Academic Curriculum Guidelines and Definitions
The following guidelines are intended to assist faculty when initiating a proposal to create a new course or revising an existing course. Faculty seeking assistance with using Curriculum should refer to the Curriculum Training Materials and/or contact their Dean’s Office, the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Undergraduate Education, the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies, or the Associate Registrar. Contact information is available at the link above.
Generally speaking, if a revision of a course is so significant that a student would be permitted by a department or college to take both the original course and the revised course and count them toward the degree, then the revised course ought to become a new course with a new number.
Course number
When proposing a new course, a faculty member or program may propose a course number for the course. The Registrar’s office will review the proposed number to ensure the number is acceptable but may propose a different course number should any issues arise. In selecting a course number and level, faculty should carefully consider the appropriate course level and avoid restricted course numbers (see below).
The University requires that units not re-use course numbers for a period of six years. If a new course request is submitted with a course number that has been recently used for a different course, this causes confusion for students, staff, and faculty. Restrictions on reusing course numbers is a practice followed by many universities to avoid the confusion that results from assigning the same course number in a short period of time. The six-year limit was established for UMassD because it coincides with the average time spent by undergraduate students in completing the baccalaureate degree.
100 or lower
Courses that do not carry academic credit, but that carry administrative credit for purposes of calculating tuition, full- or part-time status, financial aid eligibility, and satisfaction of special program requirements.
101-199
Courses at this level develop foundational knowledge and skills.
200 level
Courses of intermediate college-level difficulty, courses with 100-level courses as prerequisites, or survey courses devoted to particular areas or fields within a discipline. Normally designed for sophomores and above but in some cases open to first year majors in the department.
300 level
Courses of advanced college-level difficulty taken by majors and upper division students, these are often considered courses in a major offered for students clearly interested and qualified in a subject. Designed primarily as courses for juniors; prerequisites are normally required, and these courses are typically prerequisites for advanced courses.
400 level
Advanced upper-division courses and/or seminars or tutorials for majors and upper division students. Designed primarily for juniors and seniors; also includes specialized courses such as research, capstone, and thesis.
Graduate Courses (500-700 level): These courses require a higher level of critical thinking, necessitate considerably more intellectual rigor, and demand integration and application of information into frameworks of knowledge.
500 level
Courses primarily for graduate students and qualified undergraduate students with permission
600 level
Courses open to graduate and doctoral students only.
700 level
Doctoral level graduate courses.
Reserved Course numbers
Some course numbers are reserved for specific types of courses. These reserved numbers should be avoided when assigning new course numbers.
- X90: Thesis
- X91: Thesis II
- X95: Independent Studies
- X96: Directed Studies
- X98: Experiential Learning
- X99: Internship
Course Title
The full title for a course shows in COIN and should be no more than 75 characters.
The abbreviated title shows on a student’s transcript and schedule and should be no more than 30 characters.
When writing course titles, the following best practices should be kept in mind:
- Capitalize each word of the title except for articles (a, an, the), coordinating conjunctions (and, but, or), or prepositions (on, at, to)
- Use English language unless the course is approved to be offered/instructed in another language
- If words must be abbreviated, make sure they are easily understood
- The subject code (three letters before the course) will describe the context for the course, so consider whether adding the subject in the title is necessary as it is often redundant and takes up a large portion of the title.
- It is better to use three or four essential words that are understandable than to cram several words in by cutting them down and losing meaning entirely. Take, for example, a history course with a full title of HST 373: Sex, Gender, and the History of Medicine in Early Modern Europe (63 characters). Two potential short titles would be HST 373: SexGenHstMedicineEarlyEur (25 characters) or HST 373: Sex, Gender, and Medicine (25 characters). The second description is much clearer, and the course description can provide the context that this is studied in the context of early modern Europe.
Credit Type
Classes can have one of three credit types. Generally speaking, most courses should be for academic credit, which means that the student taking the course will receive the designated number of credits upon successful completion of the course.
Select administrative credit for courses that are offered that do not give credit toward graduation but count in calculating a student’s load.
Non-credit courses include continuing and professional development courses. Often start with PRD. Students do not receive academic credit for completing the course. These are distinct from zero credit continuation courses.
Class Type
Each class is assigned a course type as described below.
