Florida Statewide Course Numbering System

The course numbers appearing in the catalog are part of a statewide system of prefixes and numbers developed for use by all public postsecondary and participating private institutions in Florida. One of the major purposes of this system is to make transferring easier by identifying courses which are equivalent, no matter where they are taught in the state. All courses designated as equivalent will carry the same prefix and last three digits.

The classifying and numbering of courses is done by faculty in each academic discipline. Their work was reviewed by faculty members in all Florida's postsecondary institutions who made suggestions and criticisms to be incorporated into the system.

The course numbering system is, by law, descriptive and not prescriptive. It in no way limits or controls what courses may be offered or how they are taught. It does not affect course titles or descriptions at individual schools. It seeks only to describe what is being offered in postsecondary education in Florida in a manner that is intelligible and useful to students, faculty, and other interested users of the system.

The course numbering system was developed so that equivalent courses could be accepted for transfer without misunderstanding. Each public institution is to accept for transfer credit any course which carries the same prefix and last three digits as a course at the receiving institution. For example, if a student has taken SYG-010 at a community college, he/she cannot be required to repeat SYG-010 at a community college to which he/she transfers. Further, credit for any course or its equivalent, as judged by the appropriate faculty task force and published in the course numbering system, which can be used by a native student to satisfy degree requirements at a public institution, can also be used for that purpose by a transfer student regardless of where the credit was earned.

It should be noted that a receiving institution is not precluded from using nonequivalent courses for satisfying certain requirements.

General Rule For Course Equivalencies

All undergraduate courses bearing the same alpha prefix and last three numbers (and alpha suffix, if present) have been agreed upon by a faculty committee to be equivalent. For example, an introductory course in sociology is offered in over 36 postsecondary institutions in Florida. Since these courses are considered to be equivalent, each will carry the designator SYG-000.

First Digit

The first digit of the course number is assigned by the institution, generally to indicate the year it is offered; i.e., "1" indicates freshman year, "2" indicates sophomore year. In the sociology example mentioned above, one school which offers the course in the freshman year will number it SYG-1000; a school offering the same course in the sophomore year will number it SYG-2000. The variance in the first numbers does not affect the equivalency. If the prefix and last three digits are the same, the courses are substantively equivalent.

Titles

Each institution will retain its own title for each of its courses. The sociology courses mentioned are titled at different schools as "Introductory Sociology," "General Sociology," and "Principles of Sociology." The title does not affect the equivalency. The courses will carry the same prefix and last three digits; that is what identifies them as equivalent.