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.