Courses of Instruction
Pilot Testing of New Courses
All departments of the College are authorized to pilot test a new course they are considering offering on a regular basis as a catalog course. These courses are offered under the number 1770, if a freshman course; 2770, if a sophomore course; 3770, if a junior course; 4770 if a senior-level course; and 5770 for graduate level courses.
Special Topics Courses
Special topics courses are courses that are offered occasionally by the department based on the needs and interests of the faculty and students. There is no intention they will be offered on a regular basis and become a regularly-offered catalog course. Any department may offer a special topics course that carries a number of 1980, 2980, 3980, 4980, or 5980.
Independent Studies
An independent study course, usually offered numbered 4990, is a clearly innovative, experimental, exploratory, or involved with advanced research. Normally, regular catalog courses will not be taught through independent study. Independent study courses are normally only open to juniors and seniors. If it is clearly a lower division course, it will have a 2990 number. Only students with a minimum 2.5 cumulative GPA may register for an independent study. No more than four independent study courses with a maximum of 12 credit hours will be counted toward the 128 hour degree requirement. The faculty member needs to complete the necessary paperwork and the student must register for the independent study course by the last date to enroll in a given term.
Graduate students are limited to taking two courses through independent study, unless otherwise approved by the Graduate Studies Committee.
Internships
Departments may provide internships as work and learning experiences under the 4790 course number. Internships with the 4780 course number carry 0 credit hours.
Internships are only open to students who are making satisfactory academic progress. A maximum of four hours may be counted toward the 128 hours required for graduation although more hours may be recorded on the transcript. The necessary paperwork is available from the faculty member supervising the internship and must be submitted to the Registrar for approval and registration within two weeks of the start of the internship.
Senior Comprehensive Examinations
All academic departments administer a senior comprehensive examination for each major they offer, usually taken during a student’s eighth semester of enrollment, under the “COMP” course number, or, if the department so designates, students successfully complete a senior project at a level designated by the department based on national standards in the field. This exam or project is a requirement for graduation.