Policies
Classification
Classification of students is based upon progress toward meeting degree requirements as follows:
| Credits Earned |
Classification |
| 0-29 |
Freshman |
| 30-59 |
Sophomore |
| 60-89 |
Junior |
| 90 or above |
Senior |
Explanation of Course Numbers
The course level or class is indicated by the first digit in the course number: 0-non-degree credit; 1-freshman; 2-sophomore; 3-junior; 4-senior; 5 or 6-postgraduate or graduate; 7 or 8 doctorial. The second digit indicates the semester hour value of the course (except music, nursing, and special topics courses). The third and fourth digits indicate the departmental sequencing of the course and make it a unique number within the department or subject area.
Example: ENGL 1301
ENGL Departmental abbreviation
1 Course level
3 Semester Credits
01 Departmental Sequence
Freshmen are not allowed to enroll in upper-division courses except under special circumstances.
The semester hour is the unit of course credit at HSU. Ordinarily, a semester hour credit is based upon one 50-minute class period or two or more hours in the laboratory/studio per week throughout a semester. Accordingly, a course carrying a credit value of three semester hours would ordinarily meet for three 50-minute periods each week or in two sessions of one and one-quarter hours each. The number of semester, class, and laboratory/studio hours is indicated by the numbers in parentheses following the title of each course. The first number indicates semester hours, the second class hours, and the third lab/studio hours. For example, a 4-semester hour course involving three hours of lecture, plus two hours of lab per week will show that information as (4-3-2). An X (4-3-X) in the lab space indicates a variable, optional, or field activity noted in the course description.
Course Level
Undergraduate courses that offer credit toward a degree are characterized as a freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior-level course. A freshman-level course, indicated by a 1 as the first digit in the course number, is generally:
• An introductory course (or part of an introductory sequence) to the academic discipline,
• A course with no prerequisites,
• Suitable for students with no prior college-level coursework, and
• Listed at this level at other universities.
A sophomore-level course, indicated by a 2 as the first digit in the course number, is generally: • An introductory course (or part of an introductory sequence) to the academic discipline,
• A course with no prerequisites,
• Not suitable for students with no prior college-level coursework, and
• Listed at this level at other universities.
A junior-level course, indicated by a 3 as the first digit in the course number, generally:
• Has more depth and less breadth than introductory or survey courses,
• Has prerequisites that must be taken prior to enrolling in the course,
• Requires more academic sophistication than 2000-level course, perhaps because of graphic or sensitive material,
• Is populated primarily by students majoring or minoring in the discipline, and
• Is listed at this level at other universities.
A senior-level course, indicated by a 4 as the first digit in the course number, generally:
• Requires more reading or research than lower-level courses,
• Involves longer, more in-depth projects or papers,
• Has prerequisites that must be taken prior to enrolling in the course,
• Is populated exclusively by students majoring or minoring in the discipline, or nearly so, and
• Is listed at this level at other universities.