Academic Catalog
Course Numbering and Prefixes
Course Levels
An understanding of course load requirements and a description of classes open to students at different levels is useful before enrolling.
The university course numbering system indicates courses generally available to students at different levels.
Courses that do not require prerequisites are available to students with the necessary level of experience.
- 100–299 Lower-division courses are primarily for freshmen* and sophomore* students.
- 300–499 Upper-division courses are primarily for juniors* and seniors.*
- 500–599 These graduate courses are open to graduate students and qualified undergraduate seniors.
- 600–699 These courses are open to all students admitted to graduate study.
- 700–799 These are advanced graduate courses, usually reserved for doctoral students.
If a course has a prerequisite, you must either have received credit for the prerequisite or be completing the prerequisite before you can take the course. Otherwise, you must present satisfactory evidence to the course instructor that you can successfully complete the work. If a course is listed with a corequisite, you must enroll in both courses at the same time.
You may take any course listed without a prerequisite if you have the necessary level of experience (as explained below). For example, normally a first-year student shouldn't enroll in a course at the 300 level or above, and a sophomore shouldn't enroll in a course at the 400 level or above.
Academic Levels*
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*The Registrar's Office classifies students based on the number of units completed by the close of the preceding term.
| Number of Units | Academic Level |
|---|---|
| 0-29 | Freshman |
| 30-59 | Sophomore |
| 60-89 | Junior |
| 90 or more | Senior |
Course Designation
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NAU currently uses seven designations at the end of course numbers to indicate specific kinds of courses. These are:
| Letter | Designation |
|---|---|
| C | Senior capstone course, approved by the Liberal Studies Committee |
| H | Honors course |
| I | Integrated: two or more courses taken concurrently (as corequisites) by a cohort of students. |
| L | Laboratory course |
| R | Recitation course |
| W | Junior-level writing requirement course. The Liberal Studies Committee approves courses for "W" status. |
| X | Developmental course, taken when a student is not ready for a non-X course. Readiness may be based on a low placement score or the need to develop basic competency. An "X" course may be counted for financial aid purposes, but not for academic requirements or Grade Point Average (GPA) calculations. |
Course Prefixes
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We use the following codes, or prefixes, in course descriptions at NAU and NAU Extended Campuses.
For descriptions of specific courses that Northern Arizona University offers, see Northern Arizona University's course catalog and schedule of classes at nau.edu/LOUIE.
| Course Code | Course Subject |
|---|---|
| ACC | Accounting |
| ACM | Arts and Cultural Management |
| ADM | Administration |
| ADV | Advertising |
| AHBY | Applied Human Behavior |
| AIS | Applied Indigenous Studies |
| ANT | Anthropology |
| ARB | Arabic |
| ARE | Art Education |
| ARH | Art History |
| ART | Art |
| AS | Aerospace Studies |
| ASN | Asian Studies |
| AST | Astronomy |
| AT | Athletic Training |
| BA | Business Administration |
| BBA | Bachelor Business Administration |
| BIO | Biological Sciences |
| BME | Bilingual and Multicultural Education |
| BUS | Bachelor of University Studies |
| CC | Community College Education |
| CCJ | Criminology and Criminal Justice |
| CCS | Comparative Cultural Studies |
| CDSY | Community Dev't & Sustainability |
| CENE | Civil and Environmental Engineering |
