diff --git a/course/externallib.php b/course/externallib.php
index 8b9aeb8db6d..73370acc2db 100644
--- a/course/externallib.php
+++ b/course/externallib.php
@@ -2248,6 +2248,7 @@ class core_course_external extends external_api {
         $coursereturns['overviewfiles']     = $files;
         $coursereturns['contacts']          = $coursecontacts;
         $coursereturns['enrollmentmethods'] = $enroltypes;
+        $coursereturns['sortorder']         = $course->sortorder;
         return $coursereturns;
     }
 
@@ -2361,6 +2362,7 @@ class core_course_external extends external_api {
             'shortname' => new external_value(PARAM_TEXT, 'course short name'),
             'categoryid' => new external_value(PARAM_INT, 'category id'),
             'categoryname' => new external_value(PARAM_TEXT, 'category name'),
+            'sortorder' => new external_value(PARAM_INT, 'Sort order in the category', VALUE_OPTIONAL),
             'summary' => new external_value(PARAM_RAW, 'summary'),
             'summaryformat' => new external_format_value('summary'),
             'summaryfiles' => new external_files('summary files in the summary field', VALUE_OPTIONAL),
@@ -2397,7 +2399,6 @@ class core_course_external extends external_api {
                 'completionnotify' => new external_value(PARAM_INT, '1: yes 0: no', VALUE_OPTIONAL),
                 'lang' => new external_value(PARAM_SAFEDIR, 'Forced course language', VALUE_OPTIONAL),
                 'theme' => new external_value(PARAM_PLUGIN, 'Fame of the forced theme', VALUE_OPTIONAL),
-                'sortorder' => new external_value(PARAM_INT, 'Sort order in the category', VALUE_OPTIONAL),
                 'marker' => new external_value(PARAM_INT, 'Current course marker', VALUE_OPTIONAL),
                 'legacyfiles' => new external_value(PARAM_INT, 'If legacy files are enabled', VALUE_OPTIONAL),
                 'calendartype' => new external_value(PARAM_PLUGIN, 'Calendar type', VALUE_OPTIONAL),
@@ -3002,7 +3003,7 @@ class core_course_external extends external_api {
             // Return information for any user that can access the course.
             $coursefields = array('format', 'showgrades', 'newsitems', 'startdate', 'maxbytes', 'showreports', 'visible',
                 'groupmode', 'groupmodeforce', 'defaultgroupingid', 'enablecompletion', 'completionnotify', 'lang', 'theme',
-                'sortorder', 'marker');
+                'marker');
 
             // Course filters.
             $coursesdata[$course->id]['filters'] = filter_get_available_in_context($context);
diff --git a/course/tests/externallib_test.php b/course/tests/externallib_test.php
index cc232a00d8f..9616ca2bf15 100644
--- a/course/tests/externallib_test.php
+++ b/course/tests/externallib_test.php
@@ -2081,14 +2081,14 @@ class core_course_externallib_testcase extends externallib_advanced_testcase {
         $result = external_api::clean_returnvalue(core_course_external::get_courses_by_field_returns(), $result);
         $this->assertCount(2, $result['courses']);
         $this->assertCount(29, $result['courses'][0]);  // Site course.
-        $this->assertCount(12, $result['courses'][1]);  // Only public information, not enrolled.
+        $this->assertCount(13, $result['courses'][1]);  // Only public information, not enrolled.
 
         $result = core_course_external::get_courses_by_field('id', $course1->id);
         $result = external_api::clean_returnvalue(core_course_external::get_courses_by_field_returns(), $result);
         $this->assertCount(1, $result['courses']);
         $this->assertEquals($course1->id, $result['courses'][0]['id']);
         // Expect to receive all the files that a authenticated can see.
-        $this->assertCount(12, $result['courses'][0]);
+        $this->assertCount(13, $result['courses'][0]);
 
         // Course 2 is not visible.
         $result = core_course_external::get_courses_by_field('id', $course2->id);
diff --git a/lib/upgrade.txt b/lib/upgrade.txt
index dace105d897..7a342024f81 100644
--- a/lib/upgrade.txt
+++ b/lib/upgrade.txt
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ information provided here is intended especially for developers.
 * get_user_capability_course() now has an additional parameter 'limit'. This can be used to return a set number of records with
   the submitted capability. The parameter 'fieldsexceptid' will now accept context fields which can be used for preloading.
 * The caching option 'immutable' has been added to send_stored_file() and send_file().
+* Webservices core_course_search_courses and core_course_get_courses_by_field will always return the sortorder field.
 
 === 3.2 ===