Course Descriptions
Course descriptions provide information on course content, credit value, prerequisite and corequisite requirements, and course availability*. Each course has an alphanumeric code used on student schedules, transcripts, and profiles.
* The College determines course capacities and may cancel a scheduled course. The College also may approve the substitution of new or revised courses.
Course Numbers
| Number | Purpose/Level |
|---|---|
| 001-009 | Developmental Coursework – Designed to prepare students for their "college-level" work. These courses cannot be used to satisfy graduation requirements but are mandated if indicated by placement tests and are determined by the requirements of the major. |
| 010-099 | Career Certification Coursework – Courses used only in certificate programs. They are designed to prepare the student for a career opportunity. |
| 100-299 | Degree-Level Coursework – Courses will usually be taken by students within their first 62 credits. Transferability to other institutions is on a course-by-course basis, determined by the receiving institution. |
| 100, 200, 300, 400 | Degree-Level Transfer Course – A transfer course that does not parallel any offered Penn College course. |
| 199, 299, 399, 499 | Special Topics – Course numbers reserved for courses that have not been formally adopted as part of the Catalog. These courses cannot be required as part of the major, and their titles will be unique to the semester. Individual permission by the school administrator will need to be obtained to use for graduation credit. |
| 301-399 | Upper-Level Undergraduate Coursework – Courses can be both upper-level (primarily junior/senior year) courses in baccalaureate majors and support courses outside the major. A maximum number of 9 credits of 300-level coursework can be used in associate-degree programs. |
| 401-499 | Upper-Level Undergraduate Coursework – Courses are offered as senior-level coursework in baccalaureate degrees. |
| 501-599 | Entry-Level Graduate Coursework – Courses satisfy graduate-level course requirements for master’s degrees and post-master certificates. The 500-level courses may also be taken for undergraduate credit provided that pre-requisites are met or with the permission of the dean and the instructor. |
| 601-699 | Upper-Level Graduate Coursework – Courses satisfy graduate-level course requirements for master’s degrees and post-master's certificates. All 600-level courses are reserved for graduate students only. |
Course Credits
The following table summarizes the requirements for the minimum number of instructional contact hours for the various methods of instruction.
| Method of Instruction | Minimum Contact per 1 Credit Hour Hours/Week; Hours/Semester |
Course Description Designator |
|---|---|---|
| Lecture | 1 hour/15 hours | (1 Lecture - 0 Lab) |
| Lab | 3 hours/45 hours | (0 Lecture - 3 Lab) |
| Internship | 5 hours/75 hours | (0 Lecture - 5 Internship) |
| Clinical Experience | 3 hours/45 hours | (0 Lecture - 3 Clinical Experience) |
| Independent Study | 3 hours/45 hours | Depends on course |
| Global Experience | 5 hours/75 hours | (0 Lecture – 5 Global Experience) |
- One lecture credit hour represents 1 hour per week of scheduled class time and 2 hours of student preparation time. (An instructional hour is equivalent to 50 minutes of instructions.)
- An academic semester consists of 15 weeks of instruction followed by a week of final exams.
- Courses may be structured in alternative format lengths, such as 8-week durations, or shorter, depending of program requirements.
- All courses, regardless of duration (e.g., summer terms, 8-week terms, etc.), are required to meet the requisite number of instructional hours per semester. For example, a 1 credit hour class will meet 1 hours per week for 15 weeks during a full semester for a total of 15 instructional hours; the same class held over an 8-week term would meet 2 hours per week until at least 15 instructional hours were completed.
- Courses intended for delivery using distance learning modalities (hybrid or fully online) must consider assignments of credit hours based on expected student workloads and active participation that combines the lecture/preparation times required above, e.g., a 1-credit hour course will require a student to spend approximately three hours a week for 15 weeks meeting course requirements.
Electives
All majors have course requirements that respond to the need for general skills for life enrichment and career advancement. These skills relate to art, communication, computer science, fitness, foreign language, humanities, mathematics, science, and social science, and satisfy the goals of the core curriculum.