Course Numbering Policy

Marquette University uses the following protocol for course numbering:

  • 0001-0999:  Remedial courses or prerequisite courses needed to meet certain conditions of admission and do not apply toward any degree requirement.
  • 1000-1999:  Introductory lower-division undergraduate courses, usually taken by first-year students and generally do not include prerequisites.
  • 2000-2999:  Lower-division undergraduate courses usually taken by second- or third-year students where content is built on materials from the first-year level and may include a minimal amount of prerequisite preparation.
  • 3000-3999:  Upper-division undergraduate courses usually taken by third- or fourth-year students and are normally courses in the major, those at the highest levels of UCCS and those that often include significant prerequisite preparation.
  • 4000-4999:  Advanced upper-division undergraduate courses that require a high degree of disciplinary sophistication or specificity in content; these courses assume considerable prerequisite knowledge and experience and include courses such as independent study, independent research, capstone courses, internships or those undergraduate courses that are cross-listed with graduate or professional courses.
  • 5000-5999:  Post-baccalaureate/graduate courses that may be cross-listed with 4000-level courses; open to those undergraduate students who have been accepted into an approved Marquette accelerated degree program; to those undergraduate students who have received permission from the Graduate School to take a graduate-level course in anticipation of pursuing a graduate degree after completing a bachelor's degree; to all graduate students; or, by permission, for those students seeking a professional degree.
    • The last three digits of the 4000-level and 5000-level cross-listed courses must be identical.
    • The syllabus for those courses must outline the extra work required to earn the graduate credit, unique learning outcomes, and any unique grading that is applicable to the graduate students enrolled in the 5000-level course.
  • 6000-6999:  Master's-level graduate courses; open to graduate students, to those undergraduate students who have been accepted into an approved Marquette accelerated degree program, or by permission for those students seeking a professional degree.
  • 7000-7999:  Professional-level courses; open to students seeking a professional degree, or by permission for students seeking a graduate degree; may be cross-listed with 4000-level courses.
  • 8000-8999:  Doctoral-level graduate courses; open to students seeking a Ph.D.
  • 9000-9999:  Special-needs courses created at the discretion of the Office of the Registrar (e.g., full-time equivalency courses; study abroad placeholder courses for billing and financial aid distribution, etc.).

All cross-listed or combined courses must have the same title and should carry the same course number (or contain identical last three digits when cross-listed with a different level course).  The subject code may be variable for these courses.

In addition to the above, the numbers below will be used by all colleges/schools for the special course types listed:

Expand all   |   Collapse all  

Special Topics 

Numbers: X930 (X=1-8)

In consultation with the Office of the Registrar, may be offered as an experimental course to students, in order to evaluate and determine if a course should be incorporated into the regular curriculum of a program, or can also be used for courses that are in the curriculum approval process pipeline; however, are not officially approved for the term in which the college/school/department wishes to offer the course and therefore do not yet appear in the appropriate Bulletin.  Once the same course has been offered twice as a Special Topic, it cannot be offered again until it moves through the curriculum approval process and is approved with a regular curriculum course number or one of the standard numbers below.  This course number may not be used for a single student studying a particular subject matter.

Topics In 

Numbers: X931 (X=1-8)

Courses that are usually one-time offerings and cover a unique perspective or in-depth topic in the major.  This course number may not be used for a single student studying a particular subject matter.

Advanced Topics In 

Numbers: X932 (X=4-8)

Exchange Program Courses (Marquette credit)

 Numbers: X933-X950 (X=1-8)

An academic course where students attend another institution; however as per a contractual agreement, students register for the credit and pay tuition at Marquette.

Study Abroad Courses (Marquette credit with Marquette faculty)

 Numbers: X951 (X=1-8)

An academic international experience where all courses are taught to Marquette students by Marquette faculty.

Colloquiums 

Numbers: X952 (X=1-8)

An academic seminar on a broad field of study, usually led by a different lecturer each meeting.

Seminar/Reading Courses

 Numbers: X953-X960 (X=1-8)

A small group of students engaged in original research, intensive study and/or critical discussion under the close guidance of a professor who is generally an expert in the field.

Workshops/Institutes/Studio Courses

 Numbers: X961-X963 (X=1-8)

A course with emphasis on the work or activity done by the student, where interaction with students is instructor-facilitated, student-centered and hands on.

Practicum/Clinical/Field Work Experience/Student Training

 Numbers: X964-X985 (X=1-8)

Unpaid field experience taken for academic credit that provides students with supervised (usually faculty) practical real-world application of a classroom-studied theory.

Internship/Externship/Cooperative Education

Numbers: X986-X994 (X=2-8)

Internship/Externship:  field experience taken for academic credit that provides students with externally supervised practical real-world training in an environment of interest to the student's educational goals.  These positions may be paid or unpaid.

Cooperative Education:  a structured field experience that integrates classroom studies with productive work experience.  This requires a formal partnership between the employer and the faculty of the school, where both entities monitor the work and experiences of the student.

Independent Study/Research

Numbers: X995 (X=4-8) 

A course whose mode of instruction offers a student the opportunity to study or do in-depth research on a topic or subject matter usually not offered in the established curriculum, with a current Marquette faculty of his/her choice and independent of the classroom setting.

Senior Experience

Numbers: 4996 

A course that integrates the themes of the undergraduate program of study, allowing students to synthesize and reflect on their learning experiences.

Senior Capstone 

Numbers: 4997 

A course that integrates and is designed to bring reflection and focus to the entire undergraduate experience requiring the disciplined use of skills, methodology and knowledge learned throughout the curriculum of a major, usually culminating with a research paper or project.

Senior Project 

 Numbers: 4998

Specific hands-on projects designed to synthesize the entire undergraduate curriculum of a particular major.

Senior Thesis 

Numbers: 4999 

A long-term independent research course (usually year long) that is the culmination of a degree program, allowing the student to deepen his/her understanding of a specific issue while drawing together the knowledge gained in several disciplines.  This course requires the acceptance of a formal research proposal, finding faculty advisers or mentors and often culminates in an oral presentation followed by a Q&A session from the audience and attending faculty.

Graduate/Professional/Doctoral Experience

Numbers: X996 (X=6-8)

Graduate/Professional/Doctoral Capstone

Numbers: X997 (X=6-8)

Graduate/Professional/Doctoral Project

 Numbers: X998 (X=6-8)

Graduate/Professional/Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation

 Numbers: 

X999 (X=6-8)