Course-Numbering System
These course descriptions are arranged alphabetically. If any course cannot be located readily, refer to the index. Courses are numbered as follows:
Undergraduate Courses (1 to 399): General courses accepted in fulfillment of requirements for the bachelor's degrees. These courses are described in the Undergraduate Courses section.
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. These courses are described in the Undergraduate Courses section.
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 (500- and 800-level only; excludes 600-level), and other students who have been granted permission to enroll by the dean of the Graduate School. These courses are described in the Graduate Courses section. Undergraduate students who wish to enroll in 500- or 800-level courses should review the policy and follow the necessary procedures outlined in GCAC-507 Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Courses.
Medical Courses (700-799): Courses restricted to students registered in the College of Medicine. These courses are described in the College of Medicine Courses section.
Law Courses (900-999): Courses restricted to students registered in Penn State Law and Dickinson Law. These courses are described in the Penn State Law Courses section and Dickinson Law Courses section.
Common Course Numbers
The following course numbers for which students may register have been set up for common use by major programs, with University Senate approval, to encourage innovation and provide flexibility in designing programs, but in no case may a course be scheduled for 0 credits.
First-Year Seminar 187. Listed under some liberal art-related academic headings, this course has prerequisites of first-semester standing and enrollment in the College of the Liberal Arts.
Research Project Courses 294, 494. 1-12 credits. 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.
Internship 295, 395, 495. 1-18 credits. Supervised off-campus, non-group instruction including field experiences, practica, 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.
Independent Studies 296, 496. 1-18 credits. Creative projects, including research and design, that are supervised on an individual basis and that 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.
Special Topics 97, 197, 297, 397, 497; 98, 198, 298, 398, 498. 1-9 credits. Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject that may be topical or of special interest. 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.
Foreign Studies 99, 199, 299, 399, 499. 1-12 credits. 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. These courses typically carry the International Cultures (IL) attribute.
Course Attributes and Suffixes
Attributes and attribute values are course designations that are used to define specific characteristics for courses. The search for specific types of courses uses attributes and attributes are the most important notation for a course to satisfy a given requirement.
Suffixes are letters that follow a course number and allow for easier identification of a course's characteristics. Not all attributes and characteristics are captured in available suffixes and suffixes are not the feature used to determine if a course satisfies a requirement. The degree audit and what-if reports use attributes, not suffixes, to determine applicability of a course to a requirement.
Bachelor of Arts
Attributes
- BA: Arts
- BA: Humanities
- BA: Natural Science
- BA: Quantification
- BA: Social and Behavioral Sci
- BA: World Cultures
- World Lang (12th unit)
- World Language (all)
- Exceeds 12th Unit
Cultural Diversity
Attributes
- International Cultures (IL)
- United States Cultures (US)
Suffixes
- U: United States Cultures and/or International Cultures and Honors
- Y: United States Cultures and/or International Cultures and Writing Across the Curriculum
General Education
Attributes
- GenEd: Writing/Speaking (GWS)
- GenEd: Quantification (GQ)
- GenEd: Arts (GA)
- GenEd: Health Wellness (GHW)
- GenEd: Humanities (GH)
- GenEd: Natural Sciences (GN)
- GenEd: Social & Beh Sci (GS)
- GenEd Integrative: Interdomain
Suffixes
- N: Inter-Domain
- Q: Inter-Domain and Honors
First-Year Engagement Program
Attribute
- First Year Seminar
Course Subject
- PSU: First-Year Seminar
Suffixes
- S: First-Year Seminar
- T: First-Year Seminar and Honors
- X: First-Year Seminar and Writing Across the Curriculum
Writing Across the Curriculum
Attribute
- Writing Across the Curriculum
Suffixes
- M: Writing Across the Curriculum and Honors
- W: Writing Across the Curriculum
- X: Writing Across the Curriculum and First-Year Seminar
- Y: Writing Across the Curriculum and United States Cultures and/or International Cultures
Honors Courses
Attribute
- Honors
Suffixes
- H: Honors
- M: Writing Across the Curriculum and Honors
- Q: Inter-Domain and Honors
- T: First-Year Seminar and Honors
- U: United States Cultures and/or International Cultures and Honors
Repeatable and Variable Credit Courses
If a course may be repeated, the words "per semester" follow the number of credits--for example (3 credits per semester). These courses may be repeated indefinitely unless the credits are followed by the maximum number of credits allowed, such as (3 per semester, maximum of 12).
Courses may have variable credits, such as (1-3), (2-6), or (3-10). Here, the larger number signifies the total credits that can be accumulated for the course over an indefinite number of semesters, unless otherwise specified. For example, a course listed with (1-6) could be taken six semesters for 1 credit each semester, or two semesters for 3 credits each semester, or once for 6 credits, etc.
In some courses with variable credits, students may be permitted to accumulate more than the larger number shown. Such courses will be listed as, for example, (1-3 per semester, maximum of 12).
Prerequisites, Concurrent Courses, Co-Requisite Courses, and Recommended Preparation
Prerequisites, concurrent courses, and co-requisite courses approximate the necessary specific coursework or general academic knowledge, background, or semester classification required to succeed academically in a given course.
- Prerequisites are courses or other requirements that must be completed prior to the start of a given course.
- Concurrent Courses are similar to prerequisites except that they may be taken prior to, or in the same semester as, the given course.
- Co-requisite Courses are pairs of courses required to be taken together in the same semester.
Registration in a given course is limited to students who have satisfied the stated prerequisite, concurrent, or co-requisite requirements. The course instructor has the right to permit students to take the course without having the stated prerequisite, concurrent, or co-requisite requirements if the student demonstrates mastery of the material through some other means.
Recommended Preparation relates to preparatory skills or companion courses deemed useful, but not necessary, for successful completion of a course. Recommended preparation has no bearing on registration in a given course.
Combined Section Classes
Multiple departments sometimes offer the same course; in LionPATH this is called a combined section class. These classes appear with the following note in the LionPATH Class Search: "This is a combined section class" and are listed with all of the departments offering the class. When a student is fulfilling the requirements of a major or a minor, a course that is cross-listed with a course required for the academic program will satisfy the requirement. A student majoring in an area of Natural Sciences, Arts, Humanities, or Social and Behavioral Sciences may not use a course in these areas that is combined with a course offered by his/her major department to satisfy a General Education requirement. A student earning a Bachelor of Arts degree may not use a course that is combined with a course offered by the department of his/her major to satisfy a B.A. requirement.
Auditing and Visiting Courses
Auditing
If a student wishes to audit a course officially and to have this fact appear on the academic record, that course must be entered on the student's schedule with the symbol AU shown under “credits.” When a student audits a course, the credits become part of that semester's credit load but are not used in the determination of full-time status (section 34-52). In addition, tuition must be paid for the audit. Audits are not considered in the determination of the credit standard for financial aid. No course may be added for audit if dropped for credit, or vice versa, after the add period. A student enrolled for official audit may be required to participate in class discussion, do practicum work, submit written work, and take examinations. See also Section 48-80, symbols for Course Audit.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AUDITING COURSES
Visiting
Students who wish to visit a course may do so, even though they are not officially enrolled for credit or for audit in that course. To visit a course, currently registered full-time students must obtain permission in advance from the course instructor. No tuition is paid for a visit. Course credits do not become part of the semester's credit load and are not entered on the student's academic record. Paragraph 1 relating to official audit is not applicable to the student who visits a course.