/Office of the Registrar
Office of the Registrar

Scheduling Resources and Guides

Course Scheduling Policies & Responsibilities

Communication
  • Academic schedulers or administrative staff serve as the primary contacts for scheduling.
  • Faculty must direct all inquiries to departmental staff.
  • Departments communicate with the Registrar via regsched@stonybrook.edu.
Timeliness
  • Departments must submit course schedules by designated deadlines to ensure efficient classroom allocation.
Training
  • Departments must ensure staff are trained in scheduling systems and policies.
  • Staff must attend required refresher training sessions.
Course Planning
  • Departments determine course offerings each term.
  • All offerings require approval from the appropriate Dean’s Office.
Faculty Coordination
  • Departments must inform faculty of scheduling policies and deadlines.
  • Faculty may request accommodations, but:
    • Core courses take priority
    • Elective balance is second
    • Instructor convenience is last
No special consideration is given to commuting faculty.

  • Maintain and publish academic calendars and deadlines
  • Organize course scheduling by term sessions
  • Initiate schedule rollover each term
  • Maintain the official course catalog

 

Course Scheduling Guidelines

  • Follow standard meeting patterns
  • Schedule within approved class time blocks unless exceptions are approved
  • Ensure course modality is correctly entered
  • Non-standard scheduling requires approval from:
    • Registrar
    • Dean’s Office
    • (if applicable) Provost

Departmental Use
  • Use department-controlled classrooms before requesting general pool spaces
Faculty Requests
  • Allowed for:
    • Accessibility or medical needs
    • Specialized equipment
  • Active learning spaces:
  • Assigned first-come, first-served
  • Must be requested during designated period
Large Classrooms (180+ seats)
  • Requests must meet deadlines
  • Assigned first-come, first-served
Assignment Process
  • Managed through 25Live Optimizer
  • Departments must adjust:
    • Meeting times
    • Enrollment caps
    • Room needs if conflicts occur

  • Cannot exceed room capacity
  • “Closed class” permissions cannot override capacity limits
  • Allow one week between cap changes
Special Approval Rules
  • Courses ≥ 100 seats: Approval required for ≥10% change
  • Courses < 100 seats: Approval required for ≥20% change
  • Lowering cap to 0 requires approval
Registrar-Controlled Only
  • Combined caps
  • Reserve caps

  • Must be section- and term-specific
  • Must be reviewed before edit access ends
  • Should NOT include:
    • Reserve information
    • General grading policies
  • Must include:
    • Exam details if outside normal class time

  • No food or catering in classrooms (including Javits & Frey)
  • No alcohol or controlled substances
  • Follow:
    • Fire drill procedures
    • Weather/emergency cancellations
  • Contact University Police: (631) 632-3333
  • Follow accessibility requirements (SASC/OEA)

  • Require approval from Registrar and/or Dean
  • Must be submitted in writing
  • Departments must notify students of potential impacts
 Late Scheduling Changes
  • Deadlines
    • Summer/Fall: January
    • Winter/Spring: June
  • Requirements
    • Dean approval required (CAS & CEAS)
    • Submit at least 2 weeks before enrollment
  • Includes Changes To:
    • Enrollment caps
    • Class notes
    • Meeting patterns
    • New course additions

  • Courses must be spread:
    • Across Monday–Friday
    • Across the full day
  • Avoid scheduling during:
    • Common Hours (Mon/Wed 12:30–1:50 PM)

  • Must provide distinct experiences for undergraduate vs graduate students
  • Requires coordination across all departments involved
Email Requirements
  • Include:
    • Term and course details
    • All schedulers copied
    • Enrollment caps (individual & combined)
    • Graduate School approval (if applicable)

All emails must include:
  • Subject: Term + request details
  • Action requested (Add/Drop/Cancel/etc.)
  • Dean’s Office approval (copied)

  • Departments maintain their own classrooms
  • General/shared rooms maintained by the university
Report Issues To:
  • FIXIT: furniture, lighting, damage
  • IT Classroom Support: technology issues
  • Seating cannot exceed Fire Marshal capacity

  • General pool classrooms unavailable during campus lifetime periods
  • No scheduling during building blackout hours without approval

  • Unused time becomes available to the Registrar
  • Departments must maximize use during assigned access periods
  • Assign rooms before edit deadlines

  • Must be submitted in writing
  • Departments must notify students and provide re-enrollment guidance
  • Brightspace courses will be deleted upon cancellation (data may not be recoverable)

Exams

  • Evening midterms require approval
  • Must be listed in class notes before schedule release
  • Published before enrollment

  • Must be approved and scheduled before enrollment
  • Registrar assigns based on department responses
  • Requests for changes handled via email or 25Live

Asynchronous
  • Exams must be asynchronous unless approved
Synchronous
  • Exams may be synchronous or asynchronous
  • In-person exams require approval and must include:
    • Class notes
    • Testing accommodations