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Course Numbering, Suffixes, Special/Course Designation

Undergraduate courses

Courses numbered 1000-1099 are undergraduate non-credit courses for orientation, remedial, or other non-college-level experiences. These courses are in addition to a program’s graduation requirements.

Courses numbered 1100-1999 are introductory, required or elective courses that may be prerequisite to other courses. They provide undergraduate credit, but do not count toward a major or field of specialization. Some of these courses count as General Education requirements.

Courses numbered 2000-2999 are intermediate courses providing undergraduate credit and may be counted toward a major or field of specialization.

Courses numbered 3000-3999 are upper-level courses providing undergraduate credit that may be counted toward a major or field of specialization.

Courses numbered 4000-4999 are advanced undergraduate courses providing undergraduate credit that may be counted toward a major or field of specialization. Graduate students may enroll in and receive graduate credit for 4000-level courses outside their own graduate program.

Dual-level courses

Courses numbered 5000-5999 are offered for both graduate and undergraduate credit. They are advanced-level undergraduate courses providing undergraduate credit that may be counted toward a major or field of specialization or are foundational course work and research for graduate and professional credit. 

Graduate and professional courses

Courses numbered 6000-6999 are foundational graduate and professional courses and research providing graduate or professional credit.

Courses numbered 7000-7999 are intermediate graduate and professional courses and research providing graduate or professional credit.

Courses numbered 8000-8999 are advanced graduate and professional courses and research providing graduate or professional credit.

H -- Honors course: a course offering more advanced, rigorous curriculum and enrichment experiences. Only students in University Honors and Scholars may enroll.

E -- Honors Embedded course: a non-honors course in which students can earn Honors credit by incorporating enhanced honors components.

T -- ATI course: a course that is part of an associate degree program (available at Ohio State ATI only) and fulfills the technical portion of the curriculum.

S -- Service Learning course: a course that uses experiential learning strategies and involves student participation in an organized service activity.

Some course number combinations are used consistently across disciplines to identify a special characteristic of a course. Following the university’s course numbering model (outlined above), the first digit of the course number continues to designate the level of the course.

Number combination

Special characteristic of the course

X189

Field experience and field work

X191

Internships

X193

Individual studies

X194

Group studies

X797

Study at a foreign institution

X798

Study tours

7796 or 8796 

Curricular practical training 

X998

Research

7999

Research for master’s thesis 

8998

Research for dissertation (pre-candidacy) 

8999

Research for dissertation (post-candidacy)

X78Y

Research principles and techniques

X88Y

Interdepartmental seminars

X89Y

Colloquia, workshops, and special topics seminars

2367

Second writing course (General Education)

2596, 3596, or 4596

Cross-disciplinary undergraduate seminar

3597 or 4597

Contemporary world/capstone course