Proposing New Courses

To request a new course, prepare a New Course Outline form and obtain the necessary department, college, (and where appropriate, Graduate College) approvals.

The following information is provided to assist in completing the New Course Outline form. Specific questions regarding the form should be directed to the Office of the Provost at 244-9096.

Note: the field lengths in the New Course Outline form are locked. Certain fields lengths are determined by the number of allowable characters in Banner. When applicable, the field limit is noted in parentheses.

Additional information for specific items on the Course Outline Form is detailed below. Numbers below correspond to the form.

Units proposing or revising courses carrying graduate credit are encouraged to visit the Graduate College Guidlines for Developing Courses and Programs.

Basic Course Information

Item 1. Banner Subject and Course Number

000-099 Noncredit, preparatory course
100-199 Lower level undergraduate courses, typically taken by freshmen
200-299 Lower level undergraduate courses, typically taken by sophomores
300-399 Upper level undergraduate courses, typically taken by juniors
400-499 Upper level undergraduate and graduate courses, typically taken by seniors and beginning graduate students (may be designated for undergraduates only, or both)
500-599 Graduate courses
600-799 Professional courses (available to Law and Vet Med only)

 

Re-Using Course Numbers

Course numbers may not be re-used for a period of six years from the last time the course was offered. Please consult with the Office of the Registrar to determine the availability of course numbers.

199 Courses (Undergraduate Open Seminars)

The 199 course is a special course for independent study or for use as a testbed for topics not treated by regularly scheduled courses. Credit for 199 courses applies toward graduation (generally, to a maximum of 12 hours); however, credit toward satisfying particular college or departmental requirements is contingent upon approval by the appropriate college or departmental bodies.

Special Topics Courses

In addition to 199 courses, a number of 200-, 300-, 400- and 500-level courses also serve as special topics courses, and are typically identified as such by their titles. As in the case of 199 courses, topics offered under such courses are necessarily temporary; they are not listed in the Courses Catalog. A specific topic may be offered twice under a special topics listing; the same topic may be offered a third time only if a proposal to establish it as a permanent course has been submitted through the usual channels.

Item 2. Course Titles

Titles may include abbreviations to stay within the 30 character limit. Try to use standard abbreviations and avoid hard-to-interpret ones. In difficult situations, consider using fewer words and the special characters (&), (:).

Item 3. Course Catalog Descriptions

Descriptions should read like an abstract and ideally be limited to not more than 75 words. Some examples are included below. 
 
PSYC 100 Intro Psych
Study of human behavior with special reference to perception, learning, memory, thinking, emotional life, and individual differences in intelligence, aptitude, and personality; emphasis on the scientific nature of psychological investigations; and discussion of research methods and the relation of their results to daily life and everyday problems.
 
CEE 450 Surface Hydrology
Descriptive and quantitative hydrology dealing with the distribution, circulation, and storage of water on the earth's surface; principles of hydrologic processes; methods of analysis and their applications to engineering and environmental problems.
 
GE 560 Managing Advanced Technol I 
Business perspective of managing advanced technology in industry: strategic context of advanced technology;analytical financial tools used to estimate its potential value; legal concepts important in its management;interpersonal issues related to leading and advocating on behalf of advanced technology groups. 

 

Item 4. Prerequisite Statements

Prerequisite statements are advisory in nature and are not enforced through the Banner System. Graduate-level courses other than seminars and individual study usually require prerequisite knowledge or experience. The following suggestions are provided to promote clarity in prerequisite statements to the students who may be registering for the course. Foremost are avoiding superfluous prerequisites, embodied in the first four bullets, and avoiding ambiguity, embodied in the last one:

  • list only the highest level course if there is a string of sequenced prerequisites (see examply 1 below)
  • list only the primary course if cross-listed (Course Catalog 'same as' statements readily identify secondary cross-listed course alternatives)
  • explicitly list courses found in the Catalog (not, e.g, "a course in chemistry")
  • do not tag courses with "or equivalent" or "or consent of instructor" as those are always assumed to be the case
  • express alternative courses and combinations of courses clearly (see Example 2 below).

Example 1. Since GRK 101 is a prerequisite for GRK 102, the prerequisite 'GRK 101 and GRK 102' should be shortened to 'GRK 102' for a course requiring GRK102 as a prerequisite, such as GRK 201.

Example 2. Consider the prerequisite statement 'CS 225 and CS 373 or MATH 444.' It's ambiguous. It could mean '(CS 225 and CS 373) or (MATH 444), or perhaps '(CS 225) and (CS 373 or MATH 444).' Assuming it's the latter, the use of a semicolon gives the clear meaning by separating the intended groupings: 'CS 225; CS 373 or MATH 444.'

Item 5. Audience Restrictions

Restrictions are enforced through Banner and should be separate from the prerequisite statement. These restrictions typically limit registration to a group of students, 'majors only' for example.

Course Justification

The information provided in Items 6 - 8 is used by the department and college to better understand the course content in the broader context of other courses offerings. If this course is similar in content to other offerings on campus, please provide information that illustrates the uniqueness of this offering.

Note: Courses open to graduate students must meet the criteria for graduate courses. A course syllabus must be included except in the case of special topics courses. Requirements and recomendations for syllabi are available. If this course is similar in content to other offerings on campus, please provide information that illustrates the uniqueness of this offering, as stated the policy, section I.E.

Guidance on course and syllabus design is offered through the Center for Teaching Excellence.

Course Detail

The information provided in items 9 - 18 is used by the Office of the Registrar to build the course in Banner and create the Courses Catalog description and course detail.

Item 9.

Fall only and spring only assumes every fall or every spring. If “Other” is checked, include details of when that will be. Note that alternate offering year wording is not automatically included in the Catalog entry. If desired, it must be manually added to the course description.

Item 13. Course Credit

Guidelines for Graduate Level Credit and Contact Hours
(Please refer to the Graduate College Policies and Procedure for complete information regarding the graduate level coursework http://www.grad.illinois.edu/policies/courseproposal.

Item 13. B. Both Undergraduate and Graduate credit

Credit statments for 400 - level courses will appear in the course description as follows:

  • X undergraduate hours. X graduate hours.

OR

  • X hours. *

OR

  • X undergraduate hours. No graduate credit.

*Course is available for the same number of undergraduate and graduate hours.

Helpful Guidelines for Proposing Courses with Differential Credit

Cross-Listing

Guidelines for Approved Cross-Lists:

  1. In a given term, if any SUBJ offering of a cross-list is active, all SUBJ offerings must be active.
  2. All schedule types must be the same across all sections.
  3. All course levels numbers must be the same (example: a 400 level may not be cross listed with a 100 level course).
  4. All sections of a given course must be scheduled with the same instructor, room and meeting pattern.
  5. The section ID must remain the same throughout the cross-list, except in cases of a grad section cross-listed with undergrad, then U1 and G1 should be used.

Limitations:

  • Independent Study courses may not be cross-listed.
  • Special Topics courses may not be cross-listed.
  • Courses may not be cross-listed within the same department.
  • Cross-lists should be reviewed on a continuous basis. It is critical that cross-lists be discontinued if course content and instruction no longer justify the cross-listing.
  • Please consult with the Office of the Registrar for questions concerning temporary cross-listings known as "meets with" sections.

Revised August 2010