3.18 Graduate Courses
On This Page
- A. Credentials Required for Teaching Graduate Courses
- B. Graduate Courses
- C. 500-Level Letter Graded Master’s Courses
- D. 600-Level S/U Graded Master’s Courses
- E. 700-Level Letter Graded Doctoral Courses
- F. 800-Level S/U Graded Doctoral Courses
- G. Catalog Descriptions for Research, Teaching, and Examination Courses
- H. Credit Hours for Intensive Graduate Courses
- I. Syllabus Requirement for Graduate Courses
A. Credentials Required for Teaching Graduate Courses
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) requires that graduate courses be taught by faculty with an earned doctorate/terminal degree in the teaching discipline or a related discipline. To that end, the following requirements for the teaching of graduate courses are established:
- Both primary and secondary instructors must be graduate faculty in the academic program offering the course or approved non-graduate faculty (see Section 1.3 of the Administrative Handbook, sub-sections C and E).
- All instructors must have an active record in HR (Human Resources).
- Sections of the following courses must be taught by associate or full members of the graduate faculty:
- XXX 685 Master’s Supervised Teaching
- XXX 686-687 Master’s Other Teaching
- XXX 690 Master’s Exams
- XXX 691-699 Master’s Research
- XXX 885 Doctoral Supervised Teaching
- XXX 886-887 Doctoral Other Teaching
- XXX 890 Doctoral Exams
- XXX 891-899 Doctoral Research
- Support personnel do not need to be graduate faculty but they must have 0% teaching load assigned.
- All sections must have valid instructors listed (STAFF or blank is not acceptable).
B. Graduate Courses
| Course Number | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 5XX | Letter Graded Master’s Courses |
| 6XX | S-U Graded Master’s Courses |
| 7XX | Letter Graded Doctoral Courses (ALL 7XX courses are restricted to the following classification of students: MR, DR, SR, SP and GR) |
| 8XX | S-U Graded Doctoral Courses (ALL 8XX courses, with the exception of those specifically listed at the end of this section, are restricted to the following classification of students: MR, DR, SR, SP and GR) |
| 9XX | Professional Courses in the College of Veterinary Medicine are not graduate courses and may not be counted in Plans of Work for graduate degrees. |
C. 500-Level Letter Graded Master’s Courses
| Course Number | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 500-589 | Undesignated |
| 590-599 | Letter Graded Special Topic Master’s Courses |
Note: Courses at the 500 level are letter graded. Students cannot enroll in these courses for ‘credit only.’
D. 600-Level S/U Graded Master’s Courses
| Course Number | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 600-609 | Introductory, Seminars, Colloquiums |
| 600 | Introduction to Graduate Study (in department or program) |
| 601 | Seminar (in department or program) |
| 602-606 | Seminar in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 607 | Advanced Seminar |
| 609 | Colloquium |
| 610-617 | Topics Courses |
| 610 | Special Topics (in department or program) |
| 611-613 | Special Topics in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 615 | Advanced Special Topics (in department or program) |
| 616-617 | Advanced Special Topics in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 620-626 | Problems Courses |
| 620 | Special Problems (in department or program) |
| 621-622 | Special Problems in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 623-624 | Miscellaneous Special Problems |
| 625-626 | Advanced Special Problems |
| 630-634 | Independent/Individual Study |
| 630 | Independent Study (in department or program) |
| 631-634 | Other independent or individual study courses |
| 635-639 | Readings |
| 635 | Readings (in department or program) |
| 636-639 | Advanced Readings |
| 640-649 | Practicums |
| 640 | Prepracticum |
| 641-649 | Practicum in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 650-659 | Internships |
| 650 | Internship (in department or program) |
| 651-659 | Internship in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 660-669 | Miscellaneous |
| 660-669 | Miscellaneous that do not fit into any other category |
| 670-671 | Lab Rotations |
| 670-671 | Lab Rotations |
| 675-679 | Projects |
| 675-679 | Project courses (of all types) |
| 680-684 | Directed Study |
| 680-682 | Directed Study (in department) |
| 683-684 | Advanced Directed Study |
| 685-687 | Teaching |
| 685 | Master’s Supervised Teaching |
| 686-687 | Other Teaching |
| 690 | Exams |
| 690 | Master’s Exams |
| 691-699 | Research |
| 693 | Master’s Supervised Research |
| 695 | Master’s Thesis Research |
| 696 | Summer Thesis Research |
| 697 | Final Research Project |
| 699 | Master’s Thesis Preparation |
Note: Courses at the 600 level are S/U graded. Students cannot enroll in these courses for a letter grade. Registration in 600-level courses is restricted to graduate or PBS status.
