Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Academic Office
  1. Course Registration

​Course Registration FAQs

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​The following section is a list of frequently asked questions. Please check here for answers before asking the Office.
​For answers which differ depending on the curriculum and college, the applicable curriculum and college are written above the answer. If no curriculum year or college is written above the answer, the information applies to all students.

Basic Information

Q.
What are “Semesters” and “Quarters”?
A.

​Semester and quarter refer to the length of the course.
Each academic year is split into two semesters, the Spring Semester and the Fall Semester. Each semester is made up of two quarters (the 1st Quarter and the 2nd Quarter), plus the winter or summer session.

Q.
What is a credit?
A.

​A credit shows that you have learned and mastered the content of a course. Credits are based on the Japanese ​government’s University Establishment Standards, determined based on the hours of study required to master each ​course (including preparation and review) expressed in numerical form.
All students must earn at least 124 credits to graduate. The specific types of credits required are established by curriculum based on year of enrollment, college, and language basis. Please confirm the details at guidance sessions or through the website.

Curriculum and Graduation Requirements

Q.
Do I have to register an Area of Study to graduate?
A.

As shown below, this requirement depends on your curriculum and college.

【AY 2017 Curriculum Students Only】

APS
All APS students must register an Area of Study as a graduation requirement. The Area of Study can be registered from the 2nd to 6th semester during the Course Registration Period (Registration Period A or B, or Correction Period 1 or 2).

APM
APM students are not required to register an Area of Study to graduate. However, if a student registers for an Area of Study and earns 12 or more credits in that Area of Study, the Area of Study will be shown on their diploma. The Area of Study can be registered from the 1st semester until Correction Period 2 of the final semester.

【AY 2011 Curriculum Students Only】

Both APS and APM:
Registration in an Area of Study is not a graduation requirement. However, if a student registers for an Area of Study and fulfills the number of credits required for that Area of Study, the Area of Study will be shown on their diploma. Please refer to “Area of Study (AY 2011 Curriculum)” for each college for details.

Q.
Can I register for more than one Area of Study?
A.

No. In any college, students can only register for up to one Area of Study.
The Area of Study may be changed an unlimited number of times during the Course Registration Period.

【AY 2017 Curriculum Students Only】

● APS Registration Period
From the 2nd Semester to the 6th Semester during the Course Registration Period (Period A and B, and Correction Period 1 and 2)

● APM Registration Period
From the 1st Semester to the Final Semester of graduation during the Course Registration Period (Period A and B, and Correction Period 1 and 2)

【AY 2011 Curriculum Students Only】

APS and APM Registration Period:
From the 1st Semester to the Final Semester of graduation during the Course Registration Period (Period A and B, and Correction Period 1 and 2)

Q.
I’m a Japanese-basis international student. Do I have to earn 20 credits from courses taught in English to graduate?
A.

No. Only Japanese-basis domestic students are required to earn 20 credits from courses taught in English to graduate. However, students who graduated from a Japanese high school but do not have Japanese nationality may be categorized as domestic students. Please be sure to check Campusmate to confirm your category.

How to check Campusmate (PDF)

Language Courses

Q.
What is the difference between English A and B?
A.

Please refer to the following table.

  English A English B
Standard Track Communication class Grammar class
Advanced Track Discussion and Debate class
Q.
What happens if I fail Japanese Foundation III only?
A.

If students have no prior experience studying Japanese, upon enrollment they will be registered for the three courses Japanese Foundation I (4 credits), Japanese Foundation II (4 credits), and Japanese Foundation III (4 credits) at the same time for a total of 12 credits. Even if a student passes Japanese Foundation I and II and only fails Japanese Foundation III, the University will automatically register them for Japanese Foundation III again in their next semester.

Q.
What is the difference between an English language course and a course taught in English?
A.

English language courses are courses in which students study the English language, ranging from levels “Elementary English A and B” to “Advanced English 2A and 2B.” The level of a student’s English language course is determined based on the results of their placement test taken upon enrollment.
Courses taught in English are courses in which students study a topic in English, in other words, Common Education courses or Major Education courses taught in English. Japanese-basis domestic students must earn at least 20 credits from these courses taught in English to graduate.

Q.
What is an AP Language?
A.

Languages spoken in the Asia Pacific region are referred to as “AP Languages”.
There are 6 AP languages that students can study: Chinese, Korean, Spanish, Malay / Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese.
As Level I in these courses is often popular, please try to register as soon as possible once the course registration period begins if you are interested in taking one of these courses.

Q.
I will take the lowest level required language class (Elementary English or Japanese Foundation). Can I still register for an AP Language class?
A.

No. To register for AP Languages, the following conditions must be met.

