05-27-2009, 11:28 AM
(This post was last modified: 05-27-2009, 11:49 AM by cookderosa.)
Ok, no one here is a dummy 
I thought I'd steal that title 
. After a couple mix ups, I thought this post might be helpful for people who might be confused about credit classification. It's important to remember the distinction between types of credits when picking your credits. This isn't an inclusive tutorial, but this covers most of it.
The alpha-numeric is the course prefix and number: ENG101 (English department, course 101)
Starting at the top, here are the basics-
Liberal Arts/General Education (also called Gen Ed) credits include only credits classified as: math, natural science, social science, and humanities.
[INDENT][/INDENT]To find a credit classification, if it's a class, look at the prefix (not title). For example- PSY101 or PSCH101 both indicate the department to be psychology. Psychology is a social science- so therefore, this class will be a liberal arts credit.
Here is another example.
Class: MAT121 Algebra for Nurses vs. NUR121 Algebra for Nurses
In this example, these classes are not the same. MAT121 will be a general education course (math = liberal arts) while NUR121 will be a free elective. More about free electives later.
General Education Electives credits include only credits classified as: math, natural science, social science, and humanities- this is an overflow area.
[INDENT][/INDENT]Once you have met all of your college's general education requirements (12 social science, 12 humanities, etc) then any additional courses in these areas will overflow into GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVES. In this area, the only requirement is that the course be from the liberal arts area- in other words it's an elective because they are not restricting you from picking the subject. You could have 18 credits in humanities- or 3 humanities...it's up to you. This type of elective must be liberal arts.
Major/Concentration
This area is specific to your area of study. The classes in this area are usually very specific, can be from any classification, and in any amount. Where a class is classified if it is OUTSIDE a major is irrelevant- if it is a major requirement, that trumps everything else. The class Microeconomics, for example, can be a major requirement (also called core requirement). In this case, the fact that it would be social science in someone else's degree doesn't matter. In this degree it is a core/major. Likewise, the course Global Business would be a free elective in another degree, while the business student would include that in major.
Free Electives This is the only area without restriction. Any overflow from Gen Ed Electives, Major, or previous transfer credits can all fall here. This is the bottom of the hierarchy, the basement if you will. Even as a business major, a class in welding could be "used" because the credit was regionally accredited or ACE evaluated. FEMA classes fall here. Credits that are free electives either start here (because they are not liberal arts or in major) or they end up here (as overflow from another area). In the first example, the NUR121 Algebra for Nursing will be in this category because it is not a math class- it is a nursing class. Now, only if the student was a BSN/nursing student would there be a possibility of this class being raised up to major/concentration.
Unofficial Evaluations
You can get a general idea of where your credits are going to be classified if you follow these principles. For anyone with an AAS/AOS degree- the majority of your credits will be free electives if they are not your new major. (because- in major can be dictated by the college- all rules are out the window) If you have an AA/AS, then the majority of your credits will be liberal arts, thus the overflow will put you in an optimal position of only needing credits in major + free electives.
There is one area that can be confusing- computers. Some schools consider computer courses math, others consider it an applied technology course. Otherwise, credit evaluation is very very simple- and when you pull together all of your transcripts- simply look for the prefix (also called alphas) and classify.
A short list of prefixes, there are millions more
Liberal Arts:
[INDENT]MATH[/INDENT]
MAT, math
*some computer prefixes apply, but I'm leaving those off
[INDENT]NATURAL SCIENCE[/INDENT]
BIO, biology
CHE, CHM, chemistry
PHY, physics
[INDENT]HUMANITIES[/INDENT]
PHI, PHL, philosophy
ART, art
MUS, music
LIT, literature
ENG, english
REL, religion
FRE, french
SPA, SPI, SPN, spanish
GER, german
RUS, russian
[INDENT]SOCIAL SCIENCE[/INDENT]
ANT, anthropology
ARC, archeology
PSY, PSC, PSYH, psychology
SOC, sociology
SOS, social sciences
ECO, economics
GVT, government
HIS, history
CMJ, CJ, criminal justice
Not Liberal Arts - everything else
Courses taught from these departments are NOT liberal arts:
Business, Nursing, all health fields, counseling or social work, law enforcement, culinary arts, Industrial arts, anything with the word technology in the department name, child care, most classes in certificate programs, all continuing education programs, cosmetology, welding, equestrian, accounting, horticulture, and ALL CLASSES from departments that offer AAS or AOS degrees instead of AS or AA degrees - no matter the title.
The numeric part of alpha-numerics.
000- remedial course. Can count as credit (for financial aid, to determine course load, enrollment status, as a pre-req) but does not count as meeting degree requirement.
100 - one hundred level, freshman
200 - two hundred level, sophomore
300 - three hundred level, junior
400 - four hundred level, senior
some colleges require x number of credits at each level. Schools like TESC count 200 and above as upper level (for purposes of credit in major) while other schools like EC spell out 300 and 400 level requirements. Generally, courses at the 100 level are not allowed as part of your major- but some schools, like TESC, will allow a few (TESC allows 2).
Here is an attempt at a flow chart to sum up the concepts:
Math = Liberal Arts Gen Ed requirement -> Overflows to Gen ed. electives -> Overflows to free elective
Natural Science = Liberal Arts Gen Ed requirement -> Overflows to Gen ed. electives -> Overflows to free elective
Humanities = Liberal Arts Gen Ed requirement -> Overflows to Gen ed. electives -> Overflows to free elective
Social Science = Liberal Arts Gen Ed requirement -> Overflows to Gen ed. electives -> Overflows to free elective
Courses in major = Major requirement -> Overflows to free elective (unless from math, science, humanities, soc science dept- use flow chart)
Everything Else = Free electives
I thought I'd steal that title . After a couple mix ups, I thought this post might be helpful for people who might be confused about credit classification. It's important to remember the distinction between types of credits when picking your credits. This isn't an inclusive tutorial, but this covers most of it.The alpha-numeric is the course prefix and number: ENG101 (English department, course 101)
Starting at the top, here are the basics-
Liberal Arts/General Education (also called Gen Ed) credits include only credits classified as: math, natural science, social science, and humanities.
