what is lower division course

by Edwardo Zemlak 5 min read

Lower division courses are any course taken at a junior college or community college or courses offered at the freshman and sophomore level at a four-year college or university regardless of the title or content of the course. Graduate-Level Courses.

Full Answer

What is a lower division class?

Lower division classes are generally part of some school-prescribed curriculum that require students to study in a variety of disciplines, usually science, social science, math, and English. For California CCs, this curriculum is the IGETC.

What are upper-division courses?

Upper-division courses, numbered from 300 to 499, are designed primarily for juniors and seniors. Prerequisites and other restrictions should be noted before registration.

What is considered upper division and lower division courses for CPA?

What is considered "Upper Division" and "Lower Division" courses for a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license? Upper division courses are courses offered at the junior level or higher. By definition any course taken at a community college is not upper division.

Why don’t CCS offer upper division classes?

The entire CC-to-four year transfer system is predicated on the notion that lower division education is an interchangeable component of an undergraduate education. The distinction between lower divs and upper divs makes this possible. It follows, then, that CCs do not offer any upper division classes.

What is the difference between upper and lower division?

Lower-division courses introduce undergraduates to an academic discipline. Upper-division classes provide advanced-level study, particularly for majors. Undergraduates should check course numbers when creating their schedules.

What does lower division BS mean?

"Lower division" courses are those typically taken by freshmen and sophomores (first and second year students at a typical 4-year bachelor's program). "Upper division" courses are those typically taken by juniors and seniors (third and fourth year students at a typical 4-year bachelor's program).

What is lower division transfer?

If you have completed 59 or fewer transferable semester units, or 89 or fewer transferable quarter units, by the time you plan to enter a CSU, you are considered a lower-division transfer (LDT) applicant.

What are the levels of college?

In terms of level of study, the college degree programs in order are:Associate degree.Bachelor's degree.Master's degree.Doctoral degree.

What Are The Types of Courses Students Can Take?

1. Lower division2. Upper division3. Major courses4. Minor courses5. General education courses

What Is a Lower Division Course?

Lower division courses are the building blocks of an undergraduate’s major. College beginners might have restrictions in the courses they can enrol...

What Is an Upper Division Course?

Lower division courses sometimes count as prerequisites for upper division classes. That means an undergraduate must take, and pass, a lower divisi...

Ready to start your journey?

Some colleges divide their course catalogues into upper- and lower-division classes.

What Are Lower-Division Courses?

Lower-division courses introduce students to an academic discipline. They provide an overview of foundational theories, concepts, and methods.

What Are Upper-Division Courses?

Upper-division courses build on the foundational knowledge gained during lower-division classes. These courses take an advanced approach and often require students to possess prior knowledge in the field.

When Should You Take Upper-Division Courses?

When should students take upper-division courses? And when should they avoid 300-level or higher classes?

What Is the Difference Between Upper-Division and Lower-Division Courses?

In colleges/universities, undergraduate courses are categorized into two divisions:

Course Coding

The course number designated to a course indicates its course level. While some universities utilize three-digit course numbers, others use four digits for their course numbering system. Nevertheless, most institutions have similar interpretations for the course number designations.

Lower-Division Courses

Lower-division courses are primarily focused on fundamental theories, concepts, perspectives, principles, methods, and procedures of critical thinking that serve as foundations for higher courses.

Upper-Division Courses

Upper-division courses involve specialized and advanced coursework that improves your problem-solving and analytical skills and allows you to apply theory into practice. These courses build on basic knowledge and skills learned and developed from lower-division course academic experiences.

Which Is Harder Between Upper-Division and Lower-Division Courses?

In general, upper-division courses are more sophisticated and challenging than lower-division courses. With higher course numbers, the complexity of the study also increases.

Conclusion

In climbing a flight of stairs, you take one step at a time until you reach the top. Similarly, completing your undergraduate degree requires significant steps for you to move from one level to the next.

What is lower division class?

Lower division classes are generally part of some school-prescribed curriculum that require students to study in a variety of disciplines, usually science, social science, math, and English . For California CCs, this curriculum is the IGETC. This is similar to the set of required classes students have to take in high school for graduation.

What is upper division?

