Note: This document is subject to change due to the forthcoming Oracle PeopleSoft system upgrade from version 8.0 to 8.9.
Over the last several years a number of departments have had to ‘reuse’ course numbers on a semester by semester basis that identifies a new or different topic/content of a course between fall and spring semesters (or over other time periods) even though the same course catalog number represents very different courses. This practice occurs in part to a large number of courses being offered within a particular subject and the system limitation of a three-character field course number.
PeopleSoft Student Administration System (PS SAS) can accommodate the change of course material over time for a course represented by a particular course number; however, this practice will have detrimental effects once the PeopleSoft student records system is implemented.
The PeopleSoft course number is a ten character field with the format of ####AAAAAA. The first four character positions must be numeric and the following six positions are alpha/numeric. This proposal suggests utilizing only the first four numeric positions. Holding the following 6 characters in reserve will provide the University with long-term flexibility to adjust to a longer course number as departments run out of numbers or should a new numbering scheme be necessary in the future. Allowing for this long-term flexibility will allow all historical course work to maintain the proper historical perspectives without having to be adjusted to other course numbering schemes.
PeopleSoft assigns each course a six-digit identifying number, separate from the subject’s course number. It is this identifying number the system utilizes when checking pre/corequisite rules, degree auditing rules, course equivalencies, etc. Due to the processing of this unique course identification, regardless of how it is represented as a subject and course number, it is imperative that colleges and departments no longer reuse course numbers to represent different courses. It is for this reason that we propose expanding the Cornell University course catalog number to four-digits.
Cornell University does provide a level of numbering convention in the course number system where the larger number represents the complexity of the course based on a student’s career experience. The proposal follows the same numeric scheme as is used today with the addition of one more character.
The proposed definition for the four-character field is as follows:
10## |
non-degree applicable |
1### |
introductory level of course material |
2### |
second level of course material |
3### |
upper level of course material |
4### |
advanced level of course material |
49## |
undergraduate thesis/research |
5### |
professional level |
59## |
professional thesis/research |
6### |
professional and graduate level |
69## |
professional thesis/research |
7### |
graduate level |
69##/79## |
graduate level research |
89## |
master's thesis |
99## |
doctoral dissertation |
If desired, academic departments could use the second position to break down subject matter within an area of study, for example: Food & Beverage within Hotel Administration or Probability and Statistics within Mathematics.
Academic departments could use the third and fourth positions for sequential numbering of courses to eliminate any duplication of course numbers representing different course materials within a four-year period. Courses not offered after three years should be inactivated or an explanation provided.
Cornell currently maintains non-degree courses that are usually signified as a 0 level course (Educ 005). The PeopleSoft application does not have the capability of maintaining leading zeros. If 005 were saved as a course number the leading zeros would be dropped and the course would be represented as Educ 5. To provide consistency in course numbers it is proposed that non-degree courses use the numbering scheme 10## which will allow for visual identification of non-degree courses and provide flexibility for subjects that offer multiple courses at this level.
Course numbers converted from SIS will remain exactly as recorded in SIS. The exception will be courses with leading zeros, which will be dropped from the course number. The four-character course number will be implemented for the Summer 2005 courses.
This course number proposal does not pertain to transfer courses. The number scheme for transfer courses will be defined as part of the transfer course proposal.