General Course Information

This section of the Bulletin lists all courses offered at the university on all campuses. With each department or area, we give in parentheses the university’s abbreviation and the division offering the courses—for example, ACCOUNTANCY (ACC-Business) means that ACC is the abbreviation for accountancy courses and they are offered by the Farmer School of Business.

Course offerings are listed online (http://www.MiamiOH.edu/courselist).

Course descriptions are necessarily brief. For more information about a course, consult the instructor or the department.

Abbreviations and Terms

Note: A registration glossary is in the Registering for Courses chapter.

CAS-A, CAS-B, etc.: Course fulfills a part of that section(s) of the College of Arts and Science requirement. (Please see the College of Arts and Science section). These are CAS requirement abbreviations in the course descriptions:

  • CAS-A: Foreign language
  • CAS-B: Humanities
  • CAS-B-LIT: Fulfills a part of the literature requirement of CAS-B.
  • CAS-C: Social science
  • CAS-D: Natural science
  • CAS-D/LAB: Fulfills laboratory requirement of CAS -D (LAB must be preceded by CAS-D/to fulfill the CAS lab requirement)
  • CAS-E: Formal reasoning
  • CAS-W: Writing
  • CAS-QL: Quantitative Literacy

Co-requisite: Courses that must be taken during the same semester because their subject matter is similar or complementary. Co-requisites are given at the end of course descriptions.

Course sections: Courses with large enrollments are divided into sections. Sections are identified by letters, for example SLM 120A. A five-digit CRN (Course Reference Number) also identifies a course section.

Credit/no-credit course:No grades are received for these courses. You will get credit for a D- or better; you do not get credit if your grade is lower. Credit/no-credit courses are not figured in your GPA. No more than 10 percent of your course work can be taken on a credit/no-credit basis, and usually you cannot take courses in your major this way. Freshmen may register for courses on a credit/no-credit basis, providing they are concurrently enrolled for 12 semester hours for grades. After 20 percent of the class meetings, you cannot change from credit/no-credit to a letter grade or from a letter grade to credit/no-credit. See the Grades chapter for more detail.

Cross-listed course: Course where material taught crosses multiple disciplines. The course may or may not be offered by two or more departments during the same term.

Department Topics Courses: are permanently approved courses and usually carrying a zero ending course number. The goal of these courses is to provide the opportunity:

  1. to offer emerging material not covered in existing courses;
  2. to make effective use of a traditional classroom setting for the development and piloting of a new course for several terms or semesters; or
  3. to cover material for which a visiting faculty member has expertise.

Any single topic may be offered for a duration of up to 8 consecutive academic terms. Once that period of time has expired, the course on that topic should undergo permanent course approval on its own merits.

Field Experience (FE): Field experience is planned, paid work activity which relates to an individual student's occupational objectives, such as geology or archaeology, and which is taken in lieu of elective or required courses in his or her program with the permission of a faculty advisor. The experience is coordinated by a faculty member of the college who assists the student in planning the experience, visits the site of the experience for a conference with the student and his or her supervisor at least once during the quarter or semester, and assigns the course grade to the student after the appropriate consultation with the employer or supervisor.

GPA: Grade point average. See the Grades chapter for more detail.

Lab: Laboratory.

Lec. Lab.: Lecture and laboratory; used to indicate how many credit hours are earned in lecture and/or in laboratory (for example, 3 Lec. 1 Lab.).

Modifiers: are letters placed at the end of a course number which typically designate one of the following:

  1. the type or teaching approach used in the course (e.g., service learning);
  2. the location of the course (e.g., Luxembourg); or
  3. a particular population of students (e.g., honors).

Modifiers may only be used for permanently approved courses and may be requested by emailing courseapproval@MiamiOH.edu. Examples of existing modifiers:

  • Existing Departmental Topics Course
  • Registration purposes (e.g., TCE 419A/TCE 519A, TCE 419P to facilitate the correct majors into the course)
  • Honors - noted with H
  • Service Learning - noted with X on appropriate Miami Plan courses
  • Majors only - noted with M
  • CAS Writing - noted with W on sections that are CAS Writing approved, but the course with no modifier is not approved CAS Writing
  • Luxembourg Campus - noted with L
  • Associated Laboratory courses - noted with L (e.g. CHM 111L)

Offered infrequently: Courses may be offered every two or three years.

Practicum: A practicum is an on- or off-campus work experience which is integrated with academic instruction in which the student applies concurrently learned concepts to practical situations within an occupational field. To assure proper coordination of the experience, the practicum is coordinated by a faculty member who visits the student at least once every two weeks, provides the final grade, and teaches at least one course on the campus.

