Courses of Study

The semester course schedule is published each term by the Office of the Registrar. Copies are available for distribution to students and are posted on the University’s website.

Most Fisk courses are four semester hours of academic credit. For conventional lecture courses, the following schedule patterns are most common: 1) 70-minute classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; and 2) 100- minute classes on Tuesday and Thursday.

Fisk's course numbering system is designed to provide a simple guide to the level of expectation and frequency of scheduling associated with each course offered.

Courses are assigned three-digit numbers. Courses numbered between 100 and 199 are open to qualified students of any undergraduate classification. Courses numbered between 200 and 299 are normally open only to students with sophomore or above standing. Classification at the junior or above level is normally required for courses numbered 300 to 399, and senior or graduate standing is usually required courses in the 400 to 499 range. Courses numbered 500 or above are normally open only to graduate students. Within each of these ranges, course numbers should not be interpreted to reflect relative levels of difficulty.

Courses with numbers ending in zero may be offered in either the fall or the spring semester and are frequently offered in both. Other even-numbered courses are normally offered in the spring semester only, while odd-numbered courses are normally offered in the fall. Certain courses are offered only in alternate years or as demand requires. The fall semester of each year determines designation of a year as odd or even. Thus, for the dates of this Bulletin, 2012- 2013 is an even year while 2013-2014 is an odd year. On rare occasions, it may be necessary to offer a course out of its ordinary sequence. In such cases, odd-numbered courses offered in the spring will carry the letter “S”; even- numbered courses offered in the fall will carry the letter “F”.

Full year courses are designated by an odd and even course number joined by a hyphen. These courses are integral and indivisible and credit for either semester may be withheld unless both semesters of the course are passed.

The "L" suffix to a course number indicates a laboratory section, which in most cases should be taken concurrently with the corresponding lecture section. [In some departments, however, laboratory sections carry distinct course numbers without the letter designation.]

Other letter suffixes, "A" through "G," may be used to designate sections of seminar or "special topics" courses that focus on different subjects and may have changing course subtitles from one section to another or from one semester to the next. Special topics courses may be taken more than once.

Sequence of courses taken is determined by the prerequisites listed in the course description and by the level of the course as indicated by the course number. Course instructors may waive prerequisites by signing the appropriate waiver form. Students are given latitude in selecting from among Fisk's course offerings as long as prerequisites and other criteria for course admission are met. In certain cases, where the course is in the major field of study (or a cognate course for the major), approval of the department chair may be required. Graduate courses may be open to advanced undergraduate students with the approval of the Instructor.