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Programs
Academic programs and services at LSU provide students with the opportunity to obtain a strong general education, explore a variety of fields and majors, and have direct contact with faculty in their major field. Freshmen are admitted to the University College where they either declare a major or examine educational and career alternatives while completing the general education requirements. To complete degree requirements, students must meet the admission requirements of a senior college. New programs approved after March 20, 2021 will be noted in the Addendum .
Students select from degree programs offered by ten senior colleges and schools.
2021-2022 Programs
Undergraduate Degree Codes 2021-2022
Undergraduate Minor Codes 2021-2022
Graduate Degree Codes 2021-2022
Graduate Minor Codes 2021-2022
Certificate Codes 2021-2022
Undergraduate Degrees
College of Agriculture
Bachelor of Science
College of Art & Design
Bachelor of Architecture
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Interior Design
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
E. J. Ourso College of Business
Bachelor of Science
College of the Coast & Environment
Bachelor of Science in Coastal Environmental Science
College of Human Sciences and Education
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Social Work
College of Engineering
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science in Biological Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Construction Management
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering
College of Humanities & Social Sciences
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies
Bachelor of Science
Manship School of Mass Communication
Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication
College of Music & Dramatic Arts
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music Education
College of Science
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science in Geology
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Construction Management
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Facilities Management
Graduate Degrees and Certificates
Graduate degrees that the university is currently authorized by the Board of Regents to offer are listed below. Please see “The Graduate School ” for additional information.
Master of Accountancy
Master of Applied Statistics
Master of Architecture
Master of Arts in Teaching
Master of Arts
Master of Arts in Liberal Arts
Master of Business Administration
Master of Digital Media Arts and Engineering
Master of Education
Master of Fine Arts
Master of Landscape Architecture
Master of Library & Information Science
Master of Mass Communication
Master of Music
Master of Natural Sciences
Master of Public Administration
Master of Science
Master of Science in Athletic Training
Master of Science in Biological & Agricultural Engineering
Master of Science in Chemical Engineering
Master of Science in Construction Management
Master of Science in Civil Engineering
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering
Master of Science in Engineering Science
Master of Science in Industrial Engineering
Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering
Master of Science in Petroleum Engineering
Master of Social Work
Certificate of Education Specialist
Graduate Certificate in Analytics
Graduate Certificate in Applied Depositional Geosystems
Graduate Certificate in Archival Studies
Graduate Certificate in Climatology and Climate Change
Graduate Certificate in Early Childhood Education
Graduate Certificate in Econometrics
Graduate Certificate in Energy, Law, and Policy
Graduate Certificate in Fisheries Science & Assessment
Graduate Certificate in Geographic Information Science
Graduate Certificate in Instructional Coaching
Graduate Certificate in Materials Science and Engineering
Graduate Certificate in Math for Advanced Secondary Instruction
Graduate Certificate in Records & Information Management
Graduate Certificate in School Librarianship
Graduate Certificate in Strategic Communication
Graduate Certificate in Teaching in the Healthcare Professions
Graduate Certificate in Urban and Community Education
Graduate Certificate in Veterinary Medical & Biomedical Sciences
Graduate Certificate in Workforce Development
Doctor of Design
Doctor of Musical Arts
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
Post-Doctoral Certificate in Medical Physics
Board of Regents’ Academic Policy
The university conforms to Board of Regents’ requirements to ensure consistency of official documentation with the Regents’ Inventory of Degree and Certificate Programs. The following standardized terms are used in LSU catalogs, diplomas, commencement programs, transcripts, and other official documents.
Degree ▪ The title of the award conferred on students by a college, university, or professional school upon completion of a unified program of study (i.e., Bachelor of Arts, BA; Bachelor of Science, BS; Master of Science, MS; Master of Fine Arts, MFA; Master of Landscape Architecture, MLA; Doctor of Philosophy, PhD, etc.).
Degree Program ▪ A grouping of campus-approved courses and requirements (i.e., minimum GPA, comprehensive examinations, English and mathematics proficiency) that, when satisfactorily completed by a student, will entitle him or her to a degree from a public institution of higher education.
Degree Designation ▪ A degree designation for each authorized program at public institutions of higher education is listed in the Board of Regents’ Inventory of Degree and Certificate Programs. Some professional programs require the name of the general subject area as part of the degree designation (i.e., Bachelor of Architecture, BArch; Master of Social Work, MSW; Juris Doctorate, JD, etc.).
Degree Subject Area ▪ The primary discipline that constitutes the focus of a degree program. (For example, a Bachelor of Arts in history. In some cases, the degree subject area is part of the degree title, as in Bachelor of Architecture, Master of Landscape Architecture.) When a student satisfactorily completes a degree program, he/she will be entitled to a degree in the appropriate subject area (i.e., biology, history, English, etc.)
Degree Title ▪ The complete label of a degree program, consisting of the degree designation and the degree subject area (i.e., Bachelor of Arts in history; Bachelor of Science in chemistry).
Curriculum ▪ A description of the required and elective courses for a degree program.
Major ▪ That part of a degree program that consists of a specified group of courses in a particular discipline or field. The name of the major is usually consistent with the degree subject area. A major usually consists of 25 percent or more of the total hours required in an undergraduate curriculum. Establishment of a major requires prior approval by the Board of Regents.
Minor ▪ That part of a degree program that consists of a specified group of courses in a particular discipline or field. The minor usually consists of 15 percent or more of the total hours required in an undergraduate curriculum. Minors do not require prior approval by the Board of Regents.
Concentration ▪ An alternative track of courses within a major, accounting for at least 30 percent of the major requirements. Establishment of a concentration does not require prior approval by the Board of Regents. Transcripts list degree titles, majors, minors, and concentrations. Diplomas list only the appropriate degree designations.
Undergraduate degrees that the university is currently authorized by the Board of Regents to offer are presented in this table by college. Minors within degree programs are listed in this table. Please consult the appropriate senior college section for more information.
Courses
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:
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≪ Below 4000 |
15 |
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≪ Between 4000-4999 |
10 |
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≪ 5000 and above |
5 |
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- 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.
Course Offerings
Instruction is provided through a wide variety of on- and off-campus courses. The academic year is divided into fall and spring semesters and a summer term. Most classes are taught between 7:30 a.m. and 10 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The fall semester starts in mid-August and ends in mid-December; the spring semester lasts from January to May. The summer term, comprised of session 1 and session 2, is generally held from mid May to mid August. There is one intersession term: between the fall semester and the spring semester. During the three-week intensive intersession, students attend classes for approximately three hours each day. Many students take advantage of the summer term and intersession to expedite graduation, to take courses unavailable during the fall or spring, or to lighten their academic load for the following semester.
Some courses are taught through independent learning, online, or in off-campus locations through Digital and Continuing Education. These offerings provide maximum flexibility for students, particularly adult students and those who work during the day. Also available are educational opportunities through ROTC, the “Artist and Lecture Series,” the LSU Olinde Career Center, LSU-Baton Rouge Community College Cross-Enrollment Program, and LSU-Southern University Cooperative Programs.
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. Additional information about the LCCN can be obtained from the Louisiana Board of Regents Master Course Articulation.
Students should consult the “Undergraduate Admissions ” section of this catalog for information regarding the acceptance of credit from other collegiate institutions.
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