Prerequisite: Course(s) that must be taken to provide background for the course requiring the prerequisite. Sometimes permission of the instructor or another requirement (such as graduate standing) may be a prerequisite to a course.

Semester credit hour: Unit used to measure course work. The number of credit hours is usually based on the number of hours per week the class meets; for example, a three-hour course typically meets three times a week for 50 minutes each time. One credit hour is usually assigned for two or three hours in laboratory and studio courses.

Service course: Course designed by a department to serve the program requirements of another department or division. Choose a service course carefully. It may not meet the requirements for your department.

Sprint course: Course that meets for less than the full semester or term, in periods of four, six, eight, or twelve weeks. For additional information see Course Length Options by Term.

Summer only: Offered in the summer only.

Course Numbering System

The number by which a course is designated indicates the level of the course:

000-099: Developmental courses, not creditable toward a degree.

100-299: Lower-division, undergraduate courses primarily for first – and second-year students; typically used for introductory and Miami Plan Perspectives courses.

100-199: Introductory courses.

200-299: Intermediate-level courses.

300-499: Upper-division, undergraduate courses primarily for third- and fourth-year students; typically used for advanced courses in the major and advanced requirements in the Miami Plan.

300-399: Advanced intermediate-level courses.

400-499: Advanced and capstone level courses.

500-850: Graduate level courses.  Restricted to graduate degree-seeking or certificate-seeking students, or to post-baccalaureate students admitted to the graduate school under continuing graduate status. On occasion, undergraduates with senior status may seek permission to take graduate level courses with the approval of the course instructor, department chair, and the dean of the Graduate School. 

599 and 699: Workshops or similar offerings. Workshops must go through an approval process each year. Workshops may be offered a maximum of five times, after which instructors must submit a proposal for permanent course approval.

700: Restricted to independent graduate study involving research or thesis for master’s students.

790: Restricted to pre-candidacy doctoral research.

850: Restricted to independent graduate study involving dissertation for doctoral students. 

Special Course Numbers

Course numbers at two levels (such as 433/533) may be taken either for undergraduate or graduate credit. Students must complete graduate level work and achieve graduate level learning outcomes to receive credit at the 500 level.

Course numbers separated by a comma (such as 233, 234) are related. It is possible to take one or more of the series, and they may be taken in any order (unless otherwise indicated in the course description). description).

Course numbers separated by a hyphen (such as 233-234) must be taken in numerical order and both must be taken to receive credit for graduation.

Independent Work: Independent work comes in two forms:

  1. internship or co-operative education, and
  2. independent study.

Internships and “co-ops” are a partnership between the student, the University, and employers that formally integrate students’ academic study with work or community service experience. Internships are typically of a specified and definite duration, may or may not involve credit hours, and may or may not include compensation in the forms of wages, salaries, stipends or scholarships. Co-ops may provide students with compensation from the cooperative employer in the form of wages or salaries for work performed as well as academic credit; typically, students alternate or combine periods of academic study and work experience. Internships are typically of a specified and definite duration, may or may not involve credit hours, and may or may not include compensation in the forms of wages, salaries, stipends or scholarships.

Internships

There are three types of internships for Miami students:

  1. Extra-Curricular Internships are initiated by the student, are not required for the degree, and do not receive academic credit. Students are not enrolled in any internship course. These internships can be pursued during academic terms in which they are enrolled in other classes or during breaks between periods of enrollment. They need not be related to the student’s program of study, and no faculty supervision is needed. The University does not enter into an agreement with the Internship Sponsor. Students may list the internship on their resume, but it will not appear on their academic transcript
  2. Co-Curricular Internships relate to the student’s program of study (e.g., major, minor, certificate program) and can be paid or unpaid. Students pursuing them are enrolled in a course (which can be 0 to 6 credits), but it is not a mandated requirement for the program of study.  Students must have a completed learning plan signed by an assigned faculty supervisor.  Academic credit appears on the transcript and may be offered as credit/no credit or for a letter grade. The University does not enter into an agreement with the Internship Sponsor.
  3. Curricular Internships are a requirement for the student’s declared degree or major. These internships must be for academic credit and can be paid or unpaid.  Students must have an assigned faculty supervisor and learning plan. These internships appear on the transcript, and the internship course may be offered as credit/no credit or for a letter grade. Miami creates an agreement with the Internship Sponsor.

