高校课程按照不同的分类标准有不同的课程类型，如按照是否必修分为必修课与选修课，选修课按照自由度分为限制性选修课与非限制性选修课。另外，还有通识教育课程与专业课。

必修课广泛运行于大学、高中等学校中，是学生获得学分必须要学习的课程。Wikipedia关于required course的定义：“An elective…, as opposed to a required course which the student must take. While required courses (sometimes called “core courses” or “general education courses”) are deemed essential for an academic degree.”

The University of Queensland网站中的相关定义：“A compulsory course, or core course, is a course that you must successfully complete to meet the requirements of your program.”

根据以上英文解释，可得出，必修课可译为Required course / Compulsory course。

选修课是指高等学校各学科、专业教学计划中规定的由学生自行选择学习的课程，与“必修课”相对。Wikipedia关于Elective course的定义：“An elective course is one chosen by a student from a number of optional subjects or courses in a curriculum, as opposed to a required course which the student must take.”

Collins Dictionary中关于Elective的一个定义：“An elective is a subject which a student can choose to study as part of his or her course.”

选修课是为扩大学生知识面，满足学生的兴趣爱好，发展他们某一方面的才能。根据上述英文解释，选修课可译为Elective course / Elective。选修课又分为限制性选修课与非限制性选修课。

限选课指限制性选修课，学生必须在指定的若干组课程中选修一定组数的若干课程，或在若干门指定的课程中选修一定门数的课程。国外高等学校往往规定学生须在自然科学和社会科学领域中选修若干学分的课程。

国外高校课程类别系统中有一词“Distribution requirement”。Wikipedia关于Distribution requirement的解释：“Some colleges opt for the middle ground of the continuum between specified and unspecified curricula by using a system of distribution requirements. In such a system, students are required to take courses in particular fields of learning, but are free to choose specific courses within those fields.”即在特定的领域中可以自由选择几门课程。既有限制性，也有一定程度的自由。

因此限选课可以译为“distributional elective”。将此译法输入谷歌搜索引擎进行搜索，国外各高校网站中出现了许多与此译法相关的信息。如Harvard University网站中发布了一份关于Master of Landscape Architecture的Distributional electives信息，参见https://l87r32c95dp1hz05tig4px11-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/MLA-Distributional-Electives_2018-20191.pdf。

任选课指任意选修课，也称非限制性选修课，与限选相对，指不加限制，由学生自由选读的课程，或为学习一项技能，或只是为了兴趣而学。

Shippensburg University关于Free elective的定义：“Free electives are any courses that do not satisfy general education, major or minor requirements. Most majors allow a designated number of free elective credits for degree completion.”

UTSA（德克萨斯大学圣安东尼奥分校）关于的Free elective的解释：“So why is your advisor telling you to choose any course for your free elective? Free electives allow students to explore another field or discipline they might not otherwise have the chance to while pursuing a degree at a college or university. Think of it this way: it will help you become a better-rounded individual!”（https://cosadvising.wordpress.com/2012/02/23/the-free-electives-you-mean-i-can-take-any-course/）根据以上英文解释，任选课可译为Free elective。

专业课指学生在学校学习时选择的一门主要科目所包含的相关课程，如选择英语专业的学生，需要学习英语听说读写等相关的课程，具体包括英语精读、英语泛读、英语听力、英语语法、语言学概论和英美文学等。

Cambridge dictionary关于major的定义：“Major refers to the most important subject that a college or university student is studying, or the student studying that subject, e.g. an English major.”因此，专业课可以表示为major course。另外，北京师范大学与香港浸会大学联合国际学院官网中专业选修课译为Major Elective (Course)；专业必修课译为Major Required Course（https://dst.uic.edu.hk/en/ap/curriculum）。

通识教育是对所有大学生的教育，重在“育”而非“教”，没有专业划分，选择多样化，帮助大学生建立一套完整的知识体系和框架，形成自己的价值观、世界观，学会独立思考、分析与解决问题。

Study.com关于General education courses的定义：“General education courses are typically designed to teach diverse skills that every person should master in order to lead a productive life, become a knowledgeable citizen, and communicate ideas as a useful member of society, regardless of her chosen course of study.”

通识教育译为General education course。通识教育是美国高等教育课程设置方面的一大特色，通识教育课程一般可以分为：社会科学、自然科学、人文艺术、历史政治等。几乎所有的美国大学都把完成通识教育作为学生获得学士学位的一个必要条件，多以核心课程（core curriculum）的形式呈现，要求各个专业的学生通过选修一系列其他专业领域的课程完成学分。

如哥伦比亚大学官网中关于Core Curriculum的解释：“The Core Curriculum is the set of common courses required of all undergraduates and considered the necessary general education for students, irrespective of their choice in major. The communal learning–with all students encountering the same texts and issues at the same time–and the critical dialogue experienced in small seminars are the distinctive features of the Core.”即核心课程是本科生必修的公共课程，重在通识教育，无关专业。近几十年来，中国高校的通识教育逐渐发展，开设了众多具有中国特色的公共课（common courses），开展通识教育。