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Course Descriptions
The chapters that follow describe each separate UMass Dartmouth graduate program.
Each lists faculty, describes emphases of the program and resources available, gives information about admission and financial assistance, conveys requirements for the degree, indicates a person or persons to contact, and then lists courses.
We invite you to contact the person or persons identified to discuss how your interests and abilities may match what we offer.
Please feel free to contact the Office of Graduate Studies for general information and assistance in submitting an application.
Office of Graduate Studies
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
North Dartmouth, Massachusetts
02747-2300
Voice: 508 999-8604
FAX: 508 999-8183
E-mail: graduate@umassd.edu
WWW: www.umassd.edu/graduate/
Although the program requirements are presented in full detail, there are many aspects of program planning which will require each student to consult regularly with an academic advisor, and certain decisions require specific permission of the advisor.
Course Descriptions
Following the program descriptions and requirements is a listing of the courses fro that department. To learn the selection of courses that is to be offered in any one semester or term, consult the semester Course Listings booklet available at the Office of the Registrar or the COIN student web service.
This catalogue uses a systematic format fo course descriptions. An example follows, with explanatory notes:
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Notes |
| BIO 545 four credits |
1a, b |
| Biological Oceanography |
2 |
| 3 hours lecture, 3 hours laboratory |
3 |
| Prerequisite: BIO 316 or equivalent, or permission of instructor |
4 |
| The cycle of productivity in the marine environment…. |
5 |
1a
Department Designation and Course Number. Departments use a standard three-letter abbreviation to identify the department or field of the course; the course shown is for Biology. The course number then identifies each course uniquely. Courses numbered 500 and 600 are graduate level, and those at the 400 level are advanced and specialized undergraduate courses. It is generally assumed that students may take the more advanced-level courses only with an appropriate foundation in the field, even if specific prerequisites are not stated.
1b
Number of Credits. Each course carries the number of credits specified. The more credits, the greater the obligation the course carries for in-class and out-of-class work. In courses that use the lecture or lecture-discussion format, there is a one-to-one relationship between the number of credits and the number of class contact hours each week (based on a 50-minute period per hour). See note 3, below.
2
Course Title. Each course is given a unique, descriptive title that indicates its topic and content.
3
Class Type and Contact Hours. Some courses use formats that differ from the lecture or lecture-discussion type. For example, the Biology course here exemplifies a combination of lecture and laboratory experiences. As shown, the number of class contact hours per credit may exceed the number for a class that uses the lecture or lecture-discussion formats only. When there is no annotation, the course uses the lecture or lecture-discussion format.
4
Prerequisites. Stated here are any specific courses (or other requirements) that should have been completed satisfactorily as a condition for taking the course. Prerequisites ensure adequate preparation and maintain an appropriate order in the student’s progression through the topics of study in the field. As stated above, even if specific prerequisites are not listed, generally students may take more advanced-level courses only with an appropriate foundation in the field. Corequisites are shown for some courses. These are like prerequisites but indicate another course or other experience that is to occur at the same time that the student takes the present course.
5
Course Description. The course description indicates the nature and scope of the course. Often, information is also given about the type of work for the course. Course descriptions do not indicate the status of a course to fulfill requirements of an academic program. For this information, Catalogue users should consult the program requirements listings.
For each course attempted, the course number, course title, and the number of credits are recorded on the student’s transcript, together with the grade received.
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