Course Information

Courses of Instruction — General Information

Click on a link to be taken to the entry below.

• Courses of Instruction — General Information
  • Catalog Numbers
  • Requisites
  • Credit
  • General Education Code
  • Lecture and Laboratory Hours
  • Repeat/Retake Information
  • Terms Typically Offered
  • Fees

This section outlines general information about courses offered at Ohio University. The courses listed in the Course Description section are all courses as approved by the University Curriculum Council. Please check Course Offerings to determine if a course is being offered.

Catalog Numbers

The catalog number indicates the student classification for which the course is primarily intended. Catalog numbers consist of four numbers or a “D” followed by three digits.

The following alphabetical suffixes are to be used for specific courses:

Course requisties indicate minimum requirements for the course. If you have any doubts about whether you have fulfilled requisites due to changes in the numbering system over the past several years, check the course titles and consult with your advisor and the college student services office. If you have not met the requisites, you may petition the department/school or instructor offering the course to obtain permission to override the requisite. If permission is obtained, then a class permission slip must be completed by the instructor/department/school and processed accordingly. Once you have completed an advanced course, you may not subsequently enroll in a requisite course for credit. The following information will assist you in reading requisites:

Credit is indicated for each course in semester hours. One semester credit hour will be awarded for a minimum of 750 minutes of formalized instruction (approximately one one-hour meeting per week) that typically requires students to work at out-of-class assignments an average of twice the amount of time as the amount of formalized instruction. Formalized instruction may take place in a variety of modes (i.e., lecture, seminar, discussion). One semester credit hour shall be awarded for a total of 1,500 minutes of laboratory instructional time (approximately one two-hour meeting per week). In a course carrying variable credit, the credit may be expressed “1 to 4”, indicating that one hour is the minimum and four hours the maximum amount of credit allowed for the class in one semester.

Lecture, laboratory, recitation, and other hours for courses are listed in the Lecture/Lab Hours section of expanded course information in this catalog.

Repeating a course. A repeatable course is defined as a course taken for additional hours of credit toward graduation requirements (i.e., MUS 3400, PSY 4900). Some departments/schools place limits on the total number of credits that may be earned in repeatable courses. The maximum number of hours permitted to be earned is identified if there is a limit.

Retaking a course. A regular course with fixed content can be retaken to affect the student’s GPA. Retaking the course removes the hours and the effect of the earlier grades from the calculation of the GPA. However, all grades appear on the permanent academic record (transcript). The last grade earned is the one used to calculate the GPA, even if it is lower than the earlier grade(s), and only the last instance’s credit hours are accepted toward any requirements for graduation. The number of times that a student is allowed to retake an undergraduate course for the purpose of improving the grade is restricted to a maximum of two in addition to the first attempt. Withdrawals are not counted as an attempt. Some graduate and professional schools will include all grades in their own calculations of the GPA when determining a student’s eligibility for admission, even though Ohio University calculates the GPA by using only the last grade in a retaken course.

Courses taken at Ohio University and retaken at another university are not eligible for grade point adjustment under this policy. Students should check with their college student services office regarding restrictions.

Retaking a course after graduation will not change graduation GPA or honors status.

To determine if a course is being offered, check Course Offerings . Some courses might not be offered during the semester in which you intend to take them. Students should contact the department/school offering the course for more specific scheduling information.

Some courses require fees in addition to the instructional and general fees. Course Offerings identifies sections of courses that require additional fees. Ohio University reserves the right to make, without prior notice, any fee adjustments that become necessary.