Course Structure & Grades

SAIC's courses follow a logical numbering and semester credit-hour system. Read on to learn how we determine numbers and credits and what it means to your course schedule.

Courses at the 1000 through 4000 level are considered undergraduate courses while 5000- and 6000-level courses are reserved for matriculated graduate students.

You can register directly for the kind of credit you want to earn from a course if the course is available for more than one type of credit (e.g., studio credit, academic elective credit, art history credit, or liberal arts). For example, if a course is cross-listed in both ART HISTORY and HUMANITIES, you may register to automatically receive Art History credit simply by using the Art History class number when registering, and to receive Humanities credit, use the Humanities course class number when registering.

Courses that are listed in three areas work the same way:

Class # Dept. Cat. # Title

1297 ARTHI 5902 Exhibition Process
[Art History credit]

1299 ARTSAD 5902 Exhibition Process
[Arts Administration elective credit]

1300 ARTSAD 5902 Exhibition Process
[appears under Exhibition Studies]

SAIC operates on a semester calendar and awards credit on a semester basis. Per US Department of Education regulations, for each credit hour assigned to a course, the student must be expected to perform a minimum of three hours of student work per week throughout the semester. Accordingly, a three-credit hour course requires nine hours of student work per week (three hours of student work for each credit hour assigned). Student work may take the form of classroom time, other direct faculty instruction, or out-of-class homework, assignments, or other student work. To determine the appropriate amount of classroom time required for each course, SAIC follows the standards established by its accrediting bodies.

SAIC records the courses for which a student registers on the permanent record. SAIC adheres to a credit/no credit grading system. The following grade symbols are used to denote credit status: