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.
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400-level courses at Penn State University serve two overlapping purposes: They can be advanced undergraduate courses, or introductory graduate courses. These courses usually focus on foundational knowledge and skills within a field or discipline.
Course Numbers:
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.
Not available for credit toward other degrees. 900-999: Independent graduate study involving research, thesis, or dissertation. Not open to undergraduates.
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. ...
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.
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.
If English is your major, you’re probably familiar with this abbreviation. 1301 is a little more complex. 1 – the first number identifies the level. 1 means freshman level, 2 means sophomore. Take this course in your first few semesters, and before any “2” courses. 3 – the number of credit hours in the course.
01 – the sequence in which the courses are usually taken. 1301 should be taken before 1302. Lastly, the three-digit section number separates different class times. Many courses at TJC are offered multiple times a semester, so this helps to keep them straight. And that’s it!