All Miami students must complete the appropriate online internship form, no matter which type of internship is being pursued. Online internship forms can be accessed at the Center for Career Exploration and Success or One Stop webpages. Students wishing to complete a curricular or co-curricular internship (credit-bearing) will be registered for the appropriate independent study or other course once the form is completed.

Independent Study

An independent study is a course taken with ongoing supervision by the instructor for rigorous learning and knowledge enhancement in a particular area of interest beyond the courses offered. The content of an independent study course should not duplicate any course available to the student.

In order to register for an Independent Study (which is not an internship 340 course), faculty must print an Independent Study Permit available on the One Stop website, complete the form, sign, and send to the department chair or regional campus coordinator before it is submitted in person to the One Stop or by campus mail to the Office of the University Registrar who will assign a full term or sprint class section code corresponding to the beginning and end dates of the independent work experience.

Enrollment in an independent study becomes part of the student’s academic load. Procedures for withdrawal from such courses are the same as for regularly scheduled courses. Independent Study courses do not carry over from one semester or term to another; a new permit must be completed and submitted each term or semester.

With the permission of the instructor, students may register for zero to six credit hours of independent study each semester or term (with no more than a total of 10 credit hours in internships and independent work per academic year).

Independent study courses should be numbered 177, 277, 377 or 477 in accordance with the student’s class level (e.g., first-year students register for 177, and second year students register for 277). The 340 number should only be used for internships.

Independent Study Permits must:

  • Be submitted prior to or during the first week of the semester to be assigned a full semester, summer or winter term course. Those permits submitted after the first week will be assigned the next available sprint part of term in which the work is to be completed;
  • Include approvals of both the instructor and department chair;
  • Indicate the course number for transcript purposes. 

Permits may not be processed if they are incomplete, incorrect, or after the beginning of the last sprint part of term offered in a given semester.

100: Each department in the College of Arts and Science can offer a seminar numbered 100, cross-listed with at least two departments. This course number is reserved especially to allow students and faculty a chance to learn how different disciplines deal with the same problem. The 100 course has one or two semester hours of credit; you cannot receive more than four semester hours credit for all courses numbered 100. These courses may not be offered every year.

177, 277, 377, and 477: These numbers are designated for independent study. You can register for zero to six hours of independent study each semester (no more than 10 credit hours per number). Registration for each course is in accordance with the course’s class level (177 for first-year material, 277 for second-year material, etc.). Independent study projects must be approved by the instructor and the department chair. Students completing experiential learning in association with a Miami Plan course will register for 177E, 277E, 377E or 477E. Students completing research for independent study purposes will register with an R modifier in the appropriate 177R, 277R, 377R or 477R. Students completing Extended Study or Service Learning in association with a Miami Plan course will register for one credit hour with an X modifier the appropriate 177X, 277X, 377X or 477X. 

180, 280, and 380: These numbers are used for first year, second year, and third year honors core courses, respectively. 

199, 299, 399, 499/599, and 699: These numbers are used for workshops or similar offerings. Workshops must go through an approval process each year. Some departments/programs utilize workshop numbers ending in 97, 98 or 99 based upon volume and frequency of workshop offerings.

300: This number, Special Topics, is offered according to student request together with instructor permission. It carries one to three semester hours of credit; you cannot receive more than six semester hours of credit for this course.

340: This number is used for internships. It can be worth up to 20 semester hours of credit depending on the agreement between student and instructor.

480: This number is used for departmental honors.

640: This number is used for graduate internships. It can be worth up to 12 semester hours of credit depending on the agreement between student and instructor. A maximum of 6 hours may count toward a graduate degree.

677: This number is used for departments/programs without an established Independent Study course number. You can register for 0-6 credit hours of independent study each semester (no more than 10 per year). Registration for each course is in accordance with the level of instruction. Independent study projects must be approved by the instructor and the department chair/program director.

700:  This number is used for Master's thesis research credit.

790:  This number is used for Pre-candidacy doctoral research.

850:  This number is used for Doctoral Dissertation credit.

Semester Credit Hours

Semester credit hours are indicated in parentheses following the course title; for example, 282 Art and Politics (3). Some courses carry variable credit, a range of credit hours for courses such as independent study, special topics, thesis hours, etc. The maximum number of hours you can earn in the course may also be indicated, for example, (3; maximum 6).

Frequency of Offerings

Information on frequency of offerings is provided to assist you in advance planning. These are normative patterns for program scheduling and are subject to change without notice based on student demand and other programmatic priorities.