| Course Type | Course Type Description |
|---|---|
| Clinical | Refers to situations where the student is engaged in the practice and use of techniques for treating or assisting clients or patients. The instructor’s role varies from direct assistance to simple availability for questions and supervision. Student activities cover a broad spectrum: observation, interviewing, therapy, rounds, diagnosing, etc. |
| Dissertation | The individualized culminating writing or documenting of self-directed research under the supervision of faculty that advances student competency and expertise in a specified field of study to fulfill requirements toward a degree. Thesis students are expected to self-direct and manage their own time with the approval of the supervising faculty. Generally used for doctoral level courses. |
| Field Studies | Pre-determined learning objectives or outcomes integrated with controlled observations away from university environments. This may involve outdoor or indoor experiences within close proximity to campus or at a significant distance. |
| Independent Study | A self-directed approach to the acquisition of knowledge and/or competence in which a student plans and carries out learning activities independently, under the guidance of an instructor. Directed study courses should use this course type. |
| Internship | An internship provides the student with hands-on experience. Internship courses may earn varying amounts of credit hours depending on the amount of time devoted to the internship placement and the amount of academic work associated with the course. An internship course usually involves a career-related or civic engagement learning experience of limited duration in which an individual takes on responsible roles where training and supervision are included. An internship may last for a month, several months, or more; be paid or unpaid; be full-time or part-time. Generally speaking, one credit of an internship course requires a minimum 40-45 hours of activity outside the classroom. This may vary depending on the amount of academic work that accompanies the internship. |
| Laboratory | A lab is a structured instructional activity in which students apply, practice, or experiment with a subject matter. Labs are typically designed to provide hands-on, experiential learning that reinforces theoretical concepts through observation, experimentation, simulation, or skill development. |
| Lecture | A lecture course consists of classes that meet weekly for a specified number of hours. Lecture courses have designated and scheduled meeting times and a set location with a variety of enrollment sizes. |
| Lecture with Lab | A combined lecture and laboratory that integrates both activities into one course. |
| Lecture with Lab and Recitation |
A combined lecture, laboratory, and recitation that integrates all activities in one course. The lecture component must have proposed an enrollment cap greater than 40. Recitations may be scheduled when enrollments exceed 40. Approval of the Dean and Provost office is required when a deviation from these requirements is sought, with justification required. |
| Lecture with Recitation |
A combined lecture and recitation that integrates both activities into one course. The lecture component must have proposed an enrollment cap greater than 40. Recitations may be scheduled when enrollments exceed 40. Approval of the Dean and Provost office is required when a deviation from these requirements is sought, with justification required. |
| Practicum | Practicum courses are pre-approved and integrated within a degree and/or certificate program curriculum for a defined term and may have scheduled meeting times as a subset of course requirements. |
| Private Lesson | Direct instruction in the performing arts (i.e., music, theater, dance) involving a single musical instrument, voice, or movement in an individualized setting with unique learning outcomes for each student. Scheduled in coordination with assigned faculty. |
| Recitation |
A recitation is offered in combination with a lecture or lab and may not be selected on its own. It is intended to provide supplemental review and/or opportunities for active learning, practice sessions, and/or discussions. A recitation is where a large lecture or lab class meets in smaller groups, led by a graduate or undergraduate assistant, under the guidance of the instructor, to offer additional support. The lecture component has proposed an enrollment cap greater than 40. Recitations may be scheduled when enrollments are greater than 40. Recitations typically have 20 students each. Approval of the Dean and Provost office is required when a deviation from these requirements is sought, with justification. |
| Research | Individualized or small group research under the supervision of faculty that either supports the original research of the faculty member, and/or advances student competency and expertise in a specified field of study for the purposes of either fulfilling requirements toward a degree or elective. Research courses may have scheduled meeting times and designated locations. |
| Seminar | A small group of students engaged in research or additional intensive study under the guidance of faculty to discuss, reflect and evaluate findings brought forth by original or outside sources, the assigned faculty, or generated by the students themselves. Seminars have scheduled meeting times and locations. |
| Studio | Refers to situations where the student is engaged in the practice and use of techniques for productions in the areas of theater, dance, music, and other art forms in the presence of an audience. This instruction is used to further advance student's skills in their field of performance. The instructor’s role varies from direct assistance to simple availability for questions and supervision. Student activities cover a broad spectrum: dance rehearsals, theater productions, vocal performances, recordings, etc. |
| Studio with Lecture | A combined lecture and studio that integrates both activities into one course. |
| Thesis | The individualized culminating writing or documenting of self-directed research under the supervision of faculty that advances student competency and expertise in a specified field of study to fulfill requirements toward a degree. Thesis students are expected to self-direct and manage their own time with the approval of the supervising faculty. Generally used for undergraduate or Master’s level courses. |
| Workshop | Current course type option to be eliminated. |
Course descriptions
A course description outlines to prospective students what the course is about, the topics that will be covered and why, and may include details about how the learning will occur. It is a preview that helps students decide if the course aligns with their interests and academic goals. Course descriptions should be clear and concise, with a maximum length of 100 words. They are generally written for a student audience, although prospective employers, accreditors, and other institutions may read these descriptions.
The first element in a course description is a noun phrase, not a complete sentence. For instance, not “This course explores the fundamentals of subject” but “Fundamentals of subject.” Subsequent elements of the course description should be grammatically correct sentences.
Information about pre-requisites, co-requisites, course caps, and cross-listed courses should not be included in the course description as these are maintained and displayed separately. Avoid referencing specific software, technology, texts, etc. as these may change from term to term. Additional elements to avoid in course descriptions include personal pronouns (e.g. I, we, they), specific groups of students (e.g. “This course is for Biology Students), information related to admission, advising, or programs (e.g. “This course fulfills the University Studies 1E requirement”), and jargon or acronyms.
Course descriptions should be listed on every syllabus, regardless of location, modality, or instructor, and should match the description in the catalog.
