Dec 11, 2024  
Undergraduate Catalog | 2018-2019 
    
Undergraduate Catalog | 2018-2019 Previous Edition

Guide to Reading Course Descriptions


Course descriptions provide the following information:

  • Subject prefix
  • Course number
  • Course title
  • Credit hours assigned to the course
  • UNC Charlotte General Education requirements that the course satisfies, if any (O = Oral Communication; W = Writing Intensive), or whether it is a Service Learning (SL) course
  • Prerequisites and/or corequisites (if any)
  • Any course with which the course may be cross-listed
  • Brief description of the course content*
  • If a course is graded as Pass/No Credit rather than with a letter grade
  • Any restrictions on the number of times a course may be repeated

*The description may specify the number of class (lecture) and/or laboratory sessions and hours. If no class hours are given, the number of class hours per week is the same as the number of semester hours credit assigned to the course.

An example and explanation of a typical course description:

SUBJ 1234. Title of Course. (Credit Hours) (General Education Requirements Met or Service Learning Course Designation) Prerequisites/corequisites. Brief description of course content.

Course Prefix

Courses offered for academic credit are listed by number within each subject and the subjects are listed alphabetically according to prefixes which are assigned as listed in the following columns.  Click here for a list of ALL prefixes .

Course Numbering System

Courses are identified by four-digit numbers following the course prefix. The first digit indicates the level of the course:

0001-0999 = specialty courses that prepare for future coursework
1000-2999 = lower division undergraduate courses
3000-4999 = upper division undergraduate courses

The following second digits designate special types of courses:

0 = topics
4 = internships and practica
5 = cooperative education
6 = seminars
7 = honors courses
8 = independent study
9 = research

Note: If the letter L follows the course number, the course is a laboratory course.

Prerequisites and Corequisites

A prerequisite is a requirement that must be met (or a course that must be passed) before enrolling in a more advanced course. A corequisite is a course which should be taken in the same semester as another.

Cross-Listed Courses

A cross-listed course is a single course which is simultaneously listed in the schedule of course offerings by one or more academic departments. They share the same meeting times, room, instructor(s), and curriculum. Therefore, ideally, they should also have the same course title.  Students may only receive credit for the single section of the cross-listed course for which they are registered. Credit will not be awarded for a course where credit has been awarded for a cross-listed course.

Changes

Course descriptions and numbers are accurate at the time of publication of the Catalog.  For the most current information, please consult with the academic department or the Class Schedule