Overview of Course Numbering System

Semester Calendar

USU maintains a semester system—three semesters or periods of classwork: fall, spring, and summer. Fall and spring semester are each of 15 weeks duration. Summer semester spans a total of 10 weeks and includes one four-week May session and one seven-week Main session. For  further details, see the 2012-2013 Calendar, the Registration Calendar, and the Final Examination Schedule on the Calendars  page.

Credit Enrollment

The semester credit hour is the unit upon which credit is computed. Normally, the credit hour standard is based upon 150 minutes of lecture per week, for the duration of one semester, for a three-credit class. To obtain credit, a student must be properly registered and pay fees for the course. For further information, see Credits Awarded for Courses .

Course Numbering

Each course listed in the Course Descriptions  section of the catalog has a number, given before the name of the course. For example:
 

This means the course, Elements of Grammar, is English 1120. The numbers are useful for reference and records.

Course Numbering Code

A standard code employed by all institutions in the State System of Higher Education was adopted by USU in 1970. Upon conversion to semesters, four-digit course numbers replaced the three-digit course numbers formerly used under the quarter system. The semester numbering system is as follows:

Courses offered through Regional Campuses and Distance Education are designated by the campus following the course description.

Freshmen or sophomores may take any lower-division course. If there is a prerequisite for a particular course, it will be so stated in the course description.

Juniors or seniors may take any lower- or upper-division course for which they have met the course requirements. Course requirements will be identified following the course description. Seniors may take graduate courses only upon written consent from the instructor. The use of undergraduate coursework for a graduate degree at USU is regulated by the School of Graduate Studies. See Split Form Policy  and Course-Level Numbering and Acceptability .

Graduate students may take any course for which they have met the course requirements, but only graduate courses and individually approved undergraduate courses may be used for a graduate degree, although all courses completed will appear on student transcripts.

Note: In some cases, additional college or departmental requirements (which may not be included in the course description) must be met before a student may take a particular course. For more information, students should consult their advisor or the department offering the course.

Following the title of each course, the number of credits given for the course is indicated. The semester(s) traditionally offered are indicated following the course description. 

Some course listings do not indicate semester(s) traditionally offered. In some cases, these courses may be taken any semester (e.g., continuing graduate advisement, thesis, dissertation, or internship courses). In other cases, the semester(s) to be offered has not yet been determined (e.g., special topics courses, which are offered infrequently). For current information about semesters to be offered, consult the department offering the course.

In some classes, the amount of credit for which students register can be individually arranged. One student may take 2 credits, another student 3 credits, etc. Students are responsible to ensure they are registered for the desired number of credits. Online registration will always default to the lowest offered number of credits. Academic credit is identified following the course title: (e.g., 1-3).

Catalog information and University requirements may change at any time. USU is not bound by requirements or regulations listed in this catalog. Information may change before a new catalog is issued, and students must adhere to changes. It is the student’s obligation to ascertain current rules, regulations, fees, and requirements. As changes are approved for academic degree programs, policies, and procedures, updates will be made to the Online General Catalog at: catalog.usu.edu/index.php

Course Prefixes

Each course listing is preceded by one of the following prefixes:

General Education Designations

Courses approved for General Education have one of the following designations, listed following the course title:

Competency Courses

Communications Literacy, CL1 and CL2
Quantitative Literacy, QL

Breadth Courses

American Institutions, BAI
Creative Arts, BCA
Humanities, BHU
Life Sciences, BLS
Physical Sciences, BPS
Social Sciences, BSS

University Studies Depth Education Designations

Courses approved for University Studies Depth Education have one of the following designations, listed following the course title:

Intensive Courses

Communications Intensive, CI
Quantitative Intensive, QI

Depth Courses

Humanities and Creative Arts, DHA
Life and Physical Sciences, DSC
Social Sciences, DSS