Language Basis Conditions for Registration
Japanese-basis Completion or exemption of credits for "Elementary English A" and "Elementary English B"
English-basis Completion or exemption of credits for "Japanese Foundation I","Japanese Foundation II" and "Japanese Foundation III"

Additionally, as a registration requirement for AP Languages, the AP Language you wish to take cannot be your native language.
Details: Asia Pacific Language Education (URL)

Q.
Can I register for an AP Language class and a required language class (English or Japanese) at the same time?
A.

Yes, if the conditions for registering for an AP Language are met.
However, most language courses are worth 4 credits, so they have more class meeting times than other courses. Therefore, in order to take a required language course and an AP language course at the same time, self-management and time management are very important.

Q.
Can I apply for language exemption from my first semester?
A.

Yes. Applications for language exemption are usually accepted in July and the following January.
For details, please refer to the following webpages:

Course Timetable / Syllabus

Q.
How should I create my course schedule?
A.
 
  • Check your graduation requirements and credit status, and confirm which subject fields require credits.
  • Review subject information through the course timetable and syllabus.
  • Check the timetable for automatically registered subjects (required subjects and language subjects). The schedule for automatically registered subjects will differ for each student. Confirm your schedule for automatically registered courses by checking the Action Required messages on Campus Terminal.
  • Find courses that do not overlap with your automatically-registered courses and that fit into the subject fields of credits still required for graduation. As courses may sometimes fill up before you register, it is recommended that you have a few backup plans.
  • Register for courses when the Course Registration Period begins.
Q.
When is the timetable for automatically-registered courses announced?
A.

The timetable for automatically-registered courses (required and language courses) is announced a few days before the start of the course registration period. Please check the “Action Required” messages on Campus Terminal periodically.

Q.
Where can I find the course timetable?
A.

The course timetable can be found on the “Course Timetable / Classroom Changes” page.
Please make sure to check the timetable for your particular curriculum.

Q.
Where can I find the course syllabus?
A.

Please confirm the syllabus under “Syllabus”. It may also be found on Campus Terminal.

Q.
What do the letters (JA, EB, etc.) at the end of course titles in the timetable mean?
A.

The two letters at the end of the course name show the language of the course (J or E) and the class (A, B, C, etc.).

Q.
I can’t find the syllabus for a course. Does this mean that the course will not be offered?
A.

Please make sure you are entering the course name correctly (for example, it cannot include any extra punctuation or slashes). If a course is still not shown in the published timetable, the course will not be offered that semester.

Course Registration

Q.
I don’t know how to use Campusmate.
A.

Please refer to the Course Registration Manual. Your APU ID and password are required to log in to Campusmate.

Q.
If I drop a course during the Course Correction Period, will I receive an F (failing grade) for that course?
A.

Courses that have been dropped correctly are not graded, so you will not receive an F (failing grade).

Q.
If I take a Major Education subject from another college, how will those credits be counted?
A.

Credits from courses in other colleges will be applied to the “Other College Courses” subject field and count towards the 124 credits needed to graduate.

Q.
Can I register for a 200-level course as a 1st-year student?
A.

No. 1st-year students can only register for 100-level courses. However, as language courses do not have year levels, students only need to meet the prerequisites for language courses to register in them.
Please check the timetable, curriculum map, and subject list for the grade levels of each course.

Q.
Can I graduate without writing a graduate thesis?
A.
【AY 2011 and AY 2017 Curriculum Students Only】

Yes. Writing a graduation thesis is not a requirement for graduation.

Q.
Can I register for Major Education courses in other colleges?
A.

Major Education courses in other colleges can be taken from the 3rd semester and can be registered from Course Registration Period B.

Q.
Is there a minimum number of credits that must be registered each semester?
A.

There is no minimum number of credits that must be registered each semester, but at least 124 credits are required to graduate. As there is a maximum number of credits that can be registered each semester (URL), it is recommended to register for this maximum number of credits each semester to ensure that you will earn the 124 credits required to graduate. Furthermore, students receiving scholarships often need to register for a certain number of credits to maintain their scholarships. Please refer to the Student Office website for details.

Q.
Do I have to register the maximum number of credits possible every semester?
A.

You do not have to register the maximum number of credits possible every semester. However, as it is not guaranteed that you will be able to pass and earn credits for all of the course that you have registered, we recommend registering the maximum number of credits each semester to ensure that you will earn the 124 credits required to graduate.

Q.
What is the difference between Semester and Quarter courses?
A.

The period during which classes are held varies.

Semester Course Students take classes for four months (during the semester) to receive credits
Quarter Course Students take classes for two months (during the 1st or 2nd Quarter) to receive credits
Q.
The courses that I want to take overlap with automatically registered subjects. Is it possible to change the classes or times of automatically registered subjects?
A.

The classes and times for automatically registered subjects cannot be changed.

