Using the Catalog

The statements in this catalog are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as the basis of a contract between a student and Illinois State University. The course offerings and requirements of the University are continually under review and revision. This catalog presents those in effect at the time of publication.

Information regarding changes will be available in the Offices of the University Registrar, the Provost, the colleges, major departments, and schools. It is especially important that each student note that it is their responsibility to be aware of current graduation requirements for a particular degree program.

Graduate Catalog Requirements

For a student who attends at least one term of each academic year, graduation requirements are specified in the Graduate Catalog for the year of first course enrollment in the degree program.

Since university programs are constantly evaluated and improved, a student may graduate under new degree requirements published the academic year their graduating from the University. A student who changes to new Graduate Catalog requirements, however, must meet all the requirements including graduation requirements, in that catalog.

Course Prerequisites

Course prerequisites may change over time and do not depend on catalog year. The registration system will enforce prerequisites in effect at time of registration.

Academic Terminology

In reading this catalog, you may encounter some words or phrases that are unfamiliar. The following list defines terms frequently used within the Illinois State community and will help you more easily understand information you will receive from the University.

Academic Affairs: One of the four major divisions of the University, headed by the Vice President and Provost that focuses on educational needs of students.

Academic Year: The period of time commencing with the fall semester (16 weeks) and continuing through the spring semester (16 weeks) and summer term (12 weeks).

Alumni: Individuals who have attended or graduated from a particular college or university.

Audit: The completion of a course taken without credit.

Board of Trustees: The governing body for Illinois State University.

Campus Solutions: Student Information System software that supports registration and managing students’ progress toward their degrees.

Career: Campus Solutions term for undergraduate or graduate status.

Clinical Experience: A part of the program that allows for observation, participation, studies of individual pupils or clients, individual field work, and practicums both on and off campus.

Credit Hour: A standard unit of measuring course work; credit hours are assigned to a particular course and count toward graduation, except in remedial courses. Typically, a course that meets for three hours a week is worth three credit hours.

Cross-listed Course: Course offered by more than one department but treated as one course for credit purposes.

Curriculum: A program of study covering the entire undergraduate or graduate career and designed to satisfy the requirement for a degree.

Dean: The highest administrative officer of a college.

Department Chairperson: An administrative officer holding faculty rank; responsible for the primary unit of academic organization.

Discontinued: Student status when no enrollment has occurred for 3 semesters. Discontinued students need to reapply to the graduate program to complete degree requirements

Finance and Planning: One of the four major divisions of the University, headed by the Vice President for Finance and Planning which focuses on financial management and planning.

Full Time Status: Graduate students for fall and spring are considered full-time if they are enrolled 9.0 or more semester hours. Graduate students for summer are considered full-time if they are enrolled 6.0 or more semester hours.

Good Standing: Maintaining a minimum 3.0 cumulative graduate GPA and program GPA to graduate, satisfying any program- specific requirements for good standing, and making satisfactory progress to degree.

Grade Point Average (GPA): The total number of grade points divided by the total graded semester hours attempted at Illinois State University. Total accumulated graduate GPA hours exclude undergraduate coursework, transfer hours, or courses in which a grade of CR, P or DE was assigned.

Graduate Coordinator: An administrative officer holding faculty rank; designated by the Department chairperson or School Director of the unit as being responsible for the administration of the graduate program(s).

Hold: A block that may prevent a student from receiving a service or performing an action, for example a financial hold may result in a student not being allowed to register or receive a transcript. Campus Solutions refers to a hold as a “negative service indicator.”

Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE): The board that oversees and coordinates all public higher education in Illinois.

Interdisciplinary: A program or course that spans two or more academic disciplines.

Matriculation: The point at which a student is formally admitted to the university and eligible to enroll in classes.

Office of University Registrar: An academic unit that maintains academic records, awards transfer credit, and provides enrollment verification, transcripts and course registration. Student questions can be answered in 107 Moulton.

Prerequisite: Specific requirements that must be completed prior to enrolling in a given class, program, or field of study.

Provost: The Vice President for Academic Affairs who is responsible for all academic matters.

School Director: An administrative officer holding faculty rank; responsible for the primary unit of academic organization.

Semester: A semester at Illinois State is the 16-week academic session offered each fall and spring.

Seminar: A regular meeting of students, under the guidance of a faculty member, in which each conducts research and exchanges information, problems, and results through informal lectures, reports, and discussion.

Student Affairs: One of the four major divisions of the University, headed by the Vice President of Student Affairs, which focuses on personal and nonacademic needs of students.

Syllabus: A document describing the objectives, outcomes, assessment activities, and structure of a course.

Term: Campus Solutions name for “semester.”

Transcript: The University’s official record of credit or degrees awarded, including the courses taken by a student and the grades received in each course.

University Advancement: One of the four major divisions of the University, headed by the Vice President for University Advancement, which focuses on public outreach and fundraising.

Units: Campus Solutions term for “semester hour” and “credit hour.”

Visiting Graduate Student: One who does not seek a degree at Illinois State or has not been officially admitted to a graduate degree program.

Program and Course Explanations

Degree Program: A directed combination of advanced courses that designate a student’s area of specialization. The degree program is designated on university transcripts.

Plan: Campus Solutions term for “program.”

Sequence: A subdivision of a program in which there are specific requirements. Sequences of the same program generally share a common core. Sequences are designated on university transcripts upon receipt of degree.

Subplan: Campus Solutions term for a “sequence.”