The upper division portion of an undergraduate education is where the student drills down on the specifics of their academic major of choice, taking numerous classes very particular to a discipline, and if applicable, a certain concentration or academic 'track’ within that discipline.

ECS 017: Data, Logic, & Computing

Display, processing, and representation of information and data on a computer. Understanding and analyzing the digital representations of numbers, images, and sounds. Basic computer operations and their logic. Introduction to discrete mathematics in computer science, including propositional logic, proofs by induction, recursions, and counting.

ECS 032C: Implementation of Data Structures in C

Programming in the C language. Use of basic UNIX tools. Writing good programs of increased complexity and efficiency. Implementation of data structures in C. Not open for credit to students who have completed course ECS 036C. GE Prior to Fall 2011: SciEng. GE: SE.

ECS 098F: Student Facilitated Course

Student facilitated course intended primarily for lower division students.

ECS 092: Internship in Computer Science

Supervised work experience in computer science. May be repeated for credit.

ECS 089A-L: Special Topics in Computer Science: Computer Science Theory

Special topics in Computer Science Theory. May be repeated for credit when topic differs. GE Prior to Fall 2011: SciEng. GE: SE.

ECS 050: Computer Organization & Machine-Dependent Programming

Comparative study of different hardware architectures via programming in the assembly languages of various machines. Role of system software in producing an abstract machine. Introduction to I/O devices and programming. Only 1 unit of credit allowed for students who have taken EEC 070. GE Prior to Fall 2011: SciEng. GE: SE.

ECS 036C: Data Structures, Algorithms, & Programming

Design and analysis of data structures for a variety of applications; trees, heaps, searching, sorting, hashing, and graphs. Extensive programming. Not open for credit to students who have taken ECS 032B or previous ECS 060. GE Prior to Fall 2011: SciEng. GE: SE.

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What Are Lower-Division Courses?

  • Lower-division courses introduce students to an academic discipline. They provide an overview of foundational theories, concepts, and methods. These introductory courses may cover a great deal of ground in less detail than upper-division courses. For example, a 100-level history class might cover several centuries or even millennia. History 101at t...
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What Are Upper-Division Courses?

  • Upper-division courses build on the foundational knowledge gained during lower-division classes. These courses take an advanced approach and often require students to possess prior knowledge in the field. At the University of Washington, for example, introduction to microeconomics is a 200-level course, while intermediate microeconomics is 300-level and adva…
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When Should You Take Upper-Division Courses?

  • When should students take upper-division courses? And when should they avoid 300-level or higher classes? Generally, academic advisors recommend that first- and second-year students proceed with caution before enrolling in upper-division coursework. At a minimum, students should contact the professorto ask about prerequisites or required knowledge before joining an …
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What Is The Difference Between Upper-Division and Lower-Division Courses?

  • In colleges/universities, undergraduate courses are categorized into two divisions: 1. Upper-Division Courses 2. Lower-Division Courses Lower-division courses are designed for first-year and second-year students, focusing on introductory concepts, theories, and basic skills that prepare you for advanced studies in your baccalaureate journey. In comparison, upper-division courses a…
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Lower-Division Courses

  • At universities, lower-division courses are offered for freshman and sophomore-level credit. All courses offered at community colleges are lower-division courses. Lower-division courses are primarily focused on fundamental theories, concepts, perspectives, principles, methods, and procedures of critical thinking that serve as foundations for higher...
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Upper-Division Courses

  • Upper-division coursework involves specialized and advanced coursework that improves your problem-solving and analytical skills and allows you to apply theory into practice. Upper-division courses build on basic knowledge and skills learned and developed from lower-division course academic experiences. The coursework allows you to broaden your knowledge and apply theori…
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Which Is Harder Between Upper-Division and Lower-Division Courses?

  • In general, upper-division courses are more sophisticated and challenging than lower-division courses. With higher course numbers, the complexity of the study also increases. As mentioned, PHYS102, a physics course that involves basic calculations, is less demanding than PHYS240, a calculus-based physics course in electromagnetic fields and applications. In contrast, PHYS371 …
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Conclusion

  • The difference between lower-division and upper-division courses is that upper-division is built on basic knowledge and skills learned and developed from lower-division academic experiences. If you study at a community college (or at a junior college) chances are all your courses are lower-division. If you study a different type of college or university, chances are upper-division course…
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