| CENS | College of Engineering and Natural Sciences |
| CHI | Chinese |
| CHM | Chemistry |
| CIE | Center for International Education |
| CINE | Cinema |
| CIS | Computer Information Systems |
| CM | Construction Management |
| COM | Communication |
| COMY | Communications |
| CS | Computer Science |
| CSAY | Computer Systems & Applications |
| CSD | Communication Sciences and Disorders |
| CST | Communication Studies |
| CTE | Career and Technical Education |
| DH | Dental Hygiene |
| DIS | Disability Studies |
| ECI | Curriculum and Instruction |
| ECO | Economics |
| EDF | Educational Foundations |
| EDL | Educational Leadership |
| EDR | Educational Research |
| EE | Electrical Engineering |
| EES | Earth & Environmental Science |
| EGR | General Engineering |
| EM | Electronic Media |
| EMF | Electronic Media and Film |
| ENG | English |
| ENGY | English |
| ENTY | Entrepreneurship |
| ENV | Environmental Sciences |
| ENVY | Environmental Sciences |
| EPS | Educational Psychology |
| ES | Ethnic Studies |
| ESE | Education, Special Education |
| ETC | Educational Technology Curriculum |
| EXS | Exercise Science |
| FIN | Finance |
| FOR | Forestry |
| FRE | French |
| FS | First Year Seminar |
| FW | Fitness Wellness |
| GC | Graduate College Course |
| GCS | Grand Canyon Semester |
| GEOY | Geography |
| GER | German |
| GLG | Geology |
| GRK | Greek |
| GRT | Gerontology |
| GSP | Geographic Science & Community Planning |
| HA | Hospitality Administration |
| HAR | Humanities, Arts, and Religion |
| HHS | Health And Human Services |
| HIS | History |
| HISY | History |
| HON | Honors |
| HPI | Health Policy Institute |
| HS | Health Science |
| HUM | Humanities |
| HUMY | Humanities |
| ID | Interior Design |
| ITA | Italian |
| JLS | Journalism |
| JPN | Japanese |
| LAN | Language |
| LAT | Latin |
| LS | Library Science |
| MAT | Mathematics |
| MATY | Mathematics |
| ME | Mechanical Engineering |
| MER | Merchandising |
| MGT | Management |
| MKT | Marketing |
| MLS | Master of Liberal Studies |
| MS | Military Science |
| MST | Museum Studies |
| MUP | Music Performance |
| MUS | Music |
| NAU | Northern Arizona University |
| NAUY | Northern Arizona University |
| NAV | Navajo |
| NSE | National Student Exchange |
| NTS | Nutrition Science |
| NUR | Nursing |
| PAS | Public Agency Service |
| PE | Physical Education |
| PES | Physical Education Service |
| PHA | Physician Assistant Studies |
| PHI | Philosophy |
| PHIY | Philosophy |
| PHO | Photography |
| PHS | Physical Science |
| PHY | Physics |
| PM | Project Management |
| POS | Political Science |
| PR | Public Relations |
| PRM | Parks and Recreation Management |
| PSY | Psychology |
| PSYY | Psychology |
| PT | Physical Therapy |
| QS | Quaternary Sciences |
| REL | Religious Studies |
| RUS | Russian |
| SA | Study Abroad |
| SBS | Social and Behavioral Sciences |
| SCI | Science |
| SHP | School of Health Professions |
| SIMY | Service Industry Management |
| SOC | Sociology |
| SOCY | Sociology |
| SPA | Spanish |
| SPAY | Spanish |
| SST | Speech Sciences and Technology |
| STA | Statistics |
| STUY | Student Success Skills |
| SUS | Sustainability |
| SW | Social Work |
| SWS | Southwest Studies |
| TH | Theatre |
| TSM | Teaching Science and Math |
| UC | University Colloquium |
| USC | Undergraduate Studies Course |
| VC | Visual Communication |
| WGS | Women's and Gender Studies |
| WLLC | World Language, Literatures, and Cultures |
Course Lines
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NAU uses the following courses for the in-depth study of an aspect, concept, or problem in existing plans of study. Such courses share a common purpose and style but are intended to make the curriculum more flexible. They can be used in any department and then carry the appropriate departmental code.
