Difference Between Syllabus and Curriculum

Difference between Syllabus and Curriculum
Key difference: Essentially, a syllabus is a descriptive outline and summary of topics that are to be covered in
an education or training course. The syllabus will usually provide specific information about the said training
course and is often drafted by the governing body or by the instructor of the course. A curriculum is the set
of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. A general curriculum, in the broadest sense of
the word, may list all courses offered at a specific school. A curriculum is prescriptive, which means that is
issued by the governing body and lists topics the must be understood by the student at the end of the
course, and what level to achieve a particular grade or standard.
Essentially, a syllabus is a descriptive outline and summary of topics that are to be covered in an education or training
course. The syllabus will usually provide specific information about the said training course and is often drafted by the
governing body or by the instructor of the course. Syllabi, on the other hand, are the plural form of a syllabus.
According to Dictionary.com, a syllabus is:
An outline or other brief statement of the main points of a discourse, the subjects of a course of lectures, the
contents of a curriculum, etc.
A short summary of the legal basis of a court's decision appearing at the beginning of a reported case.
A book containing summaries of the leading cases in a legal field, used especially by students.
A typical syllabus will contain information on how, where and when to contact the lecturer and teaching assistants; an
outline of what will be covered in the course; a schedule of test dates and the due dates for assignments; the grading
policy for the course; specific classroom rules; etc.
The purpose of a syllabus is to ensure consistency between courses thought at different colleges under the same
governing body. A syllabus issued by the governing body, i.e. the board of education, the head of department, etc, may be
modified by the instructor as long as it is consistent with the curriculum.
The syllabus also serves as a means for the students to be aware and understanding what they will be thought in the
duration of the course. Wikipedia lists the various purposes served by a syllabus:
fair and impartial understanding between the instructor and students such that there is minimal confusion on
policies relating to the course
setting clear expectations of material to be learned
setting clear expectations of behavior in the classroom
setting clear expectations of effort on student's behalf to be put into the course
providing a roadmap of course organization/direction relaying the instructor's teaching philosophy to the students
providing a marketing angle of the course such that students may choose early in the course whether the subject
material is attractive
clarifying student understanding of specified material such as grading policy, grading rubric, late work policy,
locations and times
providing contact information for instructor and teaching assistant such as phone or email
listing materials required and/or recommended such as textbooks, assigned reading books, calculators, lab
vouchers, or other equipments
listing outside resources for subject material assistance, including extracurricular books, tutor locations, resource
centers, etc.
important dates in course such as exams and paper due-dates
tips for succeeding in mastering course content such as study habits and expected time allotment
suggested problems if applicable
necessary pre-requisites or co-requisites to current course
safety rules if appropriate
objectives of the course
Types of syllabus include:
Notional-Functional syllabus
Grammatical syllabus
Lexical syllabus
Situational syllabus
Text-based syllabus
Skill-based syllabus
Task-based syllabus
Learner-generated syllabus
Mixed syllabus
Online course syllabus
A curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. The term, curriculum is derived
from the Latin word "Currere" which means to run/to proceed. Currere refers to the course of deeds and experiences
through which children grow to become mature adults.
Dictionary.com defines curriculum as:
The aggregate of courses of study given in a school, college, university, etc.: The school is adding more science
courses to its curriculum.
The regular or a particular course of study in a school, college, etc.
A general curriculum, in the broadest sense of the word, may list all courses offered at a specific school. A curriculum is
prescriptive, which means that is issued by the governing body and lists topics the must be understood by the student at
the end of the course, and what level to achieve a particular grade or standard. It may also refer to a defined and
prescribed course of studies students must fulfill in order to complete the course. An individual teacher may refer to the
curriculum to ensure that her lessons are covering all the topics as required by the curriculum.
The various purposes served by a curriculum:
may refer to all courses offered at a school
may refer to a defined and prescribed course of studies
lists course of studies which students must fulfill in order to pass a certain level of education
may discuss how the sum of lessons and teachings will help students learn the basics
The main difference between a syllabus and a curriculum is that a curriculum is a more generalized or an overview of the
subjects or topics that the students are meant to learn. However, a syllabus is a more detailed overview of the subject of
study. For example: a math curriculum may list basics of algebra, basics of geometry and basics of trigonometry. While,
the class syllabus will list what topics will be covered under each of the basic topics, what will be the concepts that
students may understand by the end of each topic, and it may even list what exercises or problems in the textbook will be
covered during class. Hence, it can be said that syllabus is a subset of curriculum.

Difference Between Syllabus and Curriculum

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Difference between Syllabus and Curriculum

setting clear expectations of material to be learned

setting clear expectations of behavior in the classroom

important dates in course such as exams and paper due-dates

suggested problems if applicable

necessary pre-requisites or co-requisites to current course

safety rules if appropriate

objectives of the course

Types of syllabus include:

Online course syllabus

Dictionary.com defines curriculum as:

The regular or a particular course of study in a school, college, etc.

may refer to all courses offered at a school

may refer to a defined and prescribed course of studies

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