what is college course prefix

by Isadore Bernhard 9 min read

Each course is assigned an alphabetic prefix that specifies the department offering the course and a four-digit number. The first of four digits identify the academic level of the course. Freshman, or first-year, courses are designated by a 1; whereas, sophomore, or second-year, courses are designated by a 2.

The course prefix is a three-letter designator for a major division of an academic discipline, subject matter area, or sub-category of knowledge. The prefix is not intended to identify the department in which a course is offered. Rather, the content of a course determines the assigned prefix to identify the course.

Full Answer

What are course prefixes and course numbers?

All classes are identified with a course prefix and a number, but not all course prefixes are obvious or intuitive. For example, the prefix for First Year Seminar is UCO, which stands for University College, and the prefix for First Year Writing is R C, which stands for Rhetoric and Composition. For this reason, below is a helpful list of the course prefixes used at Appalachian.

What is a college course code?

Course Prefix The four-letter Course Prefix indicates the department or program offering the course. Knowing the academic discipline can give you some insight into how it will be taught (e.g., methodologies, perspectives, approaches). Most of the prefixes are easy to figure out: ECON is Economics, PSYC is Psychological Sciences, and so forth.

What do the college course numbers mean?

Course prefixes used at Ball State University, in alphabetical order, are as follows: ACC Accounting. ACE Athletic coaching education. ACR Art: crafts. ADS Art: design. AED Art: education. AFA Art: fine arts. AFAM African American studies. AFR African studies.

What is the prefix for first year seminar?

Each course is assigned an alphabetic prefix that specifies the department offering the course and a four-digit number. The first of four digits identify the academic level of the course. Freshman, or first-year, courses are designated by a 1; whereas, sophomore, or second-year, courses are designated by a 2.

What is the prefix for a college course?

1. Course Prefix. The first part of a college course code is simple: a series of letters indicating the course's general subject. This is the course prefix, and it’s fairly intuitive. Tip: if you get stuck wondering what a particular set of letters means, compare several courses sharing the same prefix. Or Google it.

What is a course code?

Colleges use course codes to describe and organize their courses in a way that can be easily understood by both colleges and students (if said students have translation guides, that is). They consist of four important blocks of information. 1. Course Prefix.

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What does the first digit of a course number mean?

The one thing to remember about course numbers is that the first digit indicates what level of study your course is . That is likely the only uniform (and truly helpful) piece of information these numbers will provide for you. 3. Course Name. The third element of a course code is obvious: the name of the course.

What is the third element of a course code?

The third element of a course code is obvious: the name of the course. A course's name tells you what that course is about, and is actually the most useful way to compare courses.

What is course description?

The last thing you'll read about a course is its description. A course description is a general explanation of its topics and teaching methodology. This will give you added information about the course and the way it’s taught.

Do remedial courses count as college credits?

Remedial courses do not count for college credit. Students only take them if they aren't able to start 100-level work yet. 100-200 courses are “lower-division” courses—often covering a wide range of foundational topics. 300-400 courses are “upper-division” courses.

Course Prefix Key

The following are course prefixes and the courses and disciplines for which they stand. Course descriptions follow in alphabetical order.

Course Credit-Hour Key

Following are descriptions of courses offered by Delgado Community College. Courses are grouped under academic areas or programs, which are alphabetized.

Louisiana Common Course Numbers (LCCN)

Some courses may contain a reference to a Louisiana Common Course Number (LCCN) in the course description. The LCCN and a Common Prefix (CXXX) and number are used to identify courses that are listed in the Louisiana Common Course Catalog, and are designed to assist students in transfer.

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