Elective courses refer to courses arranged by students themselves in the teaching plans of various disciplines and majors in colleges and universities. Compared with the "compulsory course". There are restricted elective courses and unrestricted elective courses. The former refers to courses taken within the prescribed scope, such as a certain number of courses that must be taken in a certain number of designated courses, or a certain number of courses that must be taken in a certain number of designated courses, while the latter refers to courses that students can freely choose without restriction.

Elective courses can be divided into restricted elective courses and unrestricted elective courses. Restricted elective courses, also known as designated elective courses, mean that students must take a certain subject or a certain group of courses. For example, some professional teaching plans stipulate that senior students must take several courses in a special group or elective group. Foreign institutions of higher learning often require students to take several credit courses in the fields of natural science and social science.