing on your ECU transcript or Degree Works. First, you need to submit your official transcript from the transfer institution to ECU. Second, once ECU receives the transfer course it will show up as either an exact equivalent or if the system doesn’t recognize it as an exact equivalent you may see 1XXX or 2XXX. In the case you see a generic course number (1XXX or 2XXX), contact the department to evaluate the course. Please obtain the transfer course syllabus with a detailed course topics list from either your instructor or your transfer institution before you contact the department for review.

For Biology courses, please submit a Course Re-Evaluation Request here:

Biology Course Re-Evaluation Request

For non-Biology courses, please contact the appropriate department accordingly.

Departmental Secretary or Consent of Instructor

What it means

Course requires approval from the department or instructor offering the course.

What to do

For questions email the instructor of record.

For questions concerning BIOL 3504, 3550, or 4991 all requests to register for these courses require permission from the instructor.  A signed contract is required before our office will register students for these courses.  Faculty members must initiate the contracts.  Please meet with the instructor of record for more information.

For non-BIOL courses, you must contact that department or instructor directly.

Major Field Restriction

What it means

You are not listed as the required major for enrollment in this course or section.

What to do

Check your Degreeworks page to verify your major is correct.  If your major is correct, you may not have the required major to take this course.  If your major is incorrect contact your advisor.

If you are receiving this message and registering for BIOL 1100 or BIOL 1200 please check to see if you are registering for a restricted section.  Sections restricted will say for BIO/BIOCHEM majors only in the course title.  Those sections are for BS-Biology or BS-Biochemistry intended majors only.  If you have a different major, register for a non-restricted section.

Student Attribute

What it means

This section is reserved for students in a particular cohort.  Examples include: Honors College or Distance Education (online)

What to do

Select a course with a different section number.  Typically courses with section numbers in the 600s indicate online courses.  Most courses will be open to all students if not filled by a certain date.  Contact your advisor for more information.

Time Conflict

What it means

Time of the course conflicts with another course already on the student’s schedule.

What to do

Select another section of the course or drop the course causing the time conflict.  View your schedule in Banner self-service Week at a Glance to see your schedule in a calendar view.  If you exhaust all options and do not see the time conflict complete the form below or contact your advisor for assistance.

Repeat Count Exceeds

What it means

You are either currently enrolled in or have credit for the class you are attempting to add.

What to do

You can only receive credit for a class once.  Grades of C or higher are not eligible to be grade replaced.

If you are currently enrolled in a course and need to retake the class, you must wait until the initial grade posts to your transcript before registering for it in a future semester.

Maximum Hours Exceeded

What it means

Adding the course will put you over the maximum number of approved hours.

What to do

The maximum course load for undergraduate students in the fall and spring is 18 semester hours. The maximum course load for the first and second summer sessions is 7 semester hours.

To see if you qualify for an exception, please contact your advisor.

Wait List or Wait List-Closed

What it means

The course is full, but the department is using a wait list in Banner.

What to do

Wait List error: Use the drop-down menu and select “add to wait list” and hit “register.”

Important Note: If your name is first on the wait list and a seat becomes available in the course Banner will send you an email.  You have only 24 hours to register for the course.  If you have not taken advantage of the opening by registering for the course, after the 24-hour mark, Banner will notify the next student.  Your name will be removed from the wait list.  We suggest you check your email multiple times a day if you are on an active wait list.

Wait List-Closed error: The wait list has reached maximum capacity.  Select another section to register for.

In both situations: If the course appears to have an open seat, it is most likely that Banner is in the pending process of a student registering for the course.  Please continue to monitor Banner for an opening.

My Degreeworks page is blank

What it means

You are using an incompatible browser.

What to do

You should switch browsers. Degreeworks is most compatible with the Firefox browser.  Degreeworks is not compatible with Google Chrome.

Biology Course Registration Error Help

If the information above did not help resolve your error.  Please complete the form below. The Biology Department will receive your request and process it accordingly.

Online Form – Biology Course Registration Error Help

BIOL 2140/41, BIOL 2150/51, BIOL 2110/11 registration requests (transferring prerequisites)