Course Numbering System

All courses have full four-digit numbers. The first digit of a course identifies its level.

  • Courses numbered A000 - U000 are reserved for transferred elective and generic credits.
  • Courses numbered 0700 - 0999 are reserved for preparatory courses, General Education courses and Honors General Education courses.
  • Courses numbered 1000 - 1999 are appropriate for undergraduate students in their first year of study.

Courses numbered 2000 - 5999 are considered "upper level" for undergraduates.

  • Courses numbered 2000 - 2999 are appropriate for undergraduate students in their second year of study.
  • Courses numbered 3000 - 3999 are appropriate for undergraduate students in their third year of study.
  • Courses numbered 4000 - 4999 are appropriate for undergraduate students in their fourth year of study.
  • Courses numbered 5000 - 5999 are primarily for graduate students, but undergraduate students in their third or fourth year may enroll with permission of their instructors and the dean's designee.
  • Courses numbered 8000 - 9999 are for graduate students.

Other classifications and definitions for undergraduate courses:

  • 0700 - 0799 Preparatory Courses: Courses numbered from 0700-0799 are appropriate for undergraduate, first-year math and writing courses. Students' math and writing placement assessment results determine these course-level selections.
  • 0800 - 0899 General Education Courses: Courses numbered from 0800-0899 are appropriate for any undergraduate General Education course requirements.
  • 0900 - 0999 General Education Honors Courses: Courses numbered 0900-0999 are appropriate for any undergraduate General Education Honors course requirements.
  • xxx0 Special Topics: Regularly-scheduled courses (not individualized instruction) offered with variable content, and repeatable for credit.
  • x9xx Honors Courses: Undergraduate Honors courses will be identified by a 9 as the second digit of the course number and will have "Honors" as the first word of the title. The 9 in the second position will not be used by any non-Honors undergraduate course. General Education Honors courses are designated 09xx.
  • xx81 Cooperative Assignment: Increasingly complex, experiential learning with supervision external to the university. Usually these courses include learning experiences over more than one semester - as part of a defined program.
  • xx82 Independent Study: Explorative study or research initiated by an undergraduate student with faculty sponsorship and an approved Independent Study contract.
  • xx83 Directed Reading/Study: Mentored reading/study between a faculty member and an undergraduate student.
  • xx84 Performance: Concert performance, juried art exhibition or other performance taken as a requirement for the degree.
  • xx85 Internship/Externship: Pre-professional clinical or experiential traineeships contracted by the student's department, including experiences with a clinical, research, or other special concentration in a specific area. Students must have faculty sponsorship and an approved Internship/Externship contract.
  • xx86 Internship/Externship: Reserved for a continuation of an internship/externship experience, following xx85.
  • xx87 Practicum: Programs that are traineeships contracted by the student's department to meet the educational, geographic, and specific interests of the student. Settings generally have on-site clinical supervision.
  • xx88 Student Teaching: Practical experiences in student teaching designed to support and lead to teacher certification.
  • xx89 Field Study: On-site, observational study or data collection and analyses which deepen practical knowledge in the discipline. The purpose of the Field Study is to integrate and apply academic theories to on-site experiences.
  • xx91 Directed Research: Mentored research between a faculty mentor and an undergraduate student.
  • xx92 Undefined
  • xx93 Undefined
  • xx94 Undefined
  • xx95 Undefined
  • xx96 Writing-Intensive Course: Courses fulfilling the requirement of the General Education Program that each undergraduate major designates at least two courses as "writing-intensive." The designated courses shall require students to edit and rewrite papers to achieve a high level of clarity and cogency, use a variety of methods to find appropriate materials to support written work and to make proper attribution of those sources.
  • xx97 Writing-Intensive Course
  • xx98 Writing-Intensive Course
  • xx99 Undergraduate Thesis: Sustained research, performance or artistic project resulting in a substantial, finished written report or other product in a format appropriate to the project. Assumes faculty sponsorship and mentorship.

For more specific policies, consult individual schools, colleges, or programs.