About Courses

Courses listed in this catalog are subject to change without notice.

Use this guide to understand course descriptions & requirements.

Course Descriptions

Below is a sample of how a course is listed in this catalog:

AAS 100 — Survey of Ethnicity in the US (4 units)  

Description:
Learning Activities:
Prerequisite(s):
Enrollment Restriction(s):
Credit Limitation(s):
Cross Listing:
Repeat Credit:
General Education:
Grade Mode:
This course version is effective from, and including: Fall Quarter 2022

  • The top line is the course subject code and course number—title; units.
  • Below are the various attributes for each course. An attribute, like Cross Listing or General Education, only appears if there is data.
  • Course changes during the catalog year appear with a warning reading This version has ended; see updated course, below, under the title line (see example, below). The change may be anything from a unit change to the course being discontinued.

    The last line is the term the course is effective in this configurationnot when the course is taught. Pay attention to the effective term; this is the first term the change is effective or the term the course is discontinued. A course that has one or more versions in a catalog year shows the latest version at the bottom of the roll-down box (see example, below).
     
    About Changed Courses

General Education (GE Credit)

For complete information, see General Education (GE) Requirement.

Courses Taught Abroad

Some courses carry the "May be taught abroad" designation. If so, for more details, registration requirements, and information, check with your advisor and the Global Learning Hub.

Prerequisites

Prerequisites for most undergraduate courses are checked by Schedule Builder. It is the student's responsibility to meet these requirements and the instructor's responsibility to enforce them. Students who have completed equivalent work may be admitted to the course at the instructor's discretion. For complete information, see Student Information on Prerequisites.

Undergraduate Courses

Generally, courses 092, 098, 099, 190C, 192, 197T, 197TC, 198, 199, 290, 290C, 298, and 299 may be repeated for credit; see Committee on Courses of Instruction (COCI) Policy III.B.17.

001-099, Lower Division Courses

Courses open to students for lower division credit who have met the necessary prerequisites and enrollment restrictions as indicated in Schedule Builder; designed primarily for freshmen and sophomores.

100-199, Upper Division Courses

Courses open to students who have met the necessary prerequisites and enrollment restrictions as indicated in Schedule Builder. Preparation generally includes completion of one lower division course in the given subject or completion of two years of college work.

090X/190X

Seminar courses for in-depth examination of a special topic within the subject area.

092/192

Internship courses enable individual students to obtain practical experience to complement their educational goals or to explore potential career interests and opportunities. Students must have completed 84 units before enrolling in course 192.

097T&C/197T&C

Tutoring and Tutoring in the Community courses for students who want to tutor in a subject in which they are proficient—generally in their major field—while enrolled as an undergraduate.

098/198

Directed Group Study courses are set up on a one-time basis for a group of students in a subject for which no regular courses have been established.

099

Special Study for Undergraduates courses arranged for an individual student who shares, with an instructor, an academic interest that cannot be accommodated within the formal course structure; credit is limited to a total of 5 units per term.

190C

Research Conference courses where advanced undergraduate students may participate in critical discussions of research activities. These one-unit courses are graded on a Passed/Not Passed basis.

194H

Special Study for Honors Students courses are for individual students with honor status, as determined by the department offering the course and who have completed 84 units; credit is limited to a total of 5 units per term.

199

Special Study for Advanced Undergraduates courses are the upper division counterparts of course 099 and involve supervised independent study and research requiring an adequate background in the subject proposed for study as well as prior completion of 84 units; credit is limited to a total of 5 units per term.

Variable-Unit

Subject to approval by the department chair, an instructor may arrange to give a special study course to interested students; numbers include 090X, 092, 097T, 097TC, 098, 099, 190X, 192, 194H, 197T, 197TC, 198, 199.

Auto tutorial

Courses where students instruct themselves at their own pace. Courses can be identified by the letters AT at the end of their course numbers; e.g., 013AT, 141AT.

Graduate Courses

200-299

Courses open to graduate students and to undergraduates who have completed 18 units of upper division basic work related to the subject matter of the course. However, admission is subject to the approval of the instructor in charge of the course. Grading in 290C courses and most variable-unit 299 or 299D courses is Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U). Check the course description for grading information.

300-399, Professional Courses for Teachers & Nurse Practitioners

Professional courses for teachers and nurse practitioners are teacher-training courses in the School of Education and in other departments and are specifically intended for teachers or prospective teachers. Courses designed to provide instruction to teaching assistants are included. Courses for certification of family nurse practitioners and physician assistants are also included. Courses are open only to students enrolled in those programs.

400-499, Other Professional Courses

Professional training courses. Graduate students should consult their faculty advisor or contact Graduate Studies before registering in 400 series courses to determine if graduate credit may be awarded for the course in question.

Virtual & Hybrid Courses

Courses where instruction is delivered on the Internet. Courses delivered completely online are identified by the letter V at the end of their course numbers, e.g., 010V, 162V. Hybrid courses are a combination of online and classroom activities and are identified by the letter Y at the end of their course numbers, e.g., 010Y, 162Y.

Multi-Quarter Courses

A series of course numbers followed by two or three letters (for example, Physics (PHY) 110A-110B-110C) is continued through three successive quarters; e.g., fall through spring. The first quarter course listed this way is a prerequisite to the second and the second is a prerequisite to the third. On the other hand, where A and B portions of a course are listed separately (for example, Economics (ECN) 160A & 160B), the A course is not a prerequisite to B, unless A is specifically mentioned in the list of B prerequisites.

Cross-Listed Courses

A cross-listed course (shown as Cross Listing: ) is a single course offered collaboratively through two or more departments or programs. Cross-listed courses have identical content. If a student passes one course in the cross-listing, they cannot register for the partner course(s).

Expanded Course Descriptions

You may find that the descriptions in the General Catalog do not include all the information you would like about a course. Expanded Course Descriptions are available for on-campus use at the College dean's offices or the Biology Academic Success Center, advisors' offices, advising centers, and departmental offices.