Override Policies and Procedures

Front Office Overrides

Overrides for 100-level physics courses are managed by the physics front office, based on implementing the policies outlined below.   

If, after reading the policies below, you believe you may be eligible for an override, please email physics@wwu.edu with any supporting documentation (ie, transcripts demonstrating courses taken that have not transferred correctly to WWU, or evidence of current enrollment in a course that will satisfy the pre-req by the beginning of the quarter being registered for).

  • Capacity overrides: Unfortunately, we are not able to offer capacity overrides during registration or waitlisting due to space constraints on both our lecture and lab rooms.  

     
  • Pre-req overrides: Pre-req overrides will only be given if a student can demonstrate they have previously taken, or are currently enrolled in, a course that will satisfy the pre-req prior to the beginning of the quarter they are registering for.

Faculty Overrides

There are a small set of overrides where a faculty must give approval, based on the particular impacts and implications for their class.  These are:

  • Time conflict overrides: Instructors must approve a time conflict override, based on the student’s plan to make up the work that will be missed in their class.  That is, the instructor offering the time conflict override is giving approval for the student to miss their class, not to miss the other class in the conflict. 

     
  • Pre-req overrides to allow MATH 156 & 157 to satisfy math pre-reqs for PHYS 114 and 161:
    • MATH 156 & 157 (Business algebra & Calc) are not approved as pre-reqs for PHYS 114 or 161, as these courses do not cover trigonometry at the level of MATH 115.  Students seeking to enroll in PHYS 114 or 161 with MATH 156 and/or 157 rather than MATH 115 or 124 must contact the physics front office to affirm that their trigonometry background, including the use of the sine, cosine and tangent functions, are sufficiently strong that they believe they will succeed in the class.  The front office will check with the instructor to confirm their consent before issuing a pre-req override.