College course numbers may mean different things depending on the individual institution. There are standard formats that many colleges use to signify dates, levels and titles. Most college courses are identified by three to four numbers. For example, the first digit may indicate the class year, the middle two digits may identify the subject and the last digit may indicate the number of credit hours.
Such courses have one or more of the following three purposes:
Course Numbers:
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A college course taught on the high school campus by an approved high school faculty member is still considered a college course. What courses do colleges want you to take in high school? Take them early, so you’ll have time for advanced science and math, which will help show colleges you’re ready for higher-level work.
Definition of class number : a number or letter (from a classification scheme) assigned to a book or other library material to show its location on the library shelf.
The first number indicates year (101 = Freshman level class) 101/Freshman, 201/Sophomore, 301/Junior, 401/Senior. Anything above these numbers is usually a graduate level course.
Course Numbering System 1000 level. non–degree applicable. 1100 level. introductory course, open to all qualified students.
300-Level and 400-Level Courses Such courses are at an advanced-undergraduate level of difficulty, and are generally taken by majors, minors, and other students with a well-defined interest and demonstrated ability in a particular subject area.
History. The slang sense of the number "101" originates from its frequent use in US college course numbering systems to indicate the first or introductory course in some topic of study, such as "Calculus 101" or "French 101". An early use of "101" in this sense occurs in a catalog from the University at Buffalo in 1929 ...
300-level course designation Courses of advanced college-level difficulty taken by majors and upper division students; these are often considered to be courses in the Major, offered for students clearly interested and qualified in a subject.
500-600 level course designation Master-level graduate courses numbered 500-600 require a bachelor's degree and admission to a graduate program. 500 level course are more rigorous than undergraduate courses.
2000- level courses are graduate courses offered in conjunction with 100-level courses, for which graduate students are expected to fulfill substantially enhanced requirements. No student, however may enroll in a 2000-level course if he/she received undergraduate credit for the equivalent undergraduate course.
The first digit is the number of credit hours. The SECOND digit tells you the level: 0 or 1 is introductory, 2 - 7 are higher level, and 8 - 9 are graduate level. The third digit is arbitrary, and sometimes courses also have a letter appended to the course number to indicate sequence.
In almost every department 400-level classes are for mainly juniors and seniors and 500-level for seniors and grad.
The primary intent of lower-division coursework is to equip students with the general education needed for advanced study, to expose students to the breadth of different fields of study, and to provide a foundation for specialized upper-division coursework in professional fields.
Upper-division courses are specialized, in-depth, and advanced, and emphasize problem-solving, analytical thinking skills, and theoretical applications. These courses often build on the foundation provided by the skills and knowledge of lower-division education.
APASC provides these guidelines to ATFs and college/university curriculum committees for their review of course level. Lower-division courses generally focus on foundational theories, concepts, perspectives, principles, methods, and procedures of critical thinking in order to provide a broad basis for more advanced courses. ...
Not available for credit toward other degrees. 900-999: Independent graduate study involving research, thesis, or dissertation. Not open to undergraduates.
Thus, many intermediate and all advanced baccalaureate courses in a field of study are properly located in the upper-division. In addition, disciplines that depend heavily on prerequisites or the body of knowledge of lower-division education may properly be comprised primarily of upper-division courses.