What it means
درس اختیاری (dars-e ekhtiyâri) means an elective or optional course, one that a student selects freely as part of their degree requirements rather than being compelled to take it. Both parts of the phrase are Arabic in origin: درس (dars) comes from the Arabic root د-ر-س, meaning lesson or study, and اختیاری (ekhtiyâri) comes from اختیار (ekhtiyâr), meaning choice or free will. The opposite term is درس اجباری (dars-e ejbâri), meaning a compulsory or required course, from Arabic اجبار (ejbâr), meaning compulsion. Together these two phrases define the core structure of university curricula across Iranian institutions.
How to use it
- این ترم یه درس اختیاری برداشتم. (in tarm ye dars-e ekhtiyâri bardâshtam.) “This semester I picked one elective course.”
- درسهای اختیاری رو خودت انتخاب میکنی. (dars-hâ-ye ekhtiyâri ro khodat entekhâb mi-koni.) “You choose the elective courses yourself.”
- فلسفه توی رشتهام درس اختیاریه. (falsafe tu-ye reshte-am dars-e ekhtiyâri-e.) “Philosophy is an elective in my programme.”
- چند واحد اختیاری داری؟ (chand vâhed-e ekhtiyâri dâri?) “How many elective credits do you have?”
Cultural note
The Iranian university credit system distinguishes sharply between واحدهای اجباری (vâhed-hâ-ye ejbâri), compulsory credits, and واحدهای اختیاری (vâhed-hâ-ye ekhtiyâri), elective credits. The number of elective units available to a student is set by the national curriculum blueprint issued by the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology, leaving universities limited room to design their own elective offerings. As a result, the range of elective courses at Iranian universities is typically narrower than at Western institutions, though this has been gradually changing at research-oriented universities.