| Undergraduate Course Lines | |
|---|---|
| 199 Special Topics (1-3) |
Foundations of intellectual inquiry. In-depth study of a substantive problem. Letter grade only. May be repeated for up to 6 units of credit. A specific topic may be offered under this course line no more than three times. |
| 208 Fieldwork Experience (1-6) |
Supervised field experience in an appropriate organization, for students with limited background in a discipline. Pass-Fail only. prerequisite: permission of supervising department or college. |
| 299 Special Topics (1-3) |
In-depth study of an aspect, concept, or problem. Letter grade only. May be repeated for up to 6 units of credit. A specific topic may be offered under this course line no more than three times. |
| 389 Cooperative Education (1-12) |
Individualized preplanned cooperative employment experience related to your field of study or career objectives. Pass-Fail only. May be repeated for up to 12 units of credit. Fee required. |
| 399 Special Topics (1-3) |
In-depth study of an aspect, concept, or problem. Letter grade only. May be repeated for up to 6 units of credit. A specific topic may be offered under this course line no more than three times. |
| 408 Fieldwork Experience (1-12) |
Individualized supervised field experience in an appropriate agency or organization. Pass-Fail only. May be repeated for up to 12 units of credit. Fee required. |
| 466 Legislative Internship (1-12) |
Supervised internship in the Arizona Legislature during spring term. Students are selected on a competitive basis, and you must apply during the fall term. (To be eligible, you must be a candidate for a bachelor's degree, have completed all lower-division requirements, and have attained senior status at the end of the fall term preceding the internship.) Course enrollment is handled by the associate provost for academic administration after the legislature has made its final selection. Pass-Fail only. |
| 485 Undergraduate Research (1-6) |
Individualized original research under the supervision of a research advisor. Pass-Fail or letter grade. May be repeated for up to 12 units of credit. |
| 497 Independent Study (1-6) |
Individualized approach to selected topics by guided reading and critical evaluation. Pass-Fail or letter grade. May be repeated for up to 6 units of credit. |
| 499 Contemporary Developments (1-3) |
Examines recent trends and investigations in a selected area. Letter grade only. May be repeated for up to 6 units of credit. A specific topic may be offered under this course line no more than three times. |
| Graduate Course Lines | |
|---|---|
| 566 Legislative Internship (1-12) |
Supervised internship in the Arizona Legislature during spring term. You must apply during fall term; selection is competitive, and you must be a candidate for a graduate degree. Enrollment is handled by the internship coordinator after the legislature has made its final selection. Pass-Fail only. |
| 587 Professional Development Seminar (1-3) |
Designed to assist in preparing you for entry into your professional arena. Pass-Fail or letter grade, depending on department policy. |
| 593 Workshop (1-3) |
Topical instruction involving exchange of ideas, practical methods, skills, and principles. You may count up to 6 units of 593 toward your graduate plan. Pass-Fail only. |
| 597 Reading for Comprehensive Exam (1-9) |
Preparation for comprehensive examination. Pass-Fail only. |
| 599 Contemporary Developments (1-3) |
Examines recent trends and investigations in a selected area. Pass-Fail or letter grade, depending on department policy. A specific topic may be offered under this course line no more than three times. |
| 608 Fieldwork Experience (1-12) |
Supervised field experience in an appropriate agency, organization, or situation. May not exceed 12 units of credit. Pass-Fail only. Fee required. |
| 685 Graduate Research (1-6) |
Individualized directed research on selected topics. Pass-Fail or letter grade, depending on department policy. |
| 687 Professional Development Seminar (1-3) |
Designed to assist in preparing you for entry into your professional arena. Pass-Fail or letter grade, depending on department policy. |
| 689 Final Project (1-9) |
Individualized final or capstone project. Pass-Fail or letter grade, depending on department policy. |
| 697 Independent Study (1-3) |
Individualized directed study on selected topics. Pass-Fail or letter grade, depending on departmental policy. Note that no more than 3 units may be included on a master's plan in education. |
| 698 Graduate Seminar (1-3) |
Reading and discussion on selected advanced topics. Pass-Fail or letter grade, depending on department policy. |
| 699 Thesis (1-9) |
Individualized directed research, writing, and oral defense of selected thesis topic. Pass-Fail only. prerequisite: admission to master's plan. |
| 799 Dissertation (1-9) |
Individualized directed research, writing, and oral defense of selected dissertation topic. Pass-Fail only. |