Course Credit, Numbering System, and Class Length

Progress toward the completion of academic work is measured in terms of semester credit hours. One semester credit hour is normally equivalent to one hour of classroom instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work, or from one to six hours of laboratory work per week for a 15-week semester.

All courses are identified by discipline and number. The first digit of a course number indicates the academic level. Courses in the 1000 series are generally for freshmen, 2000 for sophomores, 3000 for juniors and 4000 for seniors. The 5000 and 6000 series courses are graduate courses. Undergraduates are not allowed to enroll in graduate courses without permission of the academic department which offers the courses. The second digit indicates the number of semester credit hours that the course carries. The third and fourth digits specify a particular course within its discipline.

Immediately under a catalog course description, the catalog displays “Credits,” which are the number of semester credit hours awarded for successful completion of the course; the number of “Class” or lecture hours per week during a standard 15-week session; and the number of “Lab” hours per week per standard 15-week session.  Last, any prerequisites and co-requisites are enumerated at the very bottom of a course description.