How to Read a Course Description
Concurrent Registration
Sometimes a course requires that another course be completed either prior to or concurrently with it. For example, a student can complete GEOL 1110 prior to enrollment in GEOL 1111, or the student can take both GEOL 1110 and GEOL 1111 during the same semester (concurrently). The catalog description reflects when a course allows for concurrent registration.
Corequisite
Corequisites are courses in which a student must be enrolled at the same time to ensure knowledge and skills are learned concurrently. Courses are set up at the curricular level, such as MATH 0995 and MATH 1095, and must always be taken together. Only a faculty member instructing the course can waive the corequisite requirement; however, the student must still meet course prerequisites.
The registration system enforces corequisite registration when the student is both adding and dropping or withdrawing from courses.
Course Number and Class Title
Each course is designated by a department (such as ENGW, English Creative Writing), a number, and a title. Courses numbered from 0 to 0999 are developmental and do not count toward degree requirements. Courses numbered 1000 to 2999 are college-level and apply toward certificate and associate degree program requirements.
Credits
One credit equals one hour of class time per week for the duration of the semester. Courses are offered for fixed credits and for variable credits. A fixed-credit course is one whose hours are determined by the nature of the course as approved by faculty governance. A variable-credit course means that a student will determine how many credits a class will be worth in consultation with the instructor. Variable credits are seen in internships, cooperative education experience, and other such courses.
Course Description
The course description reflects the course’s main content. It also gives information such as laboratory or clinical hours, repeat policies and other class-related requirements.
Crosslisted as:
A cross listed course is one that is offered by more than one department but has the same title, course description and content. The courses are offered together as one class, with students enrolling under the department that meets their academic goals.
Example: GEOG 1130 and GEOL 1130
Fall, Spring, Summer
The terms in which the course will be offered.
MnTC Goal
If the class satisfies one or more goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC), the course description will reflect it. While the credits awarded for a class will be counted only one time, the class can be applied toward all of the Goal areas as reflected in the course description. Topics courses (those numbered 1900 and 2900) cannot be used to satisfy MnTC Goal requirements.
Prerequisite
A prerequisite is a requirement that a student must complete in order to enroll in a course. Prerequisites include courses and other criteria established by faculty to ensure a student has adequate preparation to be academically successful in a course. The college catalog and eServices indicate course prerequisites. Students are responsible for understanding and adhering to prerequisite requirements for all classes. For mathematics courses, prerequisites must have been completed within the 5 years prior to the date the course begins.