Course/Credit Hour Definitions

Credit Hour Defined

A credit hour is a measure of graduate or undergraduate academic work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that reasonably approximates not less than one hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work for each week of instructional time for approximately 15 weeks for one semester, or an equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time. A class hour at Wichita State University is typically 50 minutes.

The number of hours of credit for each course is indicated in parentheses following the course title in the academic catalog. Course descriptions include information about the breakdown of class and laboratory hours when applicable. Two hours of laboratory work usually are required for 1 hour of credit.

Course Numbering System

Courses numbered 99 or below do not count toward any degree program.

Courses numbered 100 to 299 are designed primarily for freshmen and sophomores, but students from other classes may be admitted for lower-division credit. Graduate students may not take these courses for graduate credit.

Courses numbered 300 to 499 are taught primarily for juniors and seniors. Freshmen and sophomores also may be admitted for upper-division credit if they satisfy the course prerequisites given in the Wichita State University Undergraduate Catalog. Graduate students may not take these courses for graduate credit.

Courses numbered 500 to 699 are aimed primarily at juniors and seniors, but graduate students may receive graduate credit for these courses.

Courses numbered 700 to 799 are structured primarily for graduate students, but upper-division undergraduate students may be admitted if they meet course prerequisites. All students in these courses are expected to perform at the level of graduate students (Graduate I students — students who ordinarily have not accumulated more than 30 credit hours in a graduate program). Students receive graduate credit if the student was admitted to the Graduate School prior to enrollment; undergraduate students receive undergraduate credit unless the student was preapproved to earn graduate credit for that specific course under the senior rule policy, or was preapproved for graduate credit for that specific course following the student’s admission to a dual/accelerated bachelor’s to master’s program. (See the section called Graduate Credit for Undergraduates for special conditions under which seniors may be admitted to graduate courses.)

Courses numbered 800 to 999 are designed for graduate students only and no students may be admitted to these courses unless they have been admitted to the Graduate School. 

Course Subject Abbreviations

The following abbreviations of academic departments and subject areas are used in references to courses offered by those departments.

AC Applied Computing
ACCT Accounting
AE Aerospace Engineering
ANTH Anthropology
APEN Applied Engineering
ARAB Arabic
ARTE Art Education
ARTF Art and Design Foundation
ARTG Graphic Design
ARTH Art History
ARTS Studio Arts
ASL American Sign Language
BADM General Business Administration
BIOL Biological Sciences
BLAW Business Law
BME Biomedical Engineering
BSAN Business Analytics
CAS Applied Studies
CESP Counseling, Educational and School Psychology
CHEM Chemistry
CHIN Chinese
CI Curriculum and Instruction
CIPE Curriculum and Instruction Physical Education
CJ Criminal Justice
CLES Counseling, Educational Leadership, Educational and School Psychology
COMM Communication
CS Computer Science
CSD Communication Sciences and Disorders
DANC Dance
DH Dental Hygiene
DS Decision Sciences
ECE Electrical and Computer Engineering
ECON Economics
EDUC Education
EEPS Earth, Environmental and Physical Sciences
EL Educational Leadership
EMBA Executive Master of Business Administration
ENGL English Language and Literature
ENGR General Engineering
ENGT Engineering Technology1
ENTR Entrepreneurship
ETHS Ethnic Studies
FA Fine Arts — General
FIN Finance
FREN French
FS Forensic Science
FYAN First-Year Seminar ANTH
FYAP First-Year Seminar APEN
FYAR First-Year Seminar ART
FYBI First-Year Seminar BIOL
FYCH First-Year Seminar CHEM
FYCJ First-Year Seminar CJ
FYCM First-Year Seminar COMM
FYEC First-Year Seminar ECON
FYED First-Year Seminar SED
FYEN First-Year Seminar ENGL
FYGE First-Year Seminar GEOL
FYHN First-Year Seminar HN
FYHP First-Year Seminar CHP
FYHS First-Year Seminar HIST
FYID First-Year Seminar ID
FYIM First-Year Seminar ISME
FYIS First-Year Seminar ISLE
FYLA First-Year Seminar LAS
FYMG First-Year Seminar MGMT
FYMK First-Year Seminar MKT
FYML First-Year Seminar MCLL
FYMP First-Year Seminar MSP
FYMS First-Year Seminar MLS
FYMU First-Year Seminar MUS
FYPF First-Year Seminar PERF
FYPH First-Year Seminar PHS
FYPL First-Year Seminar PHIL
FYPS First-Year Seminar POLS
FYSO First-Year Seminar SOC
FYSP First-Year Seminar SLS
FYSW First-Year Seminar SCWK
FYWS First-Year Seminar WOMS
GEOG Geography
GEOL Geology
GERM German
GREK Greek
HA Health Administration
HIST History
HLS Homeland Security
HNRS Honors Program
HP Health Professions — General
HPS Human Performance Studies
HRM Human Resource Management
HS Health Sciences
HSP Hospitality
IB International Business
ID Innovative Design
IME Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
ISLE Intervention Services and Leadership in Education
ITAL Italian
JAPN Japanese
LASI Liberal Arts Interdisciplinary
LATN Latin
LEAD Leadership
LING Linguistics
MART Media Arts
MATH Mathematics
MBA Master of Business Administration
MCLL Modern and Classical Languages and Literature
ME Mechanical Engineering
MGMT Management
MILS Military Science
MIS Management Information Systems
MKT Marketing
MLS Medical Laboratory Sciences
MUSA Applied Music
MUSC Musicology-Composition
MUSE Music Education
MUSP Music Performance
NURS Nursing
PA Physician Associate
PADM Public Administration
PC Personal Computing
PHIL Philosophy
PHS Public Health Sciences
PHYS Physics
POLS Political Science
PSY Psychology
PT Physical Therapy
RE Real Estate and Land Use Economics
REL Religion
RUSS Russian
SCWK Social Work
SMGT Sports Management
SOC Sociology
SPAN Spanish
SPED Special Education
STAT Statistics
TAP Teacher Apprentice Program
THEA Theatre
WOMS Women's Studies
WSUA First-Year Seminar: Liberal Arts and Sciences
WSUH First-Year Seminar: Health Professions
1

ENGT subject courses are in the process of changing to subject code APEN (Applied Engineering) at the time of catalog publication. Check with department for list of available courses.