Guide to College Lingo

This section of the handbook describes terms and numbering systems which may be unfamiliar to the new student.

Academic Terminology

References are commonly made to academic programs, academic departments, and academic disciplines. The same name may refer to all three. For instance, history can refer to the major in history (a program), to the History Department, or to the general academic discipline of history. On the other hand, some names apply only to a program or department or discipline. There is, for instance, a physical science major but no physical science department.

A Program is a set of requirements met by certain courses. Most programs are associated with specific academic departments. However, teaching credential programs and several others are neither offered by, nor identified with, a single department.

General Education, a set of requirements met by taking a collection of courses, also qualifies as a program in this sense. A discipline is a conventional academic perspective or area of study. Chemistry, psychology, and marine biology, for example, are disciplines at Humboldt. The first two are represented by departments with the same name, but Humboldt has no specific marine biology department.

A Department is an organization offering and administering academic programs. Usually the name of thedepartment is the same as the program it administers, but not always. For example, the Department of Biological Sciences offers a major in botany as well as in biology. Departments usually are assigned to colleges.

A College contains and administers a number of departments. Humboldt State University has three colleges: the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; the College of Natural Resources and Sciences; and the College of Professional Studies.

Course Numbering System

All Humboldt courses have both a descriptive title (Survey of American Literature) and a course number (English 232). Besides identifying courses, the numbers indicate other useful information.

CRN	What the CRN Indicates
001 - 099	Remedial; units do not count toward graduation
100 - 199	Lower Division, Appropriate for freshmen
100 - 102	Lower Division General Education, Area A
103 - 109	Lower Division General Education (except Spanish, French, and German 105)
200 - 299	Lower Division, Appropriate for Sophomores
300 - 399	Upper Division, Appropriate for Juniors
308	Upper Division General Education, area B, C, or D
400 - 499	Upper Division, Appropriate for Seniors
400	General Education, Area E
480	Seminars or Selected Topic Courses
499	Independent or Directed Studies
500 - 599	Graduate Level, Satisfying both the Advanced Degree re-quirements for a Baccalaureate Degree and some portion of the requirements for a Master's Degree
600 - 699	Graduate Level, open only to Graduates
700 - 799	Credential/Licensure courses, not generally applicable to Master's Degree Programs

Upper division courses generally are intended for juniors and seniors, lower division courses for sophomores and freshmen. As the numbering table shows, lower division course numbers run from 100-299, upper division from 300-499.

Letter designations can be attached to a course number. Letters B, C, D, and so on, distinguish between courses assigned the same number (for example, ART 104B, 104C, 104F, 104G). Such courses may or may not be part of a sequence.

The letters Y and Z designate courses in a sequence. These have two limitations. First, the entire sequence must be completed in order to earn the credit. That is, the student must complete the Z course before any units count toward general ed requirements. The other limitation is that not all the units earned in a sequence count toward the GE requirement, only the number specified.

The letter L used as a suffix signifies a laboratory taught in conjunction with a lecture. Usually students must enroll in the lecture as well as the laboratory of such a course. The letter D signifies a discussion section, and A signifies an activity section-offered in conjunction with the lecture portion of a course.

Sections distinguish parts of a course. For example, the laboratory section of a course may be distinct from the lecture section.

More commonly, the term distinguishes between multiple offerings of a single course. To say, "There are four sections of American History offered in the fall," means the course is offered four different times that semester, possibly in four different locations.

One might describe a Course as having three units. A unit is an amount of credit, the value assigned to the course. Units also indicate how much time a course will meet per week. The amount of time varies with the type of instruction:

1 unit of lecture or discussion = 50 minutes per week
1 unit of activity = 100 minutes per week
1 unit of laboratory = 150 minutes per week

The Baccalaureate Degree Program as a Whole

The undergraduate (or baccalaureate) degree program has two forms, the bachelor of arts (BA) and the bachelor of science (BS). The bachelor of arts degree requires 124 semester units (40 of which must be upper division), and the bachelor of science degree requires 128 to 132 units, depending upon the particular major. Bachelor of science programs usually require substantial units in general science courses prior to the major courses.

Faculty have recommended, and administrators have approved, the programs and requirements described in the HSU catalog. They represent a means for students to accomplish identifiable educational goals. The fundamental goal of the baccalaureate degree program is to foster a capacity for, and a disposition toward, a disciplined examination of human experience.