How to search, bookbag, and register for classes

Duke students use ACES (the Automated Course Enrollment System) to browse course offerings and register for classes prior to each academic term. You can start browsing course offerings and make some tentative lists of courses that interest you now. Once you receive your NetID and password (which will be mailed to you by OIT in early June) and your Personal Identification Number (from your summer advising dean), you can bookbag and register for fall courses.

Step 1: Browsing Fall Semester Courses

1. Go to http://www.siss.duke.edu/Schedule/. Select the Fall term. (No log-in is required for this part of the process.)
   
2. Review courses that are offered by departments of interest. Check the enrollment limits, pre-requisites, course description, and synopsis of any course you might want to take in the fall. Generally, courses numbered below 100 are suitable for first-year students. Courses numbered below 200 are suitable for most undergraduates but may have pre-requisites. Courses numbered above 200 are graduate level courses open to qualified students only. Undergraduates are not allowed to enroll in 300 level courses.
   
3. Check the web sites of possible majors, minors, certificates, listed at http://trinity.duke.edu/academics/majors/. Note requirements and course offerings.
   
4. Put together a tentative list of courses for the fall and for future semesters. These might include courses that fulfill requirements for your intended major and/or general curriculum requirements. You might also be interested in courses that are linked to your career or graduate school plans or courses that satisfy one or more intellectual interests. If you need to take Writing 20 or a first-year seminar be sure to include prospective sections in your list.
   
5. One of the easiest ways to find courses of interest is with the “Schedule Search” function. This link is at the bottom of the page listing Duke terms and semesters. For example, you can ask the system to show you all biology courses with open seats, all courses listed as seminars, or courses that carry an Arts, Literature and Performance area of knowledge code. The results generated by your search will give you course titles, numbers, descriptions, times and days offered, and seat availability.
   
6. Discuss your proposed list of fall courses (and any questions or problems with your planned schedule) with your summer advising dean. Your dean then will clear you to enroll in classes, and provide a PIN.

Step 2: Bookbagging
» You will need your NetID and password for this step.

1. Log on to ACES: Go to http://www.registrar.duke.edu/, select Students, then ACES Login.
   
2. Enter your NetID and password at the prompts.
   
3. Select REGISTRATION on your ACES page.
   
4. Click on Bookbag for Fall Term.
   
5. Now you can review courses directly within ACES. They will be listed by department or area of study.
   
6. Important course information you will see on ACES:
   
   • description of the course
     
   • red circle: course is full
     
   • green circle: class is open (seats are available)
     
   • purple P: class requires a permission number. You can bookbag the course but registering for it will require a permission number that you should obtain from the instructor. Contact your summer advising dean for more info.
     
   • +PRI: allows you to place the course in your Primary Bookbag
     
   • +ALT: allows you to place the course in your Alternate Bookbag
     
   • Synopsis: information about the course (not all courses will have this)
     
   • Info: place the cursor here and you will find footnotes, enrollment information, and Area of Knowledge and Mode of Inquiry codes
     
   • Show Course Evaluation: follow the link for student evaluations of the course from previous terms (not all courses have evaluations)
     
   • E/C: enrolled and total capacity of the course
     
   • If you click on "Enrollment Capacities" you will find enrollment, total enrollment cap, reserved number of seats, and number of wait-listed students
     
7. Choose a variety of courses that you might want to take in the fall and place them in your Alternate Bookbag. Click on +ALT. This bookbag will hold up to 25 courses.
   
8. Select four 1.0 credit courses and place them in your Primary Bookbag (+PRI). The Primary Bookbag will hold the courses that you intend to register for and will check that you do not have time conflicts. You can view your potential schedule with courses in your Primary Bookbag. You can move courses from your Alternate Bookbag to your Primary Bookbag and vice versa by clicking on the red up and down arrows.
   
9. For some laboratory courses, you select the laboratory section and that will automatically enroll you in the associated lecture section.
   
10. If you would like to search for courses that have specific Area of Knowledge or Mode of Inquiry codes, are seminars, still have available seats, or are scheduled for particular days/times of the week, use the SEARCH function.
    
11. When you have finished, you should have four 1.0 credit courses in your Primary Bookbag and a selection of substitute courses in your Alternate Bookbag.

Step 3: Registering for Courses
» Requires a PIN from your dean.

1. Repeat Steps 1-4 from above to open your Bookbag.
   
2. If you are satisfied with the courses in your Primary Bookbag, click on the "Enroll All" Button. Or you can click on the enrollment symbols next to the classes in your Primary Bookbag. Successful enrollments will appear in Green. Unsuccessful enrollments will appear in red with a reason for the failed enrollment.
3. The normal course load is four 1.0 credit courses. You can enroll in as many as 5.5 credits/semester if you wish. To go above 5.5 credits requires special permission from your dean. No student may enroll in more than 6.0 credits/ semester.
   
4. You will find more courses open if you register before June 24 , because the incoming class of 2012 registers on June 24, 25 and 26, and classes will fill up quickly. Your registration window is open until July 9 and you may add and drop courses whenever you wish.
5. Please note that there will be a major upgrade to our registration system during the period July 10-13. ACES is scheduled to reopen on July 14 and at that time you can continue to register or drop/add. After the upgrade, you will see changes in how ACES is organized. More information on these changes will be sent to you as the time approaches.
   
6. You may choose to be wait-listed for a course. If so, you can remain wait-listed until the end of the first week of classes. At that time, you will either have gained entrance to the class (ACES will automatically enroll you if there is an opening and you are next on the waitlist) or the wait-list will be erased and you will not be admitted. Some students will enroll in four courses and remain wait-listed for a fifth. If they get into the fifth, they will then drop one of the original four courses.
   
7. Be careful of the restrictions on drop/add when the fall semester begins. You can drop and add freely for the first week of classes. In the second week, you can drop freely but can only add a course with a permission number from the course instructor. Some instructors will take additional students at that time; others will not and can refuse to issue a permission number. The third week of the semester is the course verification week. Check your schedule in ACES to be sure you are enrolled in the classes you are attending. If there are any discrepancies (you are attending but not enrolled or vice versa) inform your academic dean immediately so corrections can be made.
   
8. You can view your enrollment at any time during the summer or fall. Just log onto ACES.