Courses: General Information

The following are important notes concerning courses:

• General education courses are designated within the course description in bold.
• Class minima are specified in PS-37, Minimum Class Size:

• Academic credit provides the basis for measuring the amount of engaged learning time expected of a typical student enrolled not only in traditional classroom settings but also laboratories, studios, internships, and other experiential learning, distance, and correspondence education. A credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates:
  • Not less than one hour (50 minutes) of lecture/classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours out-of-class student work for approximately 15 weeks for one semester or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or
  • At least an equivalent amount of work as required (and outlines in the bullet point above) for other academic activities including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.

The above described definitions do not dictate particular amounts of classroom time versus out-of-class student work. In determining the amount of work the learning outcomes of the proposed course will entail, the program may take into consideration alternative delivery methods, measurements of student work, academic calendars, disciplines, degree levels, and other similar considerations.

• Courses including a laboratory component  or equivalent academic activity should indicate the distribution of credit hours between lectures and lab. Two or more contact hours are required to support each credit hour.
• When a course consists entirely or partly of laboratory, that fact is stated in the description. When not otherwise specified, the course consists entirely of lectures.
• The number of credit hours that a course carries per semester is listed in parentheses following the course title. If the number listed is variable, i.e. (2-4), the amount of credit that the student is to receive must be stated at the time of registration.
• Indication of variable credit does not mean that a course may be repeated for credit. If a course can be repeated for credit, that information is included in the course description.
• Listing of a course does not necessarily mean that it will be offered every year. Some courses are only offered in the summer such as field courses. They are indicated in the catalog by Su. Students may contact the departments to determine when courses will be offered.
• The phrases also offered as… , see…, or same as…, which appear in some course descriptions, refer to honors courses or to cross-listed courses that are available through more than one department. In each of these instances, only one of the courses may be taken for credit.

LSU Course Numbering System

An explanation of the first digit of the four-digit course numbering system follows. The meaning of the second, third, and fourth digits varies by department. See “Year Classification of Students ” in the “Regulations ” section of this catalog for an explanation of the criteria for classification as a freshman, sophomore, etc.

1000-1999 • For undergraduate students, primarily freshmen; for undergraduate credit only. Ordinarily open to all students; in some instances upper-division students may not take these courses for degree credit.

2000-2999 • For undergraduate students, sophomore level or above; for undergraduate credit only.

3000-3999 • For advanced undergraduate students, junior- and senior-level; for undergraduate credit only. These courses constitute the advanced portion of an undergraduate program leading to the bachelor’s degree. A student with fewer than 60 hours of credit may enroll in 3000 level courses if they meet the enrollment requirements of the college whose departments offer the courses.

4000-4999 • For advanced undergraduate students (who have completed a minimum of 60 semester hours) and students in graduate and professional schools and colleges; for undergraduate or graduate credit.

Undergraduates with 30 or more semester hours who are making timely progress toward a degree may be admitted to 4000 level courses. Such students must have a 3.50 GPA or higher, the appropriate prerequisites, consent of the instructor, and permission of the dean of the student’s undergraduate college.

Graduate credit for LSU Seniors. A senior at LSU who needs fewer than 15 semester hours to complete requirements for the bachelor’s degree, who has maintained a GPA of at least a 3.00 during the preceding year at LSU, and who has a cumulative GPA of at least 2.75 may be permitted to register for graduate credit in courses numbered 4000-4999, provided the student registers for all the remaining courses required for graduation and for no more than 15 semester hours total. This privilege applies only during the final semester of the student’s undergraduate work and is extended only upon recommendation of the chair of the department in which the student plans to enroll as a graduate student, the dean of the student’s college, and approval of the dean of The Graduate School. The requested signatures of approval should be submitted on a form designed specifically for this program. This form must be submitted to The Graduate School by the last day to add classes in the semester in which graduate credit is desired. A student must complete all undergraduate degree credit courses in order to retain the privilege of obtaining graduate credit for the remaining courses.

5000-5999 • For students in post-baccalaureate professional programs (architecture, landscape architecture, law, and veterinary medicine). A student in The Graduate School may take these courses for credit with approval of the student’s major department.

6000-6999 • Exclusively for teachers at the elementary, secondary, and junior college levels.

7000-7999 • For students in The Graduate School; for graduate credit only except as follows. Undergraduates with 75 or more semester hours who are making timely progress toward a degree may be admitted to 7000 level courses. Such students must have a 3.50 or higher GPA, the appropriate prerequisites, consent of the instructor, and permission of the dean of the student’s undergraduate college. Credit so earned will apply only toward undergraduate degree requirements, except for students enrolled in an accelerated master’s degree program.

8000-8999 • Research courses exclusively for graduate students, primarily for students working toward the master’s degree; for graduate credit only. The number 8000 designates thesis research.

9000-9999 • Research courses exclusively for graduate students, primarily for advanced graduate students working toward the doctoral degree; for graduate credit only. The number 9000 designates dissertation research.

Louisiana Common Course Numbering System

To help students transfer from one institution to another, Louisiana public post-secondary institutions have adopted a single numbering system for many of their courses. The Louisiana Common Course Numbering System (LCCN) is a standard set of four-character abbreviations for academic disciplines and four-digit course numbers. The first digit of the number represents the academic level of the course (1 for freshman, 2 for sophomore, 3 for junior, and 4 for senior). For courses with Louisiana Common Course Numbers, the numbers appear in brackets in the course descriptions. For additional information about the LCCN, please access here.

Students should consult the “Undergraduate Admissions ” section of this catalog for information regarding the acceptance of credit from other collegiate institutions.