Course Descriptions

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This section of the Catalog includes course descriptions, listed alphabetically by discipline. The descriptions provide information on course numbers, titles, the level of instruction, credit, course sequence, content, and prerequisites as shown in the following example:

The first three to four letters, called the course subject code, represent the area of study or discipline, e.g., CHE represents chemistry. The course number follows the course subject code, e.g., 2100. The first digit in a four-digit course number designates the level of instruction. Only courses numbered 1000 or above will be included in credits toward a degree. Courses with numbers up to and including 1999 are primarily for freshmen, 2000 through 2999 primarily for sophomores, 3000 through 3999 primarily for juniors, and 4000 through 4999 primarily for seniors. In general, students should not take courses above the level of their class (based upon semester hours earned), but they may do so at one level above if they have the specified prerequisites. In special cases, students may be permitted to take courses more than one level above that designated for their class if they obtain the permission of their advisor and of the faculty member teaching the course and if they meet the prerequisite requirements. Following each course number is the semester hours of credit. As an example, CHE 2100-5 is a freshman-level, five-credit course. After the course number and is the course title, which is followed by the number of credit hours (5) and a second set of numbers in parentheses indicating the division of time between lecture, laboratory, field experience, or—in music—performance. The first number represents the number of lecture hours each week of a 15-16 week semester; the second number indicates the number of laboratory, shop, or field hours; and the third (in music) represents performance hours. For example, CHE 2100 Introduction to Organic and Biological Chemistry has four hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory each week. Lecture hours equate one hour per week of contact to one credit hour; laboratory experience equates two hours of contact per week to one credit hour. Therefore, CHE 2100, 5(4+2) would earn five hours of credit—four for lecture and one for laboratory work. Course descriptions provide a summary of the content of the course. If there is a prerequisite that must be met before a student can register for the course, this information is listed above the course description. Attributes, such as Multicultural, General Studies, or Guaranteed Transfer, are listed after the course description.  A list of courses being offered in a given semester, instructors, class meeting times, and locations is described in the Class Schedule located on Metro State’s Web site (http://www.mscd.edu).