Prepare for module enrolment

Every course is made of different modules.

A module is a course on a subject that usually takes one term. Multiple modules create a course. 

Each module has its own: 

• learning outcomes 
• syllabus 
• assessment schedule 
• unique code (usually 4 letters and 4 numbers). 

Modules are either: 

• compulsory and are automatically enrolled from your course 
• optional 
• discovery.
   

These modules may form part of your course. You do not need to enrol for these as you are automatically enrolled on them.

On most courses you can choose from module options linked to your course. Your school will give you information about what options you have. 

You can also search for modules in the undergraduate programme catalogue or taught postgraduate programme catalogue.

Some courses offer discovery modules which are outside of your course. This gives you a chance to learn something different to your course subject. The programme catalogues will show you the course options.

You could choose a skill like a language or another subject you are interested in. It’s an opportunity to:  

• learn more about something you’re interested in from studying at A Level or outside of formal education
• learn more about challenges that confront the world today and the new insights generated by researchers at the University of Leeds
• get an alternative perspective on some of the questions that you’ll be addressing in studying your main discipline(s)
• gain skills and insights that might enhance your career prospects.

Not all programmes offer the chance to study discovery modules. To find out if you have the option to choose discovery modules, visit the undergraduate programme catalogue or taught postgraduate programme catalogue.   

The code is usually four letters and four numbers like ABCD1234. The letters show you which school is offering the module. The first number shows the teaching level of the module. 

HIST1050 is offered by the School of History and is a level 1 module.  

Each module is worth a number of credits usually between 10 and 60 credits. 

You need to gain enough credits to continue your course. 

Each course may need slightly different amounts of credits so you should check with your school. 

For undergraduate courses you usually study 120 credits each year. 

For postgraduate taught courses you usually study 180 credits. 

For some courses you must pass some modules to continue your studies or finish your course. 

You can find out on the undergraduate programme catalogue or taught postgraduate programme catalogue or by contacting the school your course belongs to.

The teaching year has two semesters with modules in either one semester or across both.

You should try to make sure you don't have too many modules in a semester.

You usually can't take more than 70 credits in a semester. 

If you are doing a bachelors or integrated masters degree your module grade counts towards passing your first year. In your second, third, or fourth year the module grade counts towards your degree classification. 

If you are doing a foundation degree or diploma of higher education all module grades count towards your classification. 

You must not enrol on a module that you have already completed in the previous year. 

Look up your course in the undergraduate programme catalogue or taught postgraduate programme catalogue to see what modules you need to take in the next academic year for your course. 

You will see your compulsory modules and options for your optional module choices. 

You will also see if you can take discovery modules for your course or not. 

The timetable is a guide to help you make decisions about your modules and let you know if there are clashes. It should be treated as provisional as it gets updated and may change. You should check it regularly for updates. 

If you have questions once the timetables are published you should contact the person responsible for timetables in your School or faculty. 
 

Some modules have pre-requisites or co-requisites. This means that you can only take some modules if you have already completed a specific module or if you study a specific module at the same time. 

Some modules have mutually exclusive modules which may mean you can't study it if you have studied one of the modules listed against it in the list.

You can't study modules listed as mutually exclusive at the same time. You will see these listed next to the module entry in the module catalogue.

You may want to write down the module codes and titles of all your options. This is helpful if you don't get your first choice as it will be easier to choose another module.