Programs and Courses
Information concerning specific programs of study may be found by referring to the sections in this bulletin headed University-Wide Offerings, College of Arts and Science, School of Business, School of Education, Educational Opportunities Program, Office of General Studies, Office of International Programs, Division of Physical Education, Athletics and Recreation, and Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy (School of Criminal Justice, School of Information Science and Policy, Graduate School of Public Affairs, and School of Social Welfare).Unit of Academic Credit
Generally, one credit represents the equivalent of one hour of lecture or recitation or at least two hours of laboratory work each week for one semester or the equivalent in honors study.
The number following each course title; e.g., (3), indicates the credits offered for that course.
Significance of the Course Number
Each course offered by the University is assigned a designation and a number according to a plan which is outlined here. The specific course designation and number appears in the bulletin directly in front of the course title.
Each course designation consists of three separate units: (1) the school designation; (2) the subject or departmental designation; and (3) the course number.
The school or college offering a course is identified by a single letter as noted here.
A College of Arts and Sciences B School of Business D Division of Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation E School of Education G International Studies H School of Public Health O Educational Opportunities Program R School of Criminal Justice, School of Information Science and Policy, Graduate School of Public Affairs, and School of Social Welfare T General Education Honors Program Tutorials U University-Wide Offerings X Regional Cross-RegistrationThe subject or departmental designation consists of three letters representing an abbreviation for the subject or the department offering the course.
Course Number
Students ordinarily enroll in courses at the level appropriate to their class. The course number is a three-digit number assigned to the course by the academic unit offering the course. The first digit reflects the level at which the course is taught.
Some courses are given the designation a or b after the course number, indicating the first and second half, respectively, of a two-semester sequence. The level designations are noted here.
000�099 Noncredit courses
100�299 Lower-division courses, with 200�299 primarily for sophomores. Courses designed to present a large body of information without expecting a mastery of detail (e.g., survey courses in history or literature) or to present general theoretical or methodological approaches (e.g., foundation courses in the social, natural and physical sciences) or to teach skills or techniques at an introductory level (e.g., general physical education) are considered to be lower division. Lower-division courses may be expected to include elementary and may include intermediate levels of subject matter competency but not advanced levels.
300�499 Upper-division courses, with 400�499 primarily for seniors. Courses offered primarily for those who are in the third and fourth years of their university education. The content should go beyond the introductory or survey level and, in the judgment of the faculty, will require prior academic achievement and experience.
500�599 First-year graduate courses (open to seniors with appropriate background and consent of major department chairs and the course instructors).
600�699 First-year graduate courses (open to superior seniors with the approval of their advisers and the written consent of their department chairs and the course instructors).
700�799 Advanced graduate courses ordinarily beyond the master�s degree and open only to graduate students.
Letter Suffixes for General Education Courses
Courses approved in some general education categories and/or as writing intensive courses are usually identified by the following letter suffixes after the course number:
L, I Humanities and the Arts M Social Sciences N Natural Sciences E Humanities and the Arts and Writing Intensive F Natural Sciences and Writing Intensive G Social Sciences and Writing Intensive Z Writing IntensiveGeneral Education courses can be identified in the course description with the following statement: �Meets General Education.� An abbreviation following the statement indicates which category the course meets.
CHP is the abbreviation for Cultural and Historical Perspectives HA is the abbreviation for Humanities and the Arts HD is the abbreviation for Human Diversity NS is the abbreviation for Natural Sciences SS is the abbreviation for Social Sciences WI is the abbreviation for Writing IntensiveIf more than one category is listed for a particular course, that course satisfies more than one General Education requirement.Equivalent Courses
If a course is cross-listed (considered equivalent) with a course from another department or school, the equivalent course is listed in parentheses after the course number with a notation in italics (same as). Therefore, if a course fulfills a requirement for a major, minor, or general education category, all courses cross-listed with that course shall be considered to fulfill the same requirement. Students who have received graduation credit for a cross-listed course may not also receive graduation credit for the equivalent courses(s) listed in parentheses.
If a course has had its number changed within the past four years, the prior number is listed in parentheses after the current course number. Unless expressly allowed to do so in the course description, students who have received graduation credit for a course under a previous course number may not also receive graduation credit for the same course under a new course number.
Undergraduate Bulletin — Table of Contents
University at Albany
State University of New York