Course Description Information

SUU’s Course Numbering System

Each course offered at Southern Utah University is assigned a unique number, indicating what type of course it is and what credits may be earned in the course. Throughout this catalog, courses are numbered as follows:

The course title is followed by the number of credit hours for the course.

Some courses carry variable credit. These are specified by either a hyphen or slash. Examples: A theatre arts listing (1-3) indicates that an amount of credit between 1 and 3 hours are available. A chemistry seminar listing (2/4/6) indicates that the course can be taken for 2, 4, or 6 hours credit. Variable laboratory hours are similarly listed.

Special credit is available through most departments for work completed through readings and conferences (4830, 6830), workshops or institutes (2920, 4920, and 6920), cooperative education (2840, 4840, and 6840), and 4890/5890/6890 internship sponsored by SUU. Consult the department chair for more information on these programs.

Note: TBA denotes “TO BE ARRANGED.” It is the student’s responsibility to contact the course instructor or department for more information.

Useful Definitions

The academic terms defined below are used throughout this catalog.

• Area of Specialization (Education): 18 semester-hour minimum in a regent-approved discipline as approved by the Utah State Board of Education.
• Co-requisite: A course that must be taken concurrently (in the same semester) as another course or requirement.
• Course: A subject, or an instructional subdivision of a subject, offered through a single semester.
• Composite major: 52 semester-hour minimum in a discipline; no minor is required.
• Credit: Indicates one (1) semester credit hour, representing approximately one hour of the student’s time each week in attendance in a class, lecture, or seminar per semester. (Could require up to three hours’ effort per week.)
• Curriculum: An organized program of study arranged to provide a sequence of professional education.
• Discipline: A branch of learning or field of study such as history, chemistry, or accounting.
• Electives: Courses that students may choose to take, as contrasted with required courses.
• Emphasis: 12 semester-hour minimum within the major.
• Major: 30 semester-hour minimum in a regent-approved discipline that is nationally classified by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Major (Education): 30 semester-hour minimum in a regent-approved discipline that is nationally classified by the U.S. Department of Education and is approved by the Utah State Board of Education.
• Minor: 16 semester-hour minimum in a regent-approved discipline.
• Option: A choice within a specialization as defined by a department.
• Prerequisite: A course or other education requirement that must be completed prior to another course or before proceeding to more advanced study.
• Semester: Approximately one-third of the academic year, either fall, spring, or summer.
• Seminar: A small group of advanced students studying a subject under a faculty member’s supervision.
• Track: A focus within a program.

Course Prefixes

The following course prefixes are in accordance with the Registrar’s classification system:

University-Wide Course Numbers

The following course numbers are reserved for specific course types as listed below: