Curriculum Team
General Course Information
91社区's Statewide Course Numbering System
Courses in the undergraduate catalog are identified by prefixes and numbers that were assigned by 91社区鈥檚 Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS). This numbering system is used by all public postsecondary institutions in 91社区 and by participating nonpublic institutions. The major purpose of this system is to facilitate the transfer of courses between participating institutions. Students and administrators can use SCNS () to obtain course descriptions and specific information about course transfer between participating 91社区 institutions.
Each participating institution controls the title, credit, and content of its own courses and recommends the first digit of the course number to indicate the level at which students normally take the course. Course prefixes and the last three digits of the course numbers are assigned by members of faculty discipline committees appointed for that purpose by the 91社区 Department of Education. Individuals nominated to serve on these committees are selected to maintain a representative balance as to type of institution and discipline field or specialization.
The course prefix and each digit in the course number have a meaning in the SCNS. The listing of prefixes and associated courses is referred to as the 鈥淪CNS taxonomy.鈥� Descriptions of the content of courses are referred to as 鈥渟tatewide course profiles.鈥�
For example, a freshman composition skills course is offered by many different public and nonpublic postsecondary institutions. Each institution uses 鈥淓NC_101鈥� to identify its freshman composition skills course. The level code is the first digit and represents the year in which students normally take the course at a specific institution. In the SCNS taxonomy, 鈥淓NC鈥� means 鈥淓nglish Composition,鈥� the century digit 鈥�1鈥� represents 鈥淔reshman Composition,鈥� the decade digit 鈥�0鈥� represents 鈥淔reshman Composition Skills,鈥� and the unit digit 鈥�1鈥� represents 鈥淔reshman Composition Skills I.鈥�
In the sciences and certain other areas, a 鈥淐鈥� or 鈥淟鈥� after the course number is known as a lab indicator. The 鈥淐鈥� represents a combined lecture and laboratory course that meets in the same place at the same time. The 鈥淟鈥� represents a laboratory course or the laboratory part of a course that has the same prefix and course number but meets at a different time or place.
| Prefix | Level Code (first digit) | Century Code (second digit) | Decade Code (third digit) | Unit Code (fourth digit) | Lab Code (only if course is lab) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENC | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| English Composition | Lower Level | Freshman Composition | Freshman Composition Skills | Freshman Composition Skills 1 | No lab for this course |
General Rules for Course Equivalencies
Equivalent courses at different institutions are identified by the same prefixes and same last three digits of the course number and are guaranteed to be transferable between participating institutions that offer the course, with a few exceptions, as listed below in Exceptions to the General Rule for Equivalency.
Transfer of any successfully completed course from one participating institution to another is guaranteed in cases where the course to be transferred is equivalent to one offered by the receiving institution. Equivalencies are established by the same prefix and last three digits and comparable faculty credentials at both institutions. For example, ENC 1101 is offered at a community college. The same course may be offered at a state university as ENC 2101. A student who has successfully completed ENC 1101 at a 91社区 College System institution is guaranteed to receive transfer credit for ENC 2101 at the state university if the student transfers. The student cannot be required to take ENC 2101 again since ENC 1101 is equivalent to ENC 2101 if the minimum grade has been earned in the course. Transfer credit must be awarded for successfully completed equivalent courses and used by the receiving institution to determine satisfaction of requirements by transfer students on the same basis as credit awarded to the native students. It is the prerogative of the receiving institution, however, to offer transfer credit for courses successfully completed that have not been designated as equivalent.
NOTE: Credit generated at institutions on the quarter-term system may not transfer the equivalent number of credits to institutions on the semester-term system. For example, 4.0 quarter hours often transfers as 2.67 semester hours.
Authority for Acceptance of Course Equivalent
"Any student who transfers among postsecondary institutions that are fully accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education and that participate in the statewide course numbering system shall be awarded credit by the receiving institution for courses satisfactorily completed by the student at the previous institutions. Credit shall be awarded if the courses are judged by the appropriate statewide course numbering system faculty committees representing school districts, public postsecondary educational institutions, and participating nonpublic postsecondary educational institutions to be academically equivalent to courses offered at the receiving institution, including equivalency of faculty credentials, regardless of the public or nonpublic control of the previous institution. The Department of Education shall ensure that credits to be accepted by a receiving institution are generated in courses for which the faculty possess credentials that are comparable to those required by the accrediting association of the receiving institution. The award of credit may be limited to courses that are entered in the statewide course numbering system. Credits awarded pursuant to this subsection shall satisfy institutional requirements on the same basis as credits awarded to native students."
Exceptions to the General Rule for Equivalency
Since the initial implementation of the SCNS, specific disciplines or types of courses have been exempted from the guarantee of transfer for equivalent courses. These include courses that must be evaluated individually or courses in which the student must be evaluated for mastery of skill and technique. The following courses are exceptions to the general rule for course equivalencies and may not transfer:
- Courses not offered by the receiving institution.
- Courses at non-accredited institutions, courses offered prior to the established transfer date of the course in question.
- Courses in the 900-999 series are not automatically transferable, and must be evaluated individually. These include such courses as Special Topics, Internships, Apprenticeships, Practica, Study Abroad, Theses, and Dissertations.
- Applied academics for adult education courses.
- Graduate courses.
- Internships, apprenticeships, practica, clinical experiences, and study abroad courses with numbers other than those ranging from 900-999.
- Applied courses in the performing arts (Art, Dance, Interior Design, Music, and Theatre) and skills courses in Criminal Justice (academy certificate courses) are not guaranteed as transferable. These courses need evidence of achievement (e.g., portfolio, audition, interview, etc.).
Note: Transferability is at the discretion of the receiving institution.
Questions about the SCNS should be directed to Kyna Betancourt, USF鈥檚 SCNS contact via email at kbetancourt@usf.edu or to the 91社区 Department of Education, Office of Articulation, 1401 Turlington Building, Tallahassee, 91社区 32399-0400.
Courses at USF
Information for all courses offered at USF are available in the . When viewing a course within the USF Course Inventory, the first line of each description includes the SCNS prefix and number and title of the course. The College and Department are listed below this information. The Course Description, Credit Hours, Attributes, and requisite information is listed under this information. Please note: Credits separated by a hyphen indicate variable credit hours.