Graduate Certificate Program: Certificates are a series of courses designed to provide professional development and career advancement opportunities, or to enhance an individual’s skills or education. These certificates are not part of degree programs, although courses completed as part of a certificate could be used in meeting degree requirements, where appropriate. Students completing a certificate and degree program simultaneously need to complete at least one additional course above and beyond the degree requirements. Students completing a certificate prior to admission in a graduate program may use all certificate coursework toward the degree, as the certificate acts as a gateway to the degree. This will be at the program’s discretion. There are two types of certificates available at the graduate level:

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate—requires a minimum of 9 hours beyond the baccalaureate degree, but fewer hours than a master’s degree.
Post-Masters Certificate—requires a minimum of 9 semester hours of coursework beyond the master’s degree but fewer hours than a doctoral degree.

Terms Used in Course Descriptions

The following section explains how to read and use a course description, and the terminology used within course descriptions.

Also offered as: (cross-listed course) the specified courses are identical and are thus considered interchangeable in meeting all requirements. Credit can only be earned in one of the specified courses.

Consent of the instructor: The course instructor must give consent before a student may register for the course.

Formerly offered as: indicates a course previously offered under a different number or title. The course is interchangeable with the previous course number or title.

Materials charge optional: indicates an optional fee charge for course materials.

Multiple enrollments allowed: indicates that a course may be taken for credit more than once if different content is planned; there may be a maximum amount of credit specified for the course.

Not for credit if earned: (course) means that content overlap exists between the specified courses and that students should not be able to count both toward graduation. Such courses are not, however, considered interchangeable in meeting all requirements.

Not for credit toward a graduate degree program: credit from this course may not be applied to the degree program requirements.

Variable credit courses: are those courses leading to differing number of credit hours. A student should plan with the advisor the number of hours to be sought in a variable credit course.

Course Offerings

Courses: Course format that combines lecture and laboratory components in each class meeting.

Contract: Contract educational services, programs and courses are delivered through mutual contract to a business site for a specific cohort or business entity.

“Decimalized” Course: A course with different subtopics but standard learning outcomes; for example, ENG 409 may examine different topics. Campus Solutions replaces the decimal with the letter A, so ENG 409.01 appears as 409A01.

Directed Research: Course format used for independent study, thesis, and dissertation courses.

Distance Education: A formal education process in which the majority of the instruction occurs when student and instructor are not in the same location at the same time. Instruction may be synchronous or asynchronous.

General Courses: Courses with a common course description and identified with a university-wide common number may be offered in each academic department or school. Examples are 400 Independent Study, 393 Workshop, 499 Master’s Thesis, and 599 Doctoral Dissertation. See Course Limitation section in this catalog for additional information.

Independent Study: Intensive study in a special area of the student’s interest under the direction of a qualified member of the faculty. Each individual investigation is to culminate in a comprehensive written report and/or examination and/or artistic project.

Online courses: Makes use of Illinois State’s connection to the Internet and other electronic resources. These courses may utilize on-line materials, coursework, and discussion groups, and may be delivered in any asynchronous mode.

Professional Practice: Professional Practice consists of one or more credit-generating, academic/career related, salaried or non-salaried work experiences. Graduate Professional Practice courses are designated by the numbers 498, and 598.

Temporary Course: Temporary courses are approved by the curricular committees for a time period not to exceed one year. Temporary courses often are used to experiment with a new curricular design, to take advantage of the skills of a faculty member who will be at the University for a limited period, or to respond to particular interests of students. Temporary courses are designated by the numbers 389, 489, and 589. Temporary courses may not be required within a major or sequence.

Topics Course: An organization of subject matter and related learning experiences composed of identifiable sub-divisions of topics. Each topic is of sufficient significance to be treated separately as a unit of instruction for an entire semester or term. The content of the course varies by semester.

Workshop: Intensive and applied work on special problems in one or more subject areas. Workshop opportunities are provided on special problems not covered in any regular university courses. Workshops are generally designated by the numbers 393, 429, and 493.

Course Information

The University operates on the semester plan. The credit value of all courses is stated in terms of semester hours. Ordinarily, a semester hour is assigned for a 50-minute class meeting per week for the semester; therefore, a course valued at three semester hours generally meets three periods weekly. In laboratory courses, at least two 50-minute periods per week are ordinarily required for each semester hour of credit.

In addition to its fall and spring semesters, the University provides a summer session with courses of varying lengths and a variety of short-term offerings.

Course Availability: Some courses listed at CourseFinder.IllinoisState.edu may not be available each year. Questions concerning scheduling of courses should be referred to the department chairperson or school director.

Course prerequisites are listed on Course Finder and may change over time. The registration system will enforce prerequisites in effect at time of registration.

Course Numbering System

Courses are numbered in the following order: course number (3 digits preceding the title), course title and credit value (in semester hours). Following the course description any prerequisites, restrictions on enrollment, and any special considerations are noted.

Each course bears a distinguishing number for identification and indication of its academic level. Courses 300-399 are advanced undergraduate courses and are open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students. 300-level courses approved for graduate credit are noted in Course Finder. To receive graduate credit, students must complete applicable graduate requirements provided in the course syllabus. Courses 400-499 are graduate courses. Courses 500- 599 generally are limited to terminal degree students in programs such as the Ed.D., M.F.A., Au.D., D.N.P., and Ph.D.

The numbering system for advanced courses is as follows:

300-399: Advanced undergraduate courses. Open to juniors, seniors, and sometimes graduate students.

400-499: Courses at this level are for graduate students. With approval from the instructor, the department chair/school director, and the Graduate School, advanced undergraduates may be permitted to enroll in 400-level courses for undergraduate credit only.

500-599: Courses limited to advanced graduate or doctoral students.