Course Designations

Course Numbering

100-Level Courses: Introductory in nature, these courses are intended to expose students to a broad overview of a discipline or field while promoting Foundational Learning Skills. No prior familiarity with the field is assumed.

200-Level Courses: These courses typically involve a more specific examination of a topic within a field. They may or may not require prerequisites, but characteristically are more focused than a 100 –level course.

300-Level Courses: Designed for juniors and seniors, these are more advanced than 200-level courses. They presume prior knowledge in the field and require in-depth academic research papers/projects appropriate to the discipline, in addition to other assignments.

400-level Courses: Designed for senior majors in a field, these courses provide students with significant opportunities to apply their learning to real or simulated applications in the world. Examples include senior capstone courses, senior research courses, and senior internships, and are meant to promote learning and application of skills at an advanced level.

Subject Prefixes

Courses numbered 295 are exploratory internships. Courses numbered 495 are senior internships in a major field of study.

For first-year students and sophomores, the Directed Study Project carries a 299 number; 499 is reserved for juniors and seniors in a major. For all groups, the prefix letters (AN, EN, PY, VA, etc.) will depend on the field in which the topic falls.