University-Wide Courses

University-Wide Courses

The Office of University-Wide Courses provides a direct link to the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UUCC), which oversees all non-departmental undergraduate courses, and to the Provost's office, which works closely with the UUCC and helps to implement and revise academic policies. The office provides academic advice, oversight, and course-building support for credit-bearing undergraduate courses not based in an academic unit.

John H. Starks, Jr., Associate Professor of Classics, serves as the office's faculty director and liaison to the UUCC and the Provost's Office. He works with units interested in offering university-wide courses, keeping them informed as policies are developed or modified by the University and ensuring that existing and future course offerings continue to meet Binghamton's academic standards and course policies. This office is intended to supplement existing faculty advisory boards but to support units offering non-departmentalized courses.

After the faculty director approves, the course will be reviewed by the UUCC. UUCC during Fall and Spring meets twice a month. To ask about specific meeting dates, please contact Undergraduate Education. 

Once a University-Wide course is approved through UUCC, Undergraduate Education will work with the programs to ensure the course is created in the catalog. Program course builders will then create the course or work with CBSM if the course building is closed. CBSM will add any approved general education designations. 

Note: Academic honesty questions and cases will be handled through Harpur College. For more information about Binghamton’s academic honesty policies, please go here. 

What Are University-Wide Courses?

University-wide courses are credit-bearing undergraduate courses not based in a school or department. They currently include the following:

  • CDCI – internships and other courses offered by the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development.
  • EML – courses offered by English Language Institute
  • GMAP - courses offered by the Institute for Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention (I-GMAP)
  • OUT – courses offered by Outdoor Pursuits
  • SCHL – courses offered by the Binghamton University Scholars Program
  • UNIV – other University-wide courses, including UNIV 101, the first-year experience course for incoming first-year students and transfer students

How to Submit a Proposal for a New or Revised/Updated University-Wide Course

  • If you are interested in proposing a new or revised/updated University-wide course, contact John H. Starks, Jr., the Office of University-Wide Courses faculty director, to discuss your proposal.  University-wide courses should have a sponsoring entity (office, program, residential community, etc.), and the course's subject matter should be consistent with the mission of that entity. 
  • You must complete the University-Wide Course Proposal Form for course approval. 
    • Please note you can apply directly for general education designations on the University-Wide Course Proposal Form. You do not need to use the regular General Education Proposal Form. 

COURSE PROPOSAL GUIDELINES

Types of Courses

  • Permanent Courses - Courses that a department/program has approved and requested to make the course part of their permanent curriculum. 
  • Experimental Courses - Courses that a department/program requests to offer for one semester without being part of their permanent curriculum. The UUCC and University-Wide Faculty Director must approve the request to be offered for more than one semester.
  • Topics Courses - Courses are not part of a department/program’s permanent curriculum. The title and/or subject matter should change each time the course is taught. If taught more than three times with the same title and/or subject matter, the course should be put forth for permanent status. Topics courses are numbered x80-x89.

Campus Credit Hours Policy

For full details on Binghamton’s credit hours policy, please visit the Provost’s website.

Numbering System

University-Wide courses follow Harpur College’s numbering system. 

  • The x80-x89 range of numbers at each level is reserved for topics courses.
  • The x90-x99 range at each undergraduate level is reserved for:
    • 91, Teaching Practica
    • 95, Internship
    • 97, Independent Study
    • 98 - 99 Honors/Thesis
  • 100 level - Introductory Courses, normally with no prerequisites, open to all students
  • 200 level - Lower division, intermediate courses with or without prerequisites
  • 300 level - Upper division, intermediate courses, normally with prerequisites
  • 400 level - Upper division, advanced courses with specific course prerequisites
  • 500-589 - Master’s-level courses: at the option of the instructor (not the student), either S/U or regular letter grading may be used.
  • 590, 592-596, and 598 -  Internship or practicum courses: at the option of the instructor (not the student), either S/U or regular letter grading may be used.
  • 591 - Supervised college teaching of the discipline: only S/U grading may be used.
  • 597 - Independent study: at the option of the instructor (not the student), either S/U or regular letter grading may be used.
  • 599 - Thesis: only S/U grading may be used.

For More Information

Contact John H. Starks, Jr., the Office of University-Wide Courses faculty director.