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Course Numbering System
UTD courses are assigned an abbreviation
of the name of the subject area followed by a four-digit course number.
The first digit of the course number gives
the general level of the
course, i.e.,
a 1 or 2 indicates that the course is of undergraduate freshman
or sophomore level respectively,
and a 3 or 4 indicates that the course is of
undergraduate junior or senior level respectively.
Graduate courses begin with the digits 5 through 8.
The second digit of the course number indicates
the semester hour value of the course. A course is given
semester hour values according to the number of hours per week the
course meets; the typical course is three semester credit hours.
The type of course (e.g., lecture, laboratory, seminar) and its meeting
times determin the number of meetings
per week and the length of each meeting.
Variable credit hour courses will have a “V” in the second
position of the course number. The semester Class
Schedule will specify the semester
credit hours available for a
variable course during
any given semester.
The final two digits give the course a unique number within a subject
area. In some instances, a second course prefix
and number in parentheses follows the first. The
second course prefix and number designate the State of Texas
Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) equivalents where available.
TCCNS is a standard set of designations for academic courses. Most
Texas community colleges and universities have adopted this system to facilitate the
transfer of academic credit from one institution to another. Wherever
possible, courses at UTD have the TCCNS number, although the subject
designation may differ (e.g. BA and BUSI for Business Administration).
In all cases, the course description is followed by an indication
of the approximate number of contact hours per week in a semester
for any lecture and laboratory components of the course; for
example, (2 4) indicates 2 contact hours
of lecture and 4 contact hours of laboratory
per week.
Course Load
Long Semesters - Although
there is no general minimum course load to be considered
full time, an undergraduate student must be enrolled in at least
12 semester credit hours
during each long term (fall and spring semesters). The standard
full time course load is 15 semester credit hours.
Students wishing to
register for more than 18 semester credit hours
must have the permission of the Associate Dean of their school; undergraduates
with an undeclared major may seek that permission from the Dean of
Undergraduate Education. Students authorized
to enroll for more than 18 semester credit hours in a long semester
may not withdraw from any class without permission of the Associate
Dean in their school or the Dean of Undergraduate Education for those
students without declared majors. Failure to secure that permission
before withdrawing from a class will limit the student to a maximum
of 18 semester credit hours in future semesters.
Summer Semesters - The maximum course load for
a summer session is normally, six semester credit hours
for the six week term, eight semester credit hours
for the eight week term, or twelve semester credit hours
for the twelve week term. Special arrangements may be made for a
student enrolled in the twelve week summer term to take up to 16
semester hours if the student needs no more than 16 semester
credit hours to graduate at the end of the summer session.
In considering course load, students must be sensitive to special
considerations such as financial aid and family health insurance
which typically require some minimum number of hours per semester
to maintain eligibility.
Course Offerings
One of the following frequency of course offering codes is found
at the end of each course description in this catalog:
S = course is offered at least once each long semester.
Y = course is offered at least once a year.
T = course is offered at least once every two years.
R = course is offered based on student interest and instructor
availability.
Course Substitution (Disability Services)
Students requesting subsitution of course work as a reasonable accomodation
must request this accomodation through the Disability Services Office
according to the following deadlines:
- Students who entered
as freshmen
from high school: by
the end of their fourth
semester at UTD.
- Students who entered
as transferred students: by
the end of their second
semester at UTD.
Please contact Disability Services with any questions about this
type of accomodation, or to initiate the request process.
To request a course substitution students must:
- Meet with the Disability Specialist at Disability Services
to discuss their need
for a course substitution and to receive the application forms.
Fully complete and sign the application form.
- Provide
current documentation of aid disability
to update material on file, if requested,
and compose a narrative
explaining the reasons for the request.
This narrative must include any previous experiences with similar
course work attempted prior to completing the application.
- Students who are
not currently served by the Disability Services or have not previously
been diagnosed
with a disability should call Disability
Services at (972)883-2098 to schedule an intake appointment.
- Meet with the Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education
in the school with which
you are registered to
discuss the proposed substitution
and its potential impact on your degree program and to obtain
the Associate Dean's signature on the application form. Courses
approved by the University of Texas at Dallas will be the
primary source for all approved course substitutions.
- Completed forms must be returned to the Disability
Services Office.
Credit/No Credit Classes
The Credit/No Credit option is intended to encourage students to
take courses in topics outside of their major area where they would
be competing with a significant number of students who are majoring
in these outside areas. The Credit/No Credit option
gives students the opportunity to broaden their education with less
emphasis on grade points. A student will receive credit for C (2.00
on a 4.00 scale) work or better. No
credit will be given for work that is below C (2.00 on a 4.00 scale).
The signature of the student's academic advisor
is required on the Credit/No Credit request form. Students must
submit completed Credit/No
Credit grading requests to The
Office of the Registrar by the Census Day of classes of the semester
or term. Courses that
were originally taken for a letter grade may not be repeated
for Credit/No Credit.
No change of grade designation from grade to Credit/No Credit or
Credit/No Credit to grade may be given after Census Day.
A course may be designated by the instructor as unavailable to students
on a Credit/No Credit basis. Conversely, some
courses may only be available for Credit/No Credit.
A student may not take any course
used to satisfy a Core Curriculum requirement, any course in the
major or minor that
is listed as a major and related
course on the student’s degree plan, or major prerequisite,
on a Credit/No Credit basis if a letter grade is normally
awarded in those courses. Students in the Interdisciplinary Studies
program may not exercise a Credit/No Credit option in their Foundations
or Concentration.
For baccalaureate degree requirements, the
Credit/No Credit option is limited to 12 semester credit hours or
20% of UTD upper-division coursework, which ever is smaller. Courses
in a student’s major that are
designated as Credit/No Credit are not included in this limit. Courses
taken on a Credit/No Credit basis will not be used in determining
a student’s GPA. Care should be taken by students in selecting
courses for the Credit/No Credit option, as this may affect eligibility
for honors. (See “Graduation
with Honors”)
