Browse Catalogue by  

 or 

 

Key to the Courses of Study

Course Designations
Each course is identified by a title, subject, and number: e.g., English Composition is English 115 and would appear on the printed curriculum as EN115. 

The first digit indicates the course level and the class or classes generally eligible to take the course:

000: noncredit January programs; priority to first-year students unless otherwise noted
100: priority to first-year students
200: open to sophomores and classes above
300: open to juniors and seniors
400: restricted to seniors

Permission of the instructor may be required to confirm enrollment in a course of a level normally not open to the student’s class.
 
Course Number Conventions

Certain course numbers or ranges are reserved for specific uses:

     090            Internship
     091, 291    Independent Study (January)
     _97, _98    Special topic or one-time offering. The
                       first digit identifies the level at which
                       the course is offered.  
     483, 484    Honors Project
     491, 492    Independent Study (fall or spring)

 
Prerequisites
Course descriptions include specific prerequisites when these are required by instructors. Permission of the instructor is required to enroll in any course for which the student has not satisfied a stated prerequisite.
 
Curriculum
Departments have the option to offer particular courses in either one or both semesters and/or January. Catalogue descriptions provide this information with bold-faced letters immediately following course numbers:

f:    course is offered in fall semester
j:    course is offered in January term
s:   course is offered in spring semester
[ ]:  course is not offered in current year

The curriculum for each semester, available at the Registrar’s Office and at www.colby.edu/registrar, provides information about the time and place of classes as well as their final examination group numbers. Course enrollment limits and priorities for admission to courses are set by departments; this information is also included in the curriculum from which courses are selected.

Courses listed in the catalogue as well as the curriculum are subject to withdrawal at the discretion of the College administration. Departments reserve the right to limit enrollment in any course and to establish priorities for courses that might be over-enrolled.

Faculty on leave or directing Colby programs abroad are listed at the end the Faculty Directory.
 
Area Requirements
Catalogue descriptions of courses that fulfill distribution area requirements (see page 30) include a bold-faced capital letter following the number of credit hours:

A:    Arts
H:    Historical Studies
L:    Literature
N:    Natural Science
Q:    Quantitative Reasoning
S:    Social Sciences

 
Diversity
Courses that fulfill the requirement in Diversity (see page 30) are designated by a bold-faced U or I. Courses designated with a U fulfill the requirement dealing with diversity issues within the United States; courses designated with an I fulfill the requirement dealing with diversity issues in a context other than the United States.
 
Credit Hours
Credit hours published are per semester and are indicated in each course description as well as in the curriculum. Some courses, listed for variable credit, provide an opportunity for students to earn augmented credit by completing extra work as agreed upon with the instructor by a specified deadline and registered for appropriately.

With the exception of “topics” courses, seminars in which subject matter varies, applied music, and independent studies, courses may not be repeated for additional credit.
 
"Critical Dates and Deadlines"
Critical Dates and Deadlines, a schedule for each academic year, is issued by the registrar and includes deadlines for adding, dropping, and withdrawing from courses and for declaration and revocation of the satisfactory/unsatisfactory option or augmented credit option. It is available online at www.colby.edu/registrar