Dec 11, 2024  
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog

How to Read Course Descriptions


A course number indicates – in a general way – the difficulty and level of the student group for which the course is offered. Courses numbered 100 to 199 are primarily for freshmen; 200 to 299 for sophomores; 300 to 499 for juniors and seniors; 500 to 799 for juniors, seniors and graduate students. Students must attain sophomore standing (26 semester hours) before enrolling in any 300/400-level course. This rule does not apply to courses designated as General Education (GE).

The number in parentheses after the course title indicates the credit in semester hours (See credit hour policy below). A hyphen (-) between the numbers of a course indicates no credit will be given until all of the course sequence is successfully completed.

A colon (:) between the numbers of the course and semester hours credit indicates credit will be given as each semester of the course is completed, and they must be taken in order.

A comma (,) between the numbers of a course and semester hours credit indicates credit will be given as each semester of the course is completed. The line following the course title and credit tells the number of lecture and laboratory hours a week. The third line gives the prerequisite, if any.

Following some course descriptions will be listed the semester in which the course is offered (fall, spring). When no semester (or semesters) is listed at the end of the course description, then in most cases that course is offered each semester during the academic year. However, students must consult with their academic advisors to ensure that a course will be offered the semester they would like to take it.

To obtain detailed information regarding a specific course, students may view the complete course syllabus for a specific course by accessing the course through the Radford University computer network.

Credit Hour Policy
Radford University uses the Carnegie unit to measure semester credit hours awarded to students for course work. A semester credit hour is often measured by the number of hours of academic engagement and preparation (homework).   For courses offered during a regular semester that lasts at least 15 weeks of instruction, a semester credit hour is defined as 15 hours of academic engagement and 30 hours of preparation—totaling 45 hours of student work for an academic semester credit hour.

The Radford University credit hour policy is consistent with the Federal definition of a credit hour as “an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably approximates:

1. Not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time, or

2. At least an equivalent amount of work as required outlined in item 1 above for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.”

        (SACSCOC Credit Hours Policy Statement)

Specifically:
1. For lecture-based classes, a semester credit hour consists of the equivalent of at least one hour (50-minute period) per week of “seat time” in-class and two hours per week of out-of-class student work for fifteen weeks. Hence, a standard three semester credit hour lecture class meets for at least forty-five contact hours and 90 hours of outside activities per fifteen week semester.

2. For laboratory classes, one semester credit hour consists of the equivalent of a minimum of three hours of laboratory work per week for fifteen weeks.

3. For individual instruction classes, e.g., independent and directed studies, the total number of hours of work required of students is equivalent to that of a traditional class that meets face-to-face.

4. For classes offered in an alternative or compressed format, the hours are prorated so the classes contain the same total number of hours as if the classes were scheduled for a full fifteen-week semester.

5. For graduate and professional students, the required academic work normally will exceed a minimum of two hours of out of class work per credit per week.  

See the full Credit Hour Policy and Procedures here.

Course Prefix

ACTG Accounting
ANSC Anthropological Sciences
APST Appalachian Studies
ASL American Sign Language
ARAB Arabic
ART Art
ARTE Art Education
ARTG Art Graphic Design
ARTH Art History
ARTS Art Studio
ASTR Astronomy
ATTR Athletic Training
BIOL Biology
BLAW Business Law
CHEM Chemistry
CHNS Chinese (Mandarin)
CLSS Classics
COBE Business and Economics
COED Counselor Education
COMS Communication and Media Studies
COSD Communication Sciences and Disorders
CORE Core Foundations
CRJU Criminal Justice
CVPA Performing Arts
DNCE Dance
DSN Design
DSNF Fashion
DSNI Interior Design
DSNM Design Merchandising
ECON Economic
EDEC Education/Early Childhood
EDEF Educational Foundations
EDET Educational Technology
EDME Middle Education
EDRD Reading
EDSP Special Education
EDUC Education
ENGL English
ESHE Exercise, Sport and Health Education
FINC Finance
FORL Foreign Language
FOSC Forensic Science
FREN French
GEOG Geography
GEOL Geology
GEOS Geospatial Science
GRMN German
HIST History
HLTH Health Education
HNRS Honors
HUMD Human Development
IDST Interdisciplinary Studies in Liberal Arts
INST International Studies
ITEC Information Technology
LATN Latin
LEAD Student Leadership Program
MATH Mathematics
MGNT Management
MKTG Marketing
MSCI Military Science
MUSC Music
NURS Nursing
NUTR Nutrition and Dietetics
OURS Office of Undergraduate Research and Scholarship
PEAC Peace Studies
PHIL Philosophy
PHSC Physical Science
PHYS Physics
POSC Political Science
PSYC Psychology
RCPT Recreation, Parks and Tourism
RELN Religious Studies
RUSS Russian
SOCY Sociology
SOWK Social Work
SPAN Spanish
STAT Statistics
THEA Theatre and Cinema
UNIV University 100
WGST Women’s and Gender Studies