Courses and Numbering

Courses are numbered 010 to 499. Courses numbered from 010 to 099 do not count toward the 33 earned credits needed to graduate. Those numbered from 100-199 are open to all students and primarily are introductory in nature; prerequisites and conditions still might be required. Courses numbered 200-299 carry prerequisites from the General Education Program. Courses numbered 300-399 carry prerequisites from departmental curricula, and possibly some from the General Education Program. Courses numbered 400-499 are intended as senior level.

Cross-listed courses, e.g., PSC/PHI 204, are listed under both departments, along with any special attributes (including course fees, associated laboratory sessions, whether courses meet Perspective Area or other General Education requirements, and any restrictions for receiving credit for the course).

Capstone courses, required in most majors, are intended to be taken in the final terms of a student’s major field of study at Berea. Courses carrying the letter “S” after the course number normally are offered only in summer session. GSTR courses are those General Education courses required of all students; GST courses are optional interdisciplinary courses.

Several course numbers are common to multiple departments and programs. Courses numbered 186/286/386/486 are Special Topics courses; the content may vary from term to term or year to year. In addition, three (3) independent experiences can be proposed by students in most disciplines: Independent Study, numbered 390/490 (A or B); Team Initiated Study, numbered 397/497 (A or B); and Internships, numbered 395/495. Students also may enter into a Directed Study (398/498) with a department or program faculty member, with the approval of the Department Chairperson or Program Director/Coordinator. To learn more about these opportunities, see the section that follows.
The College reserves the right to cancel any course for inadequate enrollment, budgetary, an instructor’s sabbatical leave, or other good reasons as defined by the Dean of the Faculty and the Academic Vice President and Provost.

To determine which courses will be offered in a given term, see the Schedule of Classes, published by the Office of Academic Services and copies are distributed to student CPO boxes prior to the Fall and Spring registration periods. A supplement to the Schedule also is published in the #Registration Info folder on the College’s internal MS Outlook system.