Syllabus vs Curriculum

The difference between curriculum and syllabus is that a subject syllabus is just a unit
of a course or subject curriculum. Curriculum can be termed as a combination of the
syllabus, course design, classes timetable as well as lesson plans for the subject. A
curriculum also helps in planning how a certain subject or course will be taught while the
syllabus just includes topics and concepts that will be covered. We often use them as
interchangeable terms without knowing that they are entirely different. Before pursuing an
academic program, you can understand its structure in a more detailed way if you know the
difference between syllabus and curriculum. So, let’s begin with the discussion of syllabus vs
curriculum and explore their key differences.

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Syllab
us vs Curriculum

This Blog Includes:

1. What’s the Difference Between Syllabus vs Curriculum?

2. Syllabus Vs Curriculum: Key Differences
3. Syllabus and Curriculum PPT
4. What is Syllabus?
5. What is Curriculum?
6. Relationship between Curriculum, Syllabus and Textbook
7. FAQs

What’s the Difference Between Syllabus vs Curriculum?

The curriculum contains the overall content as provided by an education board for a
particular course spanning across a stipulated time period. Whereas the syllabus explains the
summary of different topics covered or units that will be taught in a specific subject or
discipline under that particular course.

Syllabus Vs Curriculum: Key Differences

Syllabus vs Curriculum Curriculum Syllabus
A set of guidelines of the
A document that has all the
different academic contents
information about different
and chapters that are
Meaning topics or concepts that need
covered during a program
to be covered for a particular
offered by a particular
subject.
educational institution.
Nature Prescriptive Descriptive
Structured For Complete Course Each Subject Under the Course
Changes Cannot be easily changed Can be easily changed
Administration of College,
Determined By Institute or School or the Exam Board
Government
Scope Wide Narrow
Different from one
Uniformity Uniform for all the teachers
teacher to another
A fixed-term,
Term Duration Until the course lasts
can also be a year

 Curriculum remains prescriptive in nature as its structure needs to be followed in

the specified manner while syllabus is more descriptive and flexible in nature and
can be covered in a non-prescriptive manner.
 Curriculum is meticulously designed by the school or college administration while
syllabus gets created by teachers by the educational board.
 Curriculum stays the same for every teacher while syllabus can differ and it can
be covered in a distinctive manner as per their own individual teaching style.

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  Another important point of difference between syllabus vs curriculum is that the term
curriculum originated from Latin “curricule” which means to run or course. On
the other hand, the term syllabus finds its origins in the Greek “sittuba” meaning
title slip or label.
 Curriculum encompasses more extensive scope than syllabus. This is because
syllabus remains confined to a particular subject while curriculum provides the
structure for the whole course.
 Syllabus is only provided for a year while the curriculum covers the whole course.
 Curriculum contains all the subjects and outlines how they will be studied during
the course while syllabus is more detailed version for each subject under the
course.

What is Syllabus?
“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardour and attended to with
diligence.” – Abigail Adams.

In simple terms, a syllabus is a document containing the information about the different
topics or the portion that needs to be covered for a particular subject or a course. This
document is determined by the board of examination and created by different professors.
While forming a syllabus, the professors ensure that the fundamentals of a particular subject
or course are added in a unique combination of theoretical and practical learning methods. A
syllabus is provided to students and teachers at the beginning of an academic session.

Discussing syllabus vs curriculum, it’s important to understand that the syllabus of a subject
is considered as a guide for the subject teacher as well as the students. It helps the students
understand the subject in detail and why it is a part of their course. It also helps students to
anticipate what is expected from them and the consequences in case of failing the subject. It
also contains the general policies, rules, topics to be covered, instructions, assignments, test
dates, projects, etc.

What is Curriculum?
A Curriculum is basically a set of guidelines for different academic contents and chapters that
are covered in a specific program offered by a particular school or college. However, it
covers the attitude, manner, knowledge, behaviour, performance, manner and the different
skills that students will develop throughout the academic period. Also, for the differences
between syllabus vs curriculum, the latter deals with different teaching methods, assignments,
lessons, mental and physical exercises, assessments, presentations, learning objectives, test
series, etc.

Generally, a curriculum is well-planned and carefully designed by educational institutions or

the government. Focusing on the overall learning experience provided by a course, it
emphasizes essentially on the mental and physical development of the students.

Relationship between Curriculum, Syllabus and Textbook

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There is a close and interrelated relationship between Curriculum, Syllabus and Textbooks
because these three are essential component of an academic session. Let’s understand this
relationship in further detail:

