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November 5, 1996 Recommendation of the Course and Curriculum Committee to Clarify the Definition of Upper-Division (Advanced-Level) Courses Definition An upper-division (advanced-level) course must carry junior standing as a minimum prerequisite. The only exceptions to this policy are those courses that require as prerequisites a sequence of course work that students normally would complete in four semesters (the equivalent of two years, e.g., prerequisites such as French 204). Rationale An advanced-level or upper-division course is one that normally is open to and taken by juniors and seniors. The L&S degree requirements state that students must take 36 credits in upper-division courses in the College. The faculty of the College approved this requirement to ensure that the degree contained a substantial portion of course work at a more sophisticated level. The use of the 300 (or above) number to designate upper-division courses is a matter of expedience. The defining criterion of upper-division course work is that it is structured in a way that students generally need the equivalent of two years of prior college work to reach the level of sophistication necessary to take full advantage of what such courses have to offer. Given this, it seems inappropriate to allow students to earn credits in meeting their advanced-level-course requirement by taking courses that require no or few prerequisites and, therefore, are open to freshman and sophomore students with little or no background in the subject. |
·| © 1998 UWM - College of Letters and Science Last Updated: December 7, 1998 www.uwm.edu/letsci/committees/fdn/fdn470.html |
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