E. 700-Level Letter Graded Doctoral Courses
| Course Number | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 700-789 | Undesignated |
| 790-799 | Letter Graded Special Topic Doctoral Courses |
Note: Courses at the 700 level are letter graded. Students cannot enroll in these courses for ‘credit only.’ Registration in 700-level courses is restricted to graduate or PBS status.
F. 800-Level S/U Graded Doctoral Courses
| Course Number | Explanation |
|---|---|
| 800-809 | Introductory, Seminars, Colloquiums |
| 800 | Introduction to Graduate Study (in department or program) |
| 801 | Seminar (in department or program) |
| 802-806 | Seminar in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 807 | Advanced Seminar |
| 809 | Colloquium |
| 810-817 | Topics Courses |
| 810 | Special Topics (in department or program) |
| 811-813 | Special Topics in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 815 | Advanced Special Topics (in department or program) |
| 816-817 | Advanced Special Topics in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 820-826 | Problems Courses |
| 820 | Special Problems (in department or program) |
| 821-822 | Special Problems in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 823-824 | Miscellaneous Special Problems |
| 825-826 | Advanced Special Problems |
| 830-834 | Independent/Individual Study |
| 830 | Independent Study (in department or program) |
| 831-834 | Other independent or individual study courses |
| 835-839 | Readings |
| 835 | Readings (in department or program) |
| 836-839 | Advanced Readings |
| 840-849 | Practicums |
| 840 | Prepracticum |
| 841-849 | Practicum in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 850-859 | Internships |
| 850 | Internship (in department or program) |
| 851-859 | Internship in <specialization> (in department or program) |
| 860-869 | Miscellaneous |
| 860-869 | Miscellaneous that do not fit into any other category |
| 870-871 | Lab Rotations |
| 870-871 | Lab Rotations |
| 875-879 | Projects |
| 875-879 | Project courses (of all types) |
| 880-884 | Directed Study |
| 880-882 | Directed Study (in department) |
| 883-884 | Advanced Directed Study |
| 885-887 | Teaching |
| 885 | Doctoral Supervised Teaching |
| 886-887 | Other Teaching |
| 890 | Exams |
| 890 | Doctoral Exams |
| 891-899 | Research |
| 893 | Doctoral Supervised Research |
| 895 | Doctoral Thesis Research |
| 896 | Summer Thesis Research |
| 897 | Final Research Project |
| 899 | Doctoral Thesis Preparation |
Note: ALL 800-level S/U graded doctoral courses with the exception of those specifically listed below are restricted to graduate or PBS status.
G. Catalog Descriptions for Research, Teaching, and Examination Courses
- XXX 685 Master’s Supervised Teaching. Restricted to master’s student. 1-3. Teaching experience under the mentorship of faculty who assist the student in planning for the teaching assignment, observe and provide feedback to the student during the teaching assignment, and evaluate the student upon completion.
- XXX 688 Non-Thesis Master’s Continuous Registration – Half-Time Registration. Restricted to master’s students. 1. For students in non-thesis master’s programs who have completed all credit-hour requirements for their degree but need to maintain half-time continuous registration to complete incomplete grades, projects, final master’s exam, etc. As noted in the prerequisite above, the course-inventory system restricts enrollment in this course to master’s students only (class MR).
- XXX 689 Non-Thesis Master’s Continuous Registration – Full-Time Registration. Restricted to master’s students. 3 credit hours. For students in non-thesis master’s programs who have completed all credit-hour requirements for their degree but need to maintain full-time continuous registration to complete incomplete grades, projects, final master’s exam, etc. As noted in the prerequisite above, the course-inventory system restricts enrollment in this course to master’s students only (class MR). Students may register for this course a maximum of one semester. Registration restricted to 3 credits only.
