Proposing New Courses
To propose a new course, log into the Course Inventory Management (CIM) system. Upon submission, CIM will route the request for the necessary departmental, college, and Graduate College workflow for review and approvals. For specific questions on using the CIM system, please contact Office of the Registrar at cmss-catalog@illinois.edu. Questions about new course policy should be directed to the Office of the Provost (217) 333-6677.
While information must still be entered into the online CIM system for reviews and approvals to occur, new and revised CIM course templates can be found in Box.
Units proposing or revising courses awarding graduate credit are encouraged to visit Procedures for Presenting New or Revised Graduate Courses in the Graduate College Developing Courses and Programs toolkit.
The following guidelines are provided to assist in completing a new course proposal in the CIM:
General Information
Syllabus
All new course proposals require inclusion of the course syllabus. The syllabus must include:
- Contact hours (e.g. “Class meets MWF 9:00 to 9:50 a.m.” or “Will meet for 2 hours 50 minutes per week for 16 weeks” when specific days/times are not known)
- Office hours and contact information for the instructor.
- Course learning outcomes/objectives. The Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning (CITL) has some great resources for designing course learning outcomes, including the links below. For additional questions regarding syllabus creation, including learning outcomes, contact CITL.
- For Special Topics Syllabi:
- include the range of credits for which the course will be offered
- weekly contact hours that will equate to each hour of credit
- information that holds true across sections (e.g., maybe only certain faculty can teach under this rubric or maybe there’s a specific topic umbrella into which the course topic must fit, etc.)
Additionally, it is strongly recommended that the syllabus also contain:
- Course number and title
- Instructor contact information, including office hours
- Course credit hours
- Course meeting times
- Course description
- List of basic and recommended texts and readings (author, title, year of publication)
- Complete outline of topics
- Weekly calendar
- Work required of students – Assignments, examinations, etc.
- Basis for determining grade
- Campus Resources for Syllabi
The Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning provides guidance on syllabus creation as does the Graduate College. Many academic units also have specific syllabus elements or recommendations.
Proposed Effective Term
- Renumber courses in fall terms. If spring or summer is chosen, both new and old course will be listed in the Academic Catalog.
- The Academic Catalog reflects the latest version of a course; therefore, it is important to keep in mind the effective term when submitting any type of changes.
Course Number
000-099 | Noncredit, preparatory course |
100-199 | Lower level undergraduate courses, typically taken by freshmen |
200-299 | Lower level undergraduate courses, typically taken by sophomores |
300-399 | Upper level undergraduate courses, typically taken by juniors |
400-499 | Upper level undergraduate and graduate courses, typically taken by seniors and beginning graduate students (may be designated for undergraduates only, or both) |
500-599 | Graduate courses |
600-799 | Professional courses (available to College of Medicine, Law and Vet Med only) |
Re-Using Course Numbers
Please consult with the Office of the Registrar to determine the availability of course numbers.
199 Courses (Undergraduate Open Seminars)
The 199 course is a special course for independent study or for use as a testbed for topics not treated by
regularly scheduled courses. Credit for 199 courses applies toward graduation (generally, to a maximum
of 12 hours); however, credit toward satisfying particular college or departmental requirements is
contingent upon approval by the appropriate college or departmental bodies.
Special Topics Courses
Course Titles
Course Description
PSYC 100 Intro Psych
CEE 450 Surface Hydrology
Justification
Course Information
Course Credit
- X undergraduate hours. Y graduate hours. (if the course is available for a different number of undergraduate and graduate hours; see ‘differential credit’)
- No graduate credit. (if the course is only available for undergraduate credit)
Variable and Differential Credit
Grading Type
Repeatability
- 1H = Honors —any Honors-designated course, seminar, etc.
