Graduate Degree Programs
UNDERGRADUATE COURSES (1 to 399): General courses accepted in fulfillment of requirements for the bachelor's degrees.
ADVANCED UNDERGRADUATE COURSES (400 to 499): Courses open to graduate students and to juniors and seniors and, with the special written permission of the head of the department or the chair of the program sponsoring the course, to qualified students in earlier semesters.
GRADUATE COURSES (500 to 699; 800 to 899): Courses restricted to students registered in the Graduate School, seniors with an average of at least 3.50, and other students who have been granted permission to enroll by the dean of the Graduate School. These courses are described in the Penn State Graduate Degree Programs Bulletin.
MEDICAL COURSES (700-799): Courses restricted to students registered in the College of Medicine.
LAW COURSES (900-999): Courses restricted to students registered in The Dickinson School of Law.
The following courses for which students may register have been set up for common use by major programs to encourage innovation and provide flexibility in designing graduate programs. For courses 594, 595, 596, 597, 598, and 599, special titles may be requested by a graduate program for a given semester, through the Senate Curriculum Coordinator, 101 Kern Building, University Park campus.
590. COLLOQUIUM�Continuing seminars that consist of a series of individual lectures by faculty, students, or outside speakers.
594. RESEARCH TOPICS�Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis. A specific title may be used in each instance and will be entered on the student�s transcript. Multiple offerings may be accommodated by the use of suffixes A, B, etc.
595. INTERNSHIP�Supervised off-campus, nongroup instruction, including field experiences, practicums, or internships. Written and oral critique of activity required. A specific title may be used in each instance and will be entered on the student�s transcript. Multiple offerings may be accommodated by the use of suffixes A, B, etc. Prerequisite: prior approval of proposed assignment by instructor.
596. INDIVIDUAL STUDIES�Creative projects, including nonthesis research, that are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses. A specific title may be used in each instance and will be entered on the student�s transcript. Multiple offerings may be accommodated by the use of suffixes A, B, etc.
597, 598. SPECIAL TOPICS�Formal courses given on a topical or special interest subject which may be offered infrequently; several different topics may be taught in one year or semester. A specific title may be used in each instance and will be entered on the student�s transcript. Multiple offerings may be accommodated by the use of suffixes A, B, etc.
599. FOREIGN STUDIES (1�2 per semester, maximum of 4) Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction. A specific title may be used in each instance and will be entered on the student�s transcript. Multiple offerings may be accommodated by the use of suffixes A, B, etc.
600, 610. THESIS RESEARCH—In registering for thesis research a student
uses the appropriate number (600, 610) preceded by the abbreviation designating
the major field. The numbers 600 (on campus) and 610 (off campus) are available
for credit in thesis research in all graduate major programs. The bursar assesses
charges for these courses at the current rate of tuition, according to the student’s
status at the time of registration.
601, 611. THESIS PREPARATION—The numbers 601 and 611, with associated
special fees, are available to Ph.D. degree candidates who have passed the comprehensive
examination and met the two-semester residence requirement. They may be used
for thesis preparation work during its later stages, when the academic activity
of the candidate consists partly (611) or solely (601) of work on the completion
of research and writing of the dissertation. (See also Course-Numbering System.)
SUBJ 601 and SUBJ 611 do not carry academic credit. They are entered on the
academic transcript to indicate the registration and the nature of the candidate’s
academic activity. A candidate registered for SUBJ 601 is classified as a full-time
student, while one registered for SUBJ 611 is classified as a part-time student.
(See also Thesis Preparation, in the General Information section of this bulletin.)
The numbers 600, 601, 610, and 611 may not appear in the Schedule of Courses
for each semester.
602. SUPERVISED EXPERIENCE IN COLLEGE TEACHING—May be offered by any graduate program in a department that also offers undergraduate courses. A graduate program with no counterpart undergraduate program may offer SUBJ 602 when cooperative arrangements are made with an admin-istrative unit that does not offer graduate degrees but that uses graduate assistants in its teaching. SUBJ 602 may be offered in any semester and is subject to the following restrictions:
SUBJ 603. FOREIGN ACADEMIC EXPERIENCE (1–12)—Foreign study and/or research approved by the graduate program for students enrolled in a foreign university constituting progress toward the degree.