Syllabus vs Curriculum
It is important to understand the distinction between syllabus and curriculum, as these two terms are often mistakenly used interchangeably. A syllabus refers to the program or outline of a course of study, while curriculum refers to the subjects that are studied or prescribed for study in a school or college. Curriculum is a broader concept, whereas syllabus is more specific. Curriculum encompasses the entire course experience, while syllabus covers only a portion of that experience. More information about syllabus and curriculum is provided below.
What is a Syllabus?
A syllabus refers to the program or outline of a course of study. It is the portion of study prescribed for a particular subject within a course. For instance, if Physics is a subject within a course of study called “material science”, the portions of study prescribed for Physics would be considered the syllabus.
A syllabus is typically prescribed once a year, and both the teacher or professor and the student must complete it within that time frame. Exams will be based on the specific syllabus for that year and subject. This means that a student will follow a different syllabus in the subsequent year of a given three-year undergraduate course.
What is a Curriculum?
A curriculum pertains to the entire period of study in a school or college. For example, the curriculum of a certain course of study, such as B.Sc Chemistry, includes all the subjects, including the allied subjects to be studied as part of the entire course. A syllabus can be considered a subset of the curriculum, meaning that the syllabus is contained within the curriculum. A curriculum is completed once all the syllabi are completed.
Key Takeaways
- Syllabus refers to the program or outline of a course of study, while curriculum refers to the subjects that are studied or prescribed for study in a school or college.
- Syllabus is a subset of curriculum, covering specific portions of study within a subject, while curriculum encompasses the entire course experience.
- A syllabus is typically for a year and subject-specific, while a curriculum can be as long as the course lasts and covers all subjects within the course.