Q.
What are the Winter and Summer Sessions?
A.

These are intensive one-week (five-day) sessions that take place during the long breaks. As with other types of courses, credits will be earned with a passing grade. Winter and Summer Session courses may be registered during Course Registration Period A and B and Course Correction Period 1 and 2. Courses cannot be registered or dropped outside of the Course Registration Period.

Q.
How can I check the number of seats available in a class?
A.

Class sizes are not published, but classes with seats available are shown on the Campusmate Course Registration screen. Please check the number of seats available shown during the Course Registration Period.

Q.
Can I register for all 4 types of courses (Semester, 1st Quarter, 2nd Quarter, and Session) during Course Registration Period B?
A.

​Course During Course Registration Period A (for current students only) and Course Registration Period B, all courses can be registered or dropped.
However, during Correction Period 1, courses offered in the Semester or 1st Quarter which have already begun cannot be registered, only dropped. During Correction Period 2, courses offered in the 2nd Quarter can only be dropped, and Session courses can be registered or dropped.
Please be sure to refer to “Basic Information on Course Registration” for details. Any registration or dropping is not permitted outside of the Course Registration Period.

Q.
If I drop a course during Correction Period 1, can I register for another course instead?
A.

You can drop the course, but you can only newly register 2nd Quarter or Session courses that still have seats available. For details, please be sure to refer to “Basic Information on Course Registration.”

APS Students Only

Q.
Do I need to register for the core courses, Introduction to APS and Introduction to Area Studies?
A.

These courses are not required. Introduction to APS contains a lot of information that APS students should know, so it is automatically registered by the University in the first semester. Introduction to Area Studies teaches the basic information required to begin studying the Asia Pacific. This course is not automatically registered, but the University strongly recommends taking it.

Q.
I have definitely completed 30 credits of subjects in my registered Area of Study Hospitality and Tourism (HT), but when I check the “HT Major Education subjects” field on Campusmate, the number of completed credits shown is only 28.
A.

If you complete more than the required 28 credits for an “Area of Study’s Major Education Subjects,” the excess credits count towards “APS Major Education Subjects.” For details, please check “*C in the Garde Report Screen of Campusmaten.

APM Students Only

Q.
Will the University register all my required courses, excluding mathematics and statistics?
A.

Yes. Mathematics and Statistics are required courses that can be registered from first year, so we recommend taking those courses early.

Q.
I heard that I can register for the three subjects Accounting I, Introduction to Marketing, and Introduction to Economics from my first semester depending on the level of required language courses in which I begin, but what is the specific language level required?
A.

The maximum number of credits that can be registered in the first semester is 18. Students may register themselves for the three courses above in their first semester if they have credits available from exempted Language Education courses and if they have credits remaining after subtracting the number of credits registered for them by the University.

Q.
I will be job hunting, so I can’t take the course automatically registered for me in my 7th Semester, “Global Management (Capstone).” Can I drop it?
A.

Normally you cannot drop APM required courses that are automatically registered. However, you can drop “Global Management (Capstone)” during the 7th Semester Course Registration Period A or B or Correction Period 1 yourself. If you choose to do so, it will be registered for you by the University in your 8th Semester. “Global Management (Capstone)” is an APM required course, so you need to earn credit for it to graduate. Please be careful if you choose to drop the course.

Other

Q.
I have questions about course registration or classes.
A.

Please use the three resources listed below. More details are available on the website.

1. Academic Office

We accept questions about course registration, course planning, or graduation requirements anytime.

2. Academic Advising

We provide support for finding your own academic or personal goals. If you are concerned about your student life or future, please talk with our faculty advisors about your concerns.

3. Speaking with Professors during their Office Hours

If you want to discuss the courses you are currently taking or consult about seminars, please make an appointment with a faculty member and speak with them directly.

Q.
What kind of instructors does APU have?
A.

Information about faculty members such as their field of expertise can be found on our Faculty Information Page.

Q.
I’m worried because I’m not good at math.
A.

If you are having issues in your Fundamental Mathematics, Advanced Mathematics, Business Mathematics, or Statistics course, please consider making use of the AMC(Analytics and Math Center). Support is offered in English or Japanese in one-on-one sessions with trained tutors.

Q.
I’m having trouble writing a report.
A.

All 1st-year students are automatically registered for Study Skills and Academic Writing (SSAW). In SSAW, students learn about how to be “proactive, self-motivated, independent learners who can identify problems and find solutions on their own,” important qualities for writing reports. Furthermore, if you have questions or concerns about a writing assignment you can use the Writing Center service and receive one-on-one support.

Q.
How do I get the textbook?
A.

Please be sure to refer to the syllabus for required learning materials. When purchasing a required textbook, please use the COOP store or online shop, or online retailers.

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