- XXX 690 Master’s Examination. Restricted to master’s students. 1-6 credit hours. For students in non-thesis master’s programs who have completed all other requirements of the degree except preparing for and taking the final master’s exam. As noted in the prerequisite above, the course-inventory system restricts enrollment in courses with this number to master’s students only (class MR). XXX 690 cannot be used to fulfill course requirements, cannot be listed on the Plan of Work for credit, and cannot be transferred to another program.
- XXX 693 Master’s Supervised Research. Restricted to master’s students. 1-9 credit hours. Instruction in research and research under the mentorship of a member of the Graduate Faculty. In spite of the noted prerequisite the course inventory system actually restricts enrollment in courses with this number to student class MR or DR.
- XXX 695 Master’s Thesis Research. Restricted to master’s students. 1-9 credit hours. Thesis research.
- XXX 696 Summer Thesis Research. Restricted to master’s students. 1 credit hour. Thesis research. Ten-week course beginning the first day of Summer Session I. XXX 696 cannot be used to fulfill course requirements, cannot be listed on the Plan of Work for credit, and cannot be transferred to another program.
- XXX 699 Master’s Thesis Preparation. Restricted to master’s student. 1-3 credit hours. For students who are writing their theses. May be counted in the Plan of Work.
- XXX 885 Doctoral Supervised Teaching. Restricted to doctoral students. 1-3 credit hours. Teaching experience under the mentorship of faculty who assist the student in planning for a teaching assignment, observe and provide feedback to the student during the teaching assignment, and evaluate the student upon completion. 885 Doctoral Supervised Teaching courses are restricted to Doctoral students only (class DR) by the course-inventory system as indicated by the prerequisite noted above.
- XXX 890 Doctoral Preliminary Examination. Restricted to doctoral students. 1-9 credit hours. For students who are preparing for and taking written and/or oral preliminary exams. 890 Doctoral Preliminary Examination courses are restricted by the course-inventory system to Doctoral students only (class DR) as indicated by the prerequisite noted above. XXX 890 cannot be used to fulfill course requirements, cannot be listed on the Plan of Work for credit, and cannot be transferred to another program.
- XXX 893 Doctoral Supervised Research. Restricted to doctoral students. 1-9 credit hours. Instruction in research and research under the mentorship of a member of the Graduate Faculty. 893 Doctoral Supervised Research courses are restricted to Doctoral students only (class DR) as indicated by the prerequisite noted above.
- XXX 895 Doctoral Dissertation Research. Restricted to doctoral students. 1-9 credit hours. Dissertation research. 895 Doctoral Dissertation Research courses are restricted to Doctoral students only (class DR) as indicated by the prerequisite noted above.
- XXX 896 Summer Dissertation Research. Restricted to doctoral students. 1 credit hour. Dissertation research. Ten-week course beginning the first day of Summer Session I. 895 Doctoral Dissertation Research courses are restricted to Doctoral students only (class DR) as indicated by the prerequisite noted above. XXX 896 cannot be used to fulfill course requirements, cannot be listed on the Plan of Work for credit, and cannot be transferred to another program.
- XXX 899 Doctoral Dissertation Preparation. Restricted to doctoral students. 1-3 credit hours. For students who are writing their dissertation. May count toward the Graduate Plan of Work.
Master’s students going on to pursue a Ph.D. can register for Ph.D. coursework during their last semester of the master’s degree instead of 689, 695, or 699 provided they have completed the master’s degree requirements.
The courses are all variable credit, but none are zero credit courses.
- The number of credits students register for in the courses should not exceed the upper limits stated in the descriptions.
- As a general rule, master’s students should not register for 8XX-level courses and doctoral students should not register for 6XX-level courses. The course inventory allows scheduling of students in the classes FR, JR, SO, SR. in courses numbered 800 where the course prefix is II.
H. Credit Hours for Intensive Graduate Courses
A maximum of one credit hour will be awarded per week of full-time study for graduate courses offered by NC State University. At least 60 days before such a course is taught, the syllabus must be submitted to the Graduate School for approval.
I. Syllabus Requirement for Graduate Courses
All instructors of graduate courses are required, no later than the first class, to provide students with a written or electronic course syllabus which contains the information listed in NC State's Syllabus Regulation (REG 02.20.07).
A syllabus must be approved by the Administrative Board of the Graduate School as part of a new course proposal.