Colloquially, in the Philippines, a class that you take up in tertiary education is called a subject. However, worldwide, the more “proper” term used for the same class is a course.
While a course colloquially refers to the degree you’re taking up. Again, the more “proper” term for that is a program, more specifically, a degree program or an academic program.
What is a subject then? A subject typically refers to the subject matter of the course, or the collection of topics covered by a number of courses.1
Why is "proper" in quotation marks?
I’m not a pedant myself, but in more formal use, I guess you’d have to be pedantic about it. Writing official documents, talking to faculty, it may be best to use the standard terms over the colloquial usage. At the end of the day, no one really cares as long as you get your point across.
Colloquial example
- Basic Calculus is a subject.
- Math 21 WFX: Basic Calculus is a subject.
- B.S. in Computer Science is a course. Sometimes called a degree.
”Proper” example
- Basic Calculus is a subject.
- Math 21 WFX: Basic Calculus is a course.
- B.S. in Computer Science is a degree program.