[INDENT][/INDENT]To find a credit classification, if it's a class, look at the prefix (not title). For example- PSY101 or PSCH101 both indicate the department to be psychology. Psychology is a social science- so therefore, this class will be a liberal arts credit.
Here is another example.
Class: MAT121 Algebra for Nurses vs. NUR121 Algebra for Nurses
In this example, these classes are not the same. MAT121 will be a general education course (math = liberal arts) while NUR121 will be a free elective. More about free electives later.
General Education Electives credits include only credits classified as: math, natural science, social science, and humanities- this is an overflow area.
[INDENT][/INDENT]Once you have met all of your college's general education requirements (12 social science, 12 humanities, etc) then any additional courses in these areas will overflow into GENERAL EDUCATION ELECTIVES. In this area, the only requirement is that the course be from the liberal arts area- in other words it's an elective because they are not restricting you from picking the subject. You could have 18 credits in humanities- or 3 humanities...it's up to you. This type of elective must be liberal arts.
Major/Concentration
This area is specific to your area of study. The classes in this area are usually very specific, can be from any classification, and in any amount. Where a class is classified if it is OUTSIDE a major is irrelevant- if it is a major requirement, that trumps everything else. The class Microeconomics, for example, can be a major requirement (also called core requirement). In this case, the fact that it would be social science in someone else's degree doesn't matter. In this degree it is a core/major. Likewise, the course Global Business would be a free elective in another degree, while the business student would include that in major.
Free Electives This is the only area without restriction. Any overflow from Gen Ed Electives, Major, or previous transfer credits can all fall here. This is the bottom of the hierarchy, the basement if you will. Even as a business major, a class in welding could be "used" because the credit was regionally accredited or ACE evaluated. FEMA classes fall here. Credits that are free electives either start here (because they are not liberal arts or in major) or they end up here (as overflow from another area). In the first example, the NUR121 Algebra for Nursing will be in this category because it is not a math class- it is a nursing class. Now, only if the student was a BSN/nursing student would there be a possibility of this class being raised up to major/concentration.
Unofficial Evaluations
You can get a general idea of where your credits are going to be classified if you follow these principles. For anyone with an AAS/AOS degree- the majority of your credits will be free electives if they are not your new major. (because- in major can be dictated by the college- all rules are out the window) If you have an AA/AS, then the majority of your credits will be liberal arts, thus the overflow will put you in an optimal position of only needing credits in major + free electives.
There is one area that can be confusing- computers. Some schools consider computer courses math, others consider it an applied technology course. Otherwise, credit evaluation is very very simple- and when you pull together all of your transcripts- simply look for the prefix (also called alphas) and classify.
A short list of prefixes, there are millions more
Liberal Arts:
[INDENT]MATH[/INDENT]
MAT, math
*some computer prefixes apply, but I'm leaving those off
[INDENT]NATURAL SCIENCE[/INDENT]
BIO, biology
CHE, CHM, chemistry
PHY, physics
[INDENT]HUMANITIES[/INDENT]
PHI, PHL, philosophy
ART, art
MUS, music
LIT, literature
ENG, english
REL, religion
FRE, french
SPA, SPI, SPN, spanish
GER, german
RUS, russian
[INDENT]SOCIAL SCIENCE[/INDENT]
ANT, anthropology
ARC, archeology
PSY, PSC, PSYH, psychology
SOC, sociology
SOS, social sciences
ECO, economics
GVT, government
HIS, history
CMJ, CJ, criminal justice
Not Liberal Arts - everything else
Courses taught from these departments are NOT liberal arts:
Business, Nursing, all health fields, counseling or social work, law enforcement, culinary arts, Industrial arts, anything with the word technology in the department name, child care, most classes in certificate programs, all continuing education programs, cosmetology, welding, equestrian, accounting, horticulture, and ALL CLASSES from departments that offer AAS or AOS degrees instead of AS or AA degrees - no matter the title.
The numeric part of alpha-numerics.
000- remedial course. Can count as credit (for financial aid, to determine course load, enrollment status, as a pre-req) but does not count as meeting degree requirement.
100 - one hundred level, freshman
200 - two hundred level, sophomore
300 - three hundred level, junior
400 - four hundred level, senior
some colleges require x number of credits at each level. Schools like TESC count 200 and above as upper level (for purposes of credit in major) while other schools like EC spell out 300 and 400 level requirements. Generally, courses at the 100 level are not allowed as part of your major- but some schools, like TESC, will allow a few (TESC allows 2).
Here is an attempt at a flow chart to sum up the concepts:
Math = Liberal Arts Gen Ed requirement -> Overflows to Gen ed. electives -> Overflows to free elective
Natural Science = Liberal Arts Gen Ed requirement -> Overflows to Gen ed. electives -> Overflows to free elective
Humanities = Liberal Arts Gen Ed requirement -> Overflows to Gen ed. electives -> Overflows to free elective
Social Science = Liberal Arts Gen Ed requirement -> Overflows to Gen ed. electives -> Overflows to free elective
Courses in major = Major requirement -> Overflows to free elective (unless from math, science, humanities, soc science dept- use flow chart)
Everything Else = Free electives
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