Course Title Guidelines

Titles for Courses in the Regular Curriculum

Titles for courses with permanent numbers have been set in the curriculum and may not be changed. Change in titles for these course require curricular approval.

Topics Courses

Some courses have been approved with permanent numbers but variable titles within certain topic areas. These courses are group-oriented and are required to carry a specific topic each term, rather than using the generic approved topic. Courses with variable topics are required to include ‘Top’ as part of the title.

Example:

  • HIST 4/534 Modern British History: [Topic] published as
  • HIST 4/534 Top The Royal Family O
  • HIST 4/534 Top Thatcher vs Blair

Open-Ended (Generic) Courses

These courses, such as readings and seminars, are generally more loosely structured than regular university offerings. Students meet with instructors either individually or in small groups. A variety of subjects may be offered under the same open-ended course number. There are two types of open-ended courses, Individualized Courses and Group-Oriented Courses.

*Note that the titles of some Generic Course numbers were updated effective fall 2022.  The titles here are those that are effective fall 2022 and later.

Individualized Courses

Courses may be left under generic CRNs with the instructors listed as STAFF until specific course title and instructor information is entered on SFAINDV. Certain individualized courses may not have specific titles added.

They may be treated as regular courses if a particular instructor will be working with several students on the same subject matter. In that case, specific sections must be set up for each separate topic and not left under the general STAFF section CRN.

Individualized courses can have more descriptive titles added, but must include the following required abbreviation:

General Title Required Abbreviation Course Number
Practicum or Field Studies Prac or Fld 196, 406, 606, 706
Special Studies Sp St 199, 299, 399
Research Res 401, 601
Internship Intern 404, 604, 704
Reading and Conference or Special Problems Read or Sp Pr 405, 605, 705

The required abbreviation must be included in the 22 character title count.

There are individualized courses for which titles cannot be changed. These are:

General Title ReMtle Course Number
Thesis Thesis 403, 503
Dissertation Dissertation 603
Supervised College Teaching or Supervised Tutoring Superv College Teach or Superv Tutoring 402, 602
Terminal Project or Capstone Terminal Project or Capstone 409, 609, 709

Group-Oriented Courses

Courses must be scheduled as regular courses, with specific CRNs for each section taught be a different instructor, a specific title, meeting times and days, etc., These courses cannot be treated as individualized courses, but may require the use of an abbreviated general title as the first word of the specific course title, as listed below.

General Title ReMtle Course Number
Seminar or Colloquium Sem or Coll 407/507, 607, 707
Workshop or Laboratory Projects Wrk or Lab 198, 408/508, 608, 708
Experimental Course use specific title 410/510, 610, 710

The required abbreviation must be included in the 22 character title count.

Course Title Guidelines

The title of a course should give a brief, general description of the subject matter covered. All course titles must be provided in English unless approved by the University Committee on Courses (UOCC) and listed in the University catalog in another language. As part of the official transcript record that may be reviewed by other institutions and prospective employers, titles should be easily understood by the general public and not couched in departmental or university jargon.

Please follow these guidelines when entering course titles:

  • Use no more than 22 spaces for the complete title, including any required abbreviations.
  • Use upper- and lowercase letters, capitalizing each word of the title.
  • Use English language in course titles unless approved by UOCC and listed in catalog.

Example: Res Mad Hatter Theory, Prac Turtle Geometry

  • Abbreviate words so that they may be easily deciphered. It is better to use three or four essential words that are understandable than to cram several words in by cutting them down to two letters each and losing the meaning entirely.

Example: Prac Valid Span Monitor NOT Prac Cu Va Sp Lng Mon

  • Delete articles of speech such as ‘of,’ ‘and,’ ‘the,’ etc., before trying to abbreviated more essential words in the title.

Example: Read Masters Project NOT Read For Mast Proj

  • Do not use punctuation unless it is crucial to the meaning of the title. Do not use a ‘?’ or ‘#.’ Ampersands (&) are acceptable as joining characters.

Example: Sem Russian Revolution NOT Sem: Russ Revolut Example: Read Child & Family Lit NOT Read: Chld/Family Lit

  • Be careful not to use abbreviations that result in unintentional innuendos or offensive phrases

Example: Don’t use ‘Anal’ for ‘Analysis,’ ‘Ass’ or ‘Asses’ for ‘Assessment,’ ‘Stud’ for ‘Student.’ Example: Prac Assess Stu Serv NOT Prac Ass Stud Service

  • Acronyms specific to a discipline or that someone outside the academic department would not understand should not be used. Names of specific programs or products should not be used unless additional words can be added to clarify.

Example: Wrk Intro SPSS Softwar NOT Wrk Intro SPSS Example: Intern Integ Admin Lic NOT Intern IAL Example: Sem Geog Info Sys NOT Sem GIS

 

Standard Course Title Abbreviations

 

Title Preferred Acceptable
Accounting Actg  
Administration Admin Adm
Advanced Adv  
Alternative Altern Alt
American Amer Am
Analysis Analy  
Ancient Anc  
Applied Appl  
Approach Appr  
Assessment Assess Assmt/Assessmt
Basic Bas  
Behavior Behav  
Century Cen C(ex:21C)
Child/Children Chld Ch
Classic Clas Class
Colloquium  Colloq Coll
Communication Commun Comm
Community  Commun Comm
Comparative Compar Comp
Computer Comput Comp
Concept Conc  
Concepts Concep Conc
Contrast Contr  
Creative Creat  
Critique/Criticism  Crit  
Culture  Cultur Cul
Current Curr  
Design Des  
Develop Devel Dev
Elementary Elem  
Ethnic Ethn  
Evolution  Evol  
Exceptional Excep Exc
Experience Exper  
Experiment Exper  
Family Fam  
Field Fld  
Function Func  
Fundamental Fund  
Gender Gend Gen
History  Hist Hst
Human Hum  
Independent Indep Indepen
Individual Indiv  
Information Info  
Inquiry Inquir Inq
Instrumental Instrum Instr
Integrated Integr Integ
Intermediate Interm Intermed/Int
International Intl  
Internship Intern  
Interpretation Interp  
Introduction Intro  
Issues Iss  
Leader Ldr Lead
Learn Lrn  
Literature/Literacy Lit  
Major Maj  
Management Mgmt Mgt
Market Mkt  
Method Meth  
Modern Mod  
National Natl  
Natural Natur Nat
Option  Opt  
Organize Organiz Org
Origin Orig  
Perspective Persp  
Physical Phys  
Planning Plan  
Policy Polic Pol
Politics Polit Pol
Practicum Prac  
Principle Princ Prin
Process Proc  
Program Progr Prog
Project Proj  
Psychology PsychPsy  
Reading Read  
Research Res  
Resource Resour  
Revolution Revol Rev
Seminar Sem  
Service Serv  
Skill Skl Sk
Society/Social Soc  
Software Softwar Softw
Special Spec Sp
Statistical Statis Stat
Strategies Strat  
Structure Struc  
Student Stu  
Study/Studies Stdy St
Supervise/Supervision Supv Superv
Survey  Surv  
Symbol Symb  
Synthesis Synth Syn
System Syst Sys
Teach Teac Tch
Technology/Technique Techn Tech
Theory Theo  
Topics Top  
Training Train Trng
Visual Vis  
Women Wom  
Workshop  Wrk  
World  Wld Wrld
Writing  Writ Wr
Year Yr