- 1M = Subject Mastery/Skill Proficiency —developing or improving mental and/or physical ability
in areas such as art, communication, language, writing, leadership, life skills, motor skills, the
performing arts (dance, music, theater), laboratory practice, medical/vet-med training - 1N = Individualized Instruction —one-on-one teaching involving established subject matter,
typical of courses titled ‘Independent Study’ or ‘Individual Study’ - 1R = Research or Ongoing Study—guided group or individual research, investigations, projects,
studies, problem-solving, etc. in new, developing, or emerging areas - 1S = Special Topics, Seminars —trial or nonpermanent subject offerings of current, developing,
or emerging topics to augment existing courses; colloquia, discussion groups, seminars, etc. with
student, faculty, visitor, and/or outside presenters/participants - 1X = Applied Experiences —internships, practicums, apprenticeships, study abroad, field trips,
service learning, outreach, etc.
- May be repeated.
- May be repeated in separate terms if topics vary to a maximum of X hours.
- May be repeated in separate terms to a maximum of X undergraduate or Y graduate hours but no
more than Z hours in any one term.
Credit Restrictions
Credit restrictions are used when a course has been renumbered, or the content of the course is equivalent to another course in the catalog. To inform students, a credit statement is added to the course description indicating courses where credit may not be earned again. Any courses listed in the credit restriction statement must have a similar statement. The degree audit system automatically applies the credit restriction to all courses. To ensure that a student understands, the similar statements must be placed on call mentioned courses.
Example: ChBE 321 has a credit restriction statement “Credit is not given toward graduation for ChBE 321 and either ABE 340 or ME 200.” As such, ABE 340 and ME 200 must have a similar statement, with their respective course listed first.
It is important to remember that when a course is deactivated, a student cannot earn credit for the deactivated course and a new iteration of the course, if one is created.
Advisory Statements
Prerequisites
- list only the highest-level course if there is a string of sequenced prerequisites (see Example 1 below)
- list both the primary course and any cross-listed courses (Academic Catalog’s Courses of Instruction ‘Same As’
statements readily identify secondary cross-listed course alternatives) for transparency. - explicitly list courses by their subject and number (CHEM 232) found in the Courses of
Instruction (not, e.g., “a course in chemistry”) - express alternative courses and combinations of courses clearly (see Example 2 below).
Concurrent Enrollment Statement
Concurrent enrollment statements are advisory in nature and are not enforced through the Banner
system unless approved by the Office of the Registrar. Statements should be entered as “Concurrent enrollment is required in Subject Course and Subject Course.”
Example – ACCY 301 –
for a Prerequisite statement that reads: Prerequisite: ACCY 202 or equivalent
and concurrent enrollment in ACCY 302 by students majoring in accountancy (recommended for non-
accountancy majors); or consent of department; the concurrent enrollment statement ‘Concurrent
enrollment in ACCY 302 by students majoring in accountancy’ should be added to the Concurrent
enrollment box.
Restricted Audience Statement
Cross-Listing
Guidelines for Approved Cross-Lists:
- Cross-listing should be based on course content in that it deals with the involved
departments/subjects (SUBJ) in a substantive way. - Cross-listing should be limited to cases involving a significant purpose, such as instructors from
more than one department are involved in the instruction of a course. Creating cross-listings for
the purpose of “advertising” a course multiple places in the Courses of Instruction is not
considered justification for cross-listing, nor is the desire to enhance the stature of the course. - A cross-listed course is considered the joint responsibility of all departments/SUBJ offerings, and
coordination of course scheduling should be agreed upon by all involved departments. - In a given term, if any SUBJ offering of a cross-list is active, all SUBJ offerings must be active.
- All schedule types must be the same across all sections.
- All course levels numbers must be the same (example: a 400 level may not be cross listed with a
100 level course). - All sections of a given course must be scheduled with the same instructor, room and meeting
pattern. - The section ID must remain the same throughout the cross-list, except in cases of a grad section
cross-listed with undergrad, then U1 and G1 should be used.
Limitations:
- Independent Study courses may not be cross-listed.
- Special Topics courses may not be cross-listed.
- Courses may not be cross-listed within the same department.
- Cross-lists should be reviewed on a continuous basis. It is critical that cross-lists be deactivated if course content and instruction no longer justify the cross-listing.
- Please consult with the Office of the Registrar for questions concerning temporary cross-listings
known as “meets with” sections.