Credit hours and Contact hours per week
For some courses, the number of credits a student receives is not the same as the number of contact hours. If the number of contact hours is the same as the number of credit hours, the same number should be used in all fields (e.g. a 3 credit lecture course meeting in a standard meeting pattern would have a minimum of 3 credits, a maximum of 3 credits, and 3 contact hours). This number should reflect the weekly number of contact hours. For a course with variable credit hours, enter the minimum number of credits and the maximum number of credits in the appropriate field (e.g a variable credit course that can be taken for 1-6 credits would have a minimum of 1 credit and a maximum of 6 credits).
Some courses, such as lab and studio courses, have more contact hours than credit hours. For these courses, the number of credits hours should reflect the number of credits a student will receive in successfully completing the course, while the contact hours should reflect the number of contact hours required per week (e.g. a 1 credit lab course that meets 4 hours per week would have a minimum of 1 credit, a maximum of 1 credit, and 4 contact hours).
Cross-Listed Courses
Cross-listing, the practice of offering a single course for registration with two or more different course codes, is an established practice at UMass Dartmouth. Cross-listing is appropriate for courses that have content relevant to both degree programs and can be taught by instructors in either of the departments or programs offering them.
Classes can be proposed for cross-listing if they share all of these characteristics:
- Course title
- Course description
- Course components, e.g., lecture, lab, discussion
- Unit hours
- Prerequisites or permission of instructor
- Course outcomes
- Meet the same University Studies requirements, if approved as such
It is preferred that cross-listed courses also have the same number, but this may not always be possible. Directed studies, thesis or dissertations courses, and “topics courses” in which topics vary cannot be cross-listed. Cross-listing is a formal relationship as such a request to cross-list a class must be approved through Curriculog, following official curricular processes. Each department/program planning to cross-list a course must initiate a proposal in Curriculog to cross-list a course to ensure that the curriculum committee in each department/program has an opportunity to weigh in on the proposal. Students cannot receive academic credit for more than one course that is part of a cross-listed group.
For a specific offering of a course in a given semester, cross-listed courses must also share (see below for exceptions for grad/undergrad cross-lists):
- Instructors
- Meeting pattern
- Classroom location
- Course syllabus
Courses may be officially cross-listed if they are educationally at the same degree level or no more than 200 levels apart (i.e. 100 and 300, 400 and 600). All students in a cross-listed course share the same educational experiences. Undergraduate- and graduate-level courses may be cross-listed so long as graduate students register for the graduate course and meet all the undergraduate outcomes and additional graduate-level outcomes, as evidenced by such additional assessments as a research paper or final project. Graduate-level courses in a cross-listed group may require additional (but not alternative), graduate-only assignments, projects, or class time to achieve the additional outcomes. Should additional class time be needed, an additional graduate-only class corequisite will be scheduled with a different course number. In exceptional circumstances, with approval via the curricular process, these rules may apply to two undergraduate courses at different levels and/or two graduate courses at different levels.
Grading basis
Select from the following options for the grading basis of a course:
Graded
students are assigned a letter grade (A-F) at the end of a term
Multi-Term Course
students may receive an IP (Incomplete in Progress) at the end of a term if work has not yet been completed. Typically used for theses and dissertations.
Pass/Not Pass
A grade of pass or not pass will be assigned to each student at the end of the term; students may not elect to receive a letter grade.
Exclude Credit
Courses taken for administrative credit. This should be selected if administrative credit is selected as Credit Type (see above).
Mandatory Pass/Not Pass & Exclude Credit
A grade of pass or not pass will be assigned to each student at the end of the term; students may not elect to receive a letter grade. Assigned to courses taken for administrative or non-credit.
Credit/ No Credit
A grade of credit or no credit will be assigned to each student at the end of the term; students may not elect to receive a letter grade.
Requirements
Courses may have pre-requisites and/or co-requisites. Pre-requisites are courses that must be successfully completed prior to enrolling in a course. Co-requisites are courses that must be taken concurrently with or prior to the course.
A course can have a range of course or courses (e.g. ENL 101, CEN 305 & CEN 315), test scores (e.g. ALEKS score), student level (e.g. graduate standing, at least 45 earned credits), and college, department, campus or program (PHY majors, Pre-Law concentration, CCB students) as pre- or co-requisites. If students may ask for permission to enroll in the course if these pre- or co-requisites are not met, this should be stated explicitly (e.g. permission of instructor or permission of department chair).
When creating groups of requisites, use AND and OR logic. For instance, PSC 349 and 60 earned credits means both criteria must be met to enroll in the class. PSC 349 or 60 earned credits means one criterion must be met to enroll in the class. When selecting courses as pre- or co-requisites, they must be specific. For example, “a social science research methods course” cannot be applied. Instead, the specific social science research methods courses that count should be listed explicitly.
COIN checks to determine whether a student has met the pre-requisites at the time of registration. If a student is enrolled in the pre-req at the time of registration and does not successfully pass the pre-requisite course, COIN does not deregister the student from the course. Students who pass the undergraduate pre-requisite course with a grade of D- or better are counted as having successfully completed the pre-requisite course, unless otherwise specified. All graduate course prerequisites have a default minimum grade of C unless otherwise specified through the course approval/revision process.