By default, Stellic does not allow courses or credits to double count, meaning courses count towards only one requirement, with the exception of Additional Checks which do allow double counting by default. Double counting settings can be otherwise allowed at the program and/or sub-requirement level.
Types of Double Counting
There are two general types of double counting options:
Between different programs
Within the sub-requirements of one program
When courses double count between programs, a chain link icon appears next to the courses within the audit. Users can hover over this symbol for more information on where the course is counting. If a course is double counting within the sub-requirements of a program, no icon appears. The double counting icon will not appear when a course is shared between two programs and at least one of those programs allows unlimited double counting. When a program permits unlimited double counting, it overrides any double counting restrictions that exist in the other program.
Double Counting Between Programs
If no double counting constraints are specified on any programs in a student's plan, courses do not double count between programs. For example, if PSYC 100 is required for a student's major but could also be used as an elective for the student's minor, the course can only be used for one program. When a course like PSYC 100 is required for a student's major but could also count as an elective for their minor, the course can only be applied to one program, not both. Stellic assigns courses based on a specific order: first by the program's position on the student record (top to bottom), and then by the requirement's position within each program audit (top to bottom). So if the major appears above the minor on the student's record, PSYC 100 would be assigned to fulfill the major requirement.
Note: For double counting purposes, Stellic considers all minors, majors, certificates, etc. as General Requirements/ Programs.
If one program does not specify any double counting rules and another program does, the double counting constraint will overrule the default.
For example: If Program A has no set double counting rule, and Program B has a double counting limit of 3, then 3 courses can double count between those two programs.
If there are contradicting double counting rules, the system uses the minimum limit. For instance, if Program A allows unlimited double counting with other programs, and Program B only allows up to 2 courses to double count, then 2 courses will double count between Programs A and B. Double counting between programs is evaluated in a pairwise manner, meaning the system considers only two programs at a time. If a student has three separate programs (A, B, and C), Stellic evaluates the double counting rules as follows:
Program A + Program B
Program A + Program C
Program B + Program C
This approach ensures that one program will not affect the double counting relationship between the remaining programs.
Double Counting Within Sub-requirements of the Same Program
By default, a course can only be used for one requirement within a program. If a program's requirements and elective requirements both allow PSYC 100, without any double counting constraint, the course would only count for one requirement. Since Stellic prioritizes from top to bottom, PSYC 100 would count for the requirement listed first in the audit.
Stellic supports allowing double counting at two levels:
Within sub-requirements of the entire program
Within a specific sub-requirement
In the first case, when double counting is enabled at the program level, one course can count between any of the sub-requirements for the program. For example, if Requirements A and B are identical, only one course (like ES-0055) can double count between these requirements. In the second case, double counting is permitted only within a specific sub-requirement. For example, PHY-0012 might count between multiple sub-requirements within a designated section.
Unlike double counting between programs, double counting between sub-requirements is calculated in an absolute manner instead of pairwise. If there are overlapping requirements between requirements A, B, and C, only one course would be able to count between two requirements. Once a course has been double counted, it exhausts the double counting limit for the rest of the program's requirements within the audit.
Overriding Double Counting Limits
In some instances, you may need to override double counting limits. Overrides are useful for special cases like total credits General Requirement Programs, which track total credits earned rather than enforce program-specific requirements.
Since all courses should count for both this requirement program and the student's enrolled programs, any limits placed on the student's other programs need to be overridden. For this scenario, you can enable "override double counting limits." This option currently only exists after enabling unlimited double counting.
Constraints
By default, no double counting is permitted between requirements or across programs. (With the exception of Additional Checks, which always double count.) There are multiple constraints available to permit double counting. Double counting constraints come in two varieties:
Allow double counting. When you add double counting constraints to a program or requirement, you first add a constraint that allows double counting.
Refine and add explicit boundaries around what is permitted to double count. Once you’ve opened the gate to permit double counting, there are additional constraints available to add definitions and boundaries about what is or is not permitted to double count.