Master Course Inventory

It is important that the course numbering system of the University be managed to assure that course numbers are not duplicated during a period of time, that course numbering follow established institutional patterns, and that the course elements are complete and up-to-date.

A key tool to help manage the University wide course offering is the Master Course Inventory. The Master Course Inventory is a record of all the "active" courses which have been authorized by the academic departments and colleges even if they are not being taught in a given semester. All courses taught by a department must be listed in the Master Course Inventory.

Every course has unique characteristics associated with it which are termed the "course elements." The general course elements include (but not limited to) the number, department abbreviation, title, description, semester credit hours, grade type, exam type, corequisites, prerequisites, registration restrictions, and lecture and lab contact hours. The section number, time and day scheduled and the instructor(s) name are not part of the course elements since these are specific to the term the course is offered.

The fundamental course elements include the

(1) department abbreviation and course number
(2) course title,
(3) course description, and
(4) semester credit hours. The department abbreviation and course number are used to communicate degree and program requirements and document course requirements for degree audit. These are also used in the student registration system to identify corequisites, prerequisites, credits transferred, and repeated courses. Therefore, it is important that the department abbreviation and course number be a unique identifier for a specific course during a period of time. For undergraduate courses, the time period is five years. During this period, a course number cannot be reused for a different course title and description. This will assure that no student the same course department abbreviation and number for different courses on his/her academic record.

Course Numbers
Courses numbered 100 are reserved for First Year of Studies courses. Courses numbered 200, 300, 400 are reserved for undergraduate courses. Some academic departments use course numbers to indicate a logical or required progression of courses. (Example: MATH 125 Calculus I must be taken as a prerequisite to MATH 126.)

Course numbers are normally a three-digit number. In some cases, a one letter suffix is added resulting in a unique course. Hence, EE 333F and 333G are considered separate courses with unique titles and descriptions. Letters E, F, G, H, I, J, K, M, N, O, P, Q, R, U, V, W, X, Y, Z can all be used in conjunction with a three-digit course number to result in a unique course number. In some cases the suffix letter will indicate a standard defined use of that course. The following letters have been so designated:

D drill or demonstration (MUS 100D Marching Band)
L laboratory (CHEM 117L General Chemistry I Laboratory)
S studio (ARCH 143S Drawing for Architects: Studio)
T tutorial (HIST 235T Irish American Experience: Tutorial)

The letters "A", "B" and "C" are presently being used for another purpose. Some departments in the College of Arts and Letters want to control the number of students allowed to register for a course by the student's level or major /non-major. The present registration system will not allow that control. To provide the College with the desired registration controls, the suffix "A", "B" or "C" was added to the three-digit course number and the three courses are cross-listed. This provided the registration controls by assigning seniors only to the "A" course, ( 333A), juniors only to "B" (333B), and sophomores only to "C" (333C). Reserved Course Numbers

The following courses numbers have been reserved across the University for a standard use:

397 Directed Readings
398 Special Studies
495 Essays/Colloquiums/Practicums
496 Internships
497 Directed Readings
498 Undergraduate Research and Special Studies
499 Undergraduate Thesis