The University reserves the right to cancel or reschedule any course(s) or sections without notice due to insufficient enrollment or faculty unavailability.
Course Codes
Course Prefix
To identify the department that administers each course, a prefix, or series of alpha characters, are assigned to each course. The alpha characters are closely related to the course’s general discipline area.
Course Numbering
All courses are given a series of numbers after the prefix. The first number identifies the level of academic rigor students can expect from the course and, in general, who should be taking the course.
- Courses numbered 1## are lower-level, introductory courses (primarily freshmen).
- Courses numbered 2## are lower-level, introductory/intermediate courses (primarily sophomores).
- Courses numbered 3## are upper-level, intermediate/advanced courses (primarily juniors).
- Courses numbered 4## are upper-level, advanced courses (primarily seniors).
The second and third numbers carry no meaning except to distinguish them from other courses.
Course Equivalencies
Course equivalencies are evaluated by the Office of Registration and Records on a case-by-case basis at the point of transfer or through the petition process. Course equivalencies are typically assigned to transfer courses or to replacement courses when there are changes to SAU curriculum. To be equivalent, the description and content or objectives of the two courses must show significant similarity. Equivalent courses are taught at the same level.
Course Substitutions
Course substitutions are evaluated by the Office of Registration and Records on a case-by-case basis at the point of transfer or through the petition process and in consultation with or by recommendation of academic program faculty. Course substitutions may be approved when an equivalent course is not available or upon transfer of a course that meets academic requirements of the program, such as a curriculum elective. If a required course is being replaced, the substitution course must be the same or closely related academic discipline as the required course, and strong justification must be provided for the substitution to be approved.
Upper-level courses may be substituted with courses numbered 200-299, but in general, courses numbered 100-199 may not substitute for upper-level courses unless they are part of the statewide transfer agreement or as approved by department and registrar. Credit hours of lower-level courses substituting for upper-level courses do not calculate into the upper-level credit hour requirement.
Course Waivers
Certain courses in the SAU curriculum have standing waiver policies (see program information). Other courses without a policy may be waived by petition as recommended by discipline faculty and approved by the registrar. Course waivers do not carry credit hours, so students may need to take elective courses to fulfill credit hour requirements of the academic program or for graduation. Waivers are not granted in cases where the student has non-course experience or existing knowledge of course content. In these cases, students may opt for credit by exam or participation in prior learning assessment to validate their learning or competence.
For a course with no standing waiver policy to be eligible for a waiver, there must be no equivalent or substitution course available, or the course is being eliminated from the program and shortages in resources make it impossible to teach the course by tutorial. The integrity and rigor of the academic program will be strongly considered in the approval of waivers. Course equivalencies, substitutions and tutorials are preferred over waivers.
Credit Hours
In the course descriptions, the number in parentheses following the title of the course indicates the number of semester credit hours allotted for the course. For example, (3) would indicate three semester credit hours.
Course Rotation and Location
In the course descriptions, the information inside the parentheses following the credit hours indicates when and where the course is offered. The following key can be used to determine rotation and location.
- Fall, Interim, Spring or Summer inside parentheses identifies the term of offering.
- Odd and Even identifies the calendar semester the course is offered (e.g., a course labeled “Odd Falls” is offered fall 2021, 2023, 2025, etc.; “Even Springs” is offered spring 2022, 2024, 2026, etc.)
- Sites, Online - courses are offered at locations other than main campus. These locations typically, do not have a semester offering listed with them. Courses listed without Sites or Online are offered on main campus only.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites are courses that need to be completed prior to taking the next course in a sequence. Prerequisite requirements appear immediately following course descriptions. Instructors or departments have the latitude to permit students to take a course with unmet prerequisites by making a request to the Office of Registration and Records.
Corequisites
Corequisites are courses that are taken simultaneously with another course. Corequisite requirements appear immediately following course descriptions or prerequisites if applicable. Students must be given permission by the academic department and registrar’s office for registration exceptions for corequisites.
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