 Curriculum defines the intricate structure of how the syllabus, teaching periods and
prescribed study materials would be, syllabus includes all the chapters and topics in
detail along with the reference books, study guides and further academic instructions
and then textbook follows all the essentials mentioned in both curriculum and syllabus
for an academic semester or year.
 Lesson plans for a certain subject are part of the curriculum, but detailed in terms of
chapters and topics in a syllabus while further studied through textbooks.
 The more structured a curriculum is, the syllabus will be more simpler and easy to
cover with the help of textbooks.
 When it comes to formulation of these three, the curriculum and syllabus are
constituted by the education board and teachers while textbooks are created by
academic authors and publishers as per the curriculum and syllabus.
 The curriculum is provided for a whole year, the syllabus is for a certain academic
session like a semester and textbooks differ as per the syllabus for each session as
well as the curriculum for each year.
 What is the difference between syllabus and curriculum?
 Syllabus and curriculum both are important terms used in reference to an educational
program but they have different meanings. A curriculum is a combination of topics,
subjects or activities that are to be included in an educational program. Whereas, the
syllabus covers portions of topics in a particular subject.
 What type of curriculum is syllabus?
 Here is the origin of both these words:
Syllabus
Syllabus is a Greek term
It is a set of a subject
It is descriptive in nature
It’s scope is narrow
 Curriculum
Curriculum is a Lain term
It is a set of a course
It is Perspective in nature
It’s scope is wide
 What is curriculum and syllabus design?
 Syllabus design and curriculum development are the 2 terms used in language
teaching. The syllabus is a specific set of the content of course and list of topics which
are to be covered in a subject. While syllabus design or curriculum is the process of
development of the entire syllabus.
 What is the difference between curriculum syllabus and scheme of work?
 These 3 terms are highly interlinked and interdependent. Scheme of work is derived
from syllabus and syllabus is derived from the curriculum. A curriculum enlists the
topics, activities and subjects covered in an academic program. These topics and
activities become the syllabus for a particular subject and then gets divided into terms
or semesters. The subtopics you cover in a particular term are actually scheme of
work.
 Thus, educational terms like syllabus and curriculum seem similar but have different
elements and definitions. Once you comprehend the key points of syllabus vs

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 curriculum, you will see the academic plan of a program or a course in an entirely
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Difference Between Syllabus and

Curriculum

When it comes to education, the two concepts which pop

up in our mind which are commonly misconstrued are syllabus and curriculum. Syllabus
connotes the subjects as well as the topics covered in the course of study. On the other hand,
curriculum implies the chapters and academic content taught in school or college. It alludes
to the knowledge, skills and competencies students should learn during study.

The fundamental difference between syllabus and curriculum is that the former is focused
towards a particular subject. Unlike, the latter, which is related to the all-round development
of a student. Similarly, there are other differences between these two, that are discussed in the
article provided below, take a read.

Content: Syllabus Vs Curriculum

1. Comparison Chart
2. Definition
3. Key Differences
4. Conclusion

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Comparison Chart

Basis for
Syllabus Curriculum
Comparison
Syllabus is the document that contains Curriculum is the overall content,
Meaning all the portion of the concepts covered taught in an educational system or a
in a subject. course.
Origin Syllabus is a Greek term. Curriculum is a Latin term.
Set for A subject A course
Nature Descriptive Prescriptive
Scope Narrow Wide
Government or the administration of
Set out by Exam board
school, college or institute.
Term For a fixed term, normally a year. Till the course lasts.
Uniformity Varies from teacher to teacher. Same for all teachers.

Definition of Syllabus

The syllabus is defined as the documents that consist of topics or portion covered in a
particular subject. It is determined by the examination board and created by the professors.
The professors are responsible for the quality of the course. It is made available to the
students by the teachers, either in hard copy or electronic form to bring their attention
towards the subject and take their study seriously.

A syllabus is considered as a guide to the in charge as well as to the students. It helps the
students to know about the subject in detail, why it is a part of their course of study, what are
the expectations from students, consequences of failure, etc. It contains general rules,
policies, instructions, topics covered, assignments, projects, test dates, and so on.

Definition of Curriculum

The curriculum is defined as the guideline of the chapters and academic content covered by
an educational system while undergoing a particular course or program.

In a theoretical sense, curriculum refers to what is offered by the school or college. However,
practically it has a wider scope which covers the knowledge, attitude, behaviour, manner,
performance and skills that are imparted or inculcated in a student. It contains the teaching
methods, lessons, assignments, physical and mental exercises, activities, projects, study
material, tutorials, presentations, assessments, test series, learning objectives, and so on.

The curriculum is well planned, guided and designed by the government or the educational
institution. It is aimed at both physical and mental development of a student. It is the overall
learning experience that a student goes through during the particular course of study.

Key Differences Between Syllabus and Curriculum

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The basic differences between syllabus and curriculum are explained in the point given
below:

1. The syllabus is described as the summary of the topics covered or units to be taught in
the particular subject. Curriculum refers to the overall content, taught in an
educational system or a course.
2. Syllabus varies from teacher to teacher while the curriculum is same for all teachers.
3. The term syllabus is a Greek origin, whereas the term curriculum is a Latin origin.
4. The curriculum has a wider scope than the syllabus.
5. The syllabus is provided to the students by the teachers so that they can take an
interest in the subject. On the other hand, normally the curriculum is not made
available to the students unless specifically asked for.
6. Syllabus is descriptive in nature, but the curriculum is prescriptive.
7. Syllabus is set for a particular subject. Unlike curriculum, which covers a particular
course of study or a program.
8. Syllabus is prepared by teachers. Conversely, a curriculum is decided by the
government or the school or college administration.
9. The duration of a syllabus is for a year only, but curriculum lasts till the completion of
the course.

Conclusion

Curriculum and Syllabus are the terms of education, imparted to the students by teachers. It
means the knowledge, skills or qualifications that are passed on from one generation to
another. A subject syllabus is a unit of the curriculum. The two terms differ in a sense that
curriculum is a combination of some factors which helps in the planning of an educational
program, whereas a syllabus covers the portion of what topics should be taught in a particular
subject.