Course Number Designation

Graduate credit cannot be earned in courses numbered below 3000.

Not all 3000-level courses may be offered for graduate credit. Students should consult the course description in their unit, program, and course schedule prior to enrolling in any 3000-level course to verify it is listed at the graduate level and may count as credit for the graduate degree. 3000-level courses that are not designated as graduate level are not approved to count toward graduate degrees.

The course number consists of a three or four letter subject code that identifies the academic unit offering the course, followed by four numbers that indicate the level of the course.

Course Number

courses	number
Pre-collegiate, Remedial, or Continuing Education Unit Courses	0001-0999
Undergraduate Courses (Lower Division)	1000-1999
Advanced Undergraduate Courses (Upper Division)	2000-2999
Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate Courses (Combined)	3000-3999
Graduate Courses	4000 or Over

Schedule Type

Independent Study

Independent study provides opportunities for the capable student to do special work under individual supervision in areas not covered by class offerings.

Projects must be undertaken within the academic term in which they are registered. Independent study may not be taken instead of, or to modify, a regular course offered by a department. In addition, independent study cannot be used to account for study taken at another university or at the undergraduate level. The study must be conducted with DU faculty at the graduate level.

The department may limit the maximum number of Independent Study credit hours a student may apply towards their degree.

The students should demonstrate qualities necessary for interested and intensive inquiry. The student, with the approval of the instructor and department concerned, must agree upon the topic and outline.

Graduate students must obtain applications for independent study projects from the Office of the Registrar. Partial applications will not be processed and registration after published registration dates is not permitted. To be eligible for independent study, the student must be in academic good standing (i.e., 3.0 GPA for graduate students). Independent studies must be at least one credit hour and generally not to exceed five hours. Independent study projects appear on the student’s transcript with the specific topic as the course title and academic grades (A-F) are assigned.

The responsibilities of the instructor of record are to establish specific requirements for the course of study, see that the grades are submitted, approve the credentials of other faculty involved and agree to assume responsibility if problems arise.

Independent Research

Independent research opportunities are available to students primarily for thesis and dissertation research or other independent research. The department may limit the maximum number of Independent Research credit hours a student may apply towards the degree.

Projects must be undertaken within the academic term in which they are registered and registration after published registration dates is not permitted.

Students obtain applications from their academic department. Incomplete or partial applications will not be processed. Upon successful completion of the project or on its termination by request of the department, the research advisor will record a final grade. The department may use the A-F grading system in evaluating the research or record “P” (pass) or “F” (fail) for the course.

The responsibilities of the instructor of record are to establish specific requirements for the course of study, see that the grades are submitted, approve the credentials of other faculty involved and agree to assume responsibility if problems arise.

Directed Study

A directed study course is a permanent catalog course delivered on an individual basis when the course is not offered that term. Directed studies are approved under extenuating circumstances to provide an opportunity to complete a required course.

Directed studies use the same forms and processes as independent studies. Partial applications will not be processed. Directed study courses appear on the student’s transcript with the specific course title and must be approved by the instructor and department concerned. There can be no change in the basic content of the course. In particular, this means the level, subject code, description, title, grading policy (A-F, P/NP), credits and course content cannot differ from the permanent course. Projects must be undertaken within the academic term in which they are registered. Registration after published registration dates is not permitted.

The responsibilities of the instructor of record are to establish specific requirements for the course of study, see that the grades are submitted, approve the credentials of other faculty involved, and agree to assume responsibility if problems arise.

Experiential Learning/Internship Credit

Experiential learning courses consist of supervised experience in an area of specialization that may be conducted either on or off campus with the student making periodic reports to the instructor. These include clinical, practicum, internship, student teaching, and cooperative work experience. They do not include graduate teaching or research assistantships at DU.

Courses for no credit

A student may register for no credit (NC) in any course with approval of the course instructor and only where space is available. A no credit registration cannot be changed to a credit registration after the deadline for registration has passed. Furthermore, a student enrolled for credit cannot change to no credit after the end of the sixth week of the quarter. Such courses count as full credit value in determining the total study load allowed. Courses taken on a no credit basis do not apply as part of the minimum credit-hour requirements for any graduate degree. The tuition charge for no credit courses is the same as for credit courses.

If adding the no-credit course creates a course overload, it requires approval from the instructor, advisor and dean of the unit.

No credit courses are listed on the student’s permanent record with a grade of No Credit (NC). Students receiving any type of financial aid, scholarship, grants or tuition waiver should check with the Office of Financial Aid before registering for NC as financial aid or waiver may not cover courses taken for no credit.

Note: Some units may have more stringent policies regarding no credit courses. Students should consult their registration office for information.

Audit Registration

Fulltime DU students may register to audit courses on a space-available basis. Audit registration permits students to participate in courses, but grades are not recorded and credit is not awarded. Permission from the instructor is required and some programs may require additional approvals. Course restrictions such as prerequisites apply to course auditors. The following course types may not be audited: online, lab, clinical, practicum, performance (except for ensemble), internship/externship, independent or directed study or studio. Course auditors do not submit assignments or participate in exams. Audited courses do not appear on a student’s transcript and do not count for fulltime status, loan deferments, financial aid, etc.

Audit registration may not be changed to credit registration after the deadline for registration has passed. Credit registration may not be changed to audit registration after the deadline to drop classes. Students may audit only one course per term.

Enrolled, degree-seeking DU students may audit certain courses on a space available basis. Tuition is not charged, but relevant course fees are charged. 

Permission for Undergraduates to Register for Graduate Courses

Undergraduates may request to enroll in graduate courses that are well suited to their programs of study. This opportunity is available to seniors whose academic achievement makes graduate-level work appropriate. This policy applies to graduate courses with course numbers of 4000 and above. Some 3000-level courses are approved for either undergraduate or graduate credit. Undergraduate courses may not be taken for graduate credit.

Graduate courses for undergraduate credit

Students must be classified as a senior and have an overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. The student must obtain approval of the course instructor; chair or program director of the graduate program; Office of Graduate Education; and the student's major advisor. Graduate courses taken for undergraduate credit may not be subsequently used to satisfy graduate requirements unless the student is in an approved dual undergraduate/graduate degree program.

Graduate courses for graduate credit

Students who have been admitted to a DU graduate program do not require permission to register for a graduate course for graduate credit. Otherwise, undergraduate students must be classified as a senior and have an overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.0. The student must obtain approval of the course instructor; chair or program director of the graduate program; and Office of Graduate Education. Courses taken for graduate credit may not be used to satisfy undergraduate requirements unless the student is in an approved dual undergraduate/graduate degree program.