How to Write Strong Course Descriptions for a Homeschool Transcript

At a glance, transcripts outline your student’s education: the courses they took and the grades they received. College admissions officers should get a good idea of your student’s academic achievement by looking at their transcript. But a transcript only communicates so much: your student got an A in Biology their freshman year, but what was covered in this course? Was a specific curriculum used? How many hours did they spend on the course? This is where course descriptions come in.

What are Course Descriptions?

Course descriptions are not part of a transcript. However, some colleges and scholarships require them as a companion document with your student’s application. They provide context to each class your student took, so that admissions officers can get a better picture of your student’s education. Typically, they include:

• The name of the course
• The title of the primary textbook
• A 2-3 sentence description of topics covered
• A summary of hours spent

Just like with transcripts, there’s no exact way to write them. The exact format and information needed varies from college to college, so always make sure to follow the instructions of the specific application if they do require course descriptions. 

Course Description Example

The University of Wisconsin provides a good example of what information could be required for a course description document. Their admissions page for homeschool students explains:

“Course descriptions should include the following information: the title and level of the course, the name and accreditations of the teacher (if applicable), the approximate number of hours spent on the course, a brief description of topics covered in the course, and the texts or resources used to cover the course material (if applicable).”

Harkening back to that A in Biology that your student received Freshman year, in practice a course description could look like this:

Biology

120 Hours of Study

Text: Exploring Creation with Biology by Jay L. Wile and Marilyn Durnell; Virtual Biology Lab with Collegeprepscience

Description: This course covers the vocabulary of biology, provides the student with a strong background in the scientific method, the five-kingdom classification scheme, microscopy, biochemistry, cellular biology, molecular and Mendelian genetics, evolution, dissection, and ecosystems. Virtual Labs conducted emphasizing the scientific method and the creation of lab reports.

The number of hours spent on the course would correspond with the credit awarded. High school credits differ state to state, but usually a year-long course is one credit or one “Carnegie Unit” which corresponds to 120 hours of study. 

Tips for Course Descriptions

Every application might have different requirements for what should be included in a course description. While the University of Wisconsin has their own requirements, other applications have different requirements. For example, to meet the NCAA’s academic eligibility standards, homeschool students must fill out a Core Course Worksheet. Part of this worksheet requires a course description, and the NCAA outlines examples of what this should look like. So always make sure to reference the application in question to make sure you’re providing the right information.

When writing course descriptions try to use only a few sentences. Be specific and concise; it doesn’t have to be flashy! Even if you might not need course descriptions for any of your student’s applications, it’s good practice to keep them for all your students’ classes because you’ll be able to reference them in case a college admissions office or other organizations have additional questions about how a specific course was administered. Moreover, it’s just good backup documentation to have on hand so you and your student can remember the contents of every course they took. 

How We Can Help

While course descriptions are not part of a transcript, they provide helpful context to your transcript. Getting your homeschooler ready to apply for colleges is a daunting experience, but we’re here to help you make the transcript creation part of your student’s college application easier. Our high school transcript builder for homeschools gives you the tools you need make an organized, professional transcript. It has a flexible layout, automatic GPA calculation and gives you unlimited edits and downloads so you can save multiple versions; no subscription required. Try it for free today!