Systemwide Senate Regulation 740 classifies course numbers as follows:
- Lower division courses are open to freshmen and sophomores and are numbered 1-99 or are designated by a letter, especially if the subject is usually taught in high school. In no department is a lower division course acceptable for upper division credit.
- Upper division courses are numbered 100-199 and ordinarily open only to students who have completed at least one lower division course in the given subject, or six terms of college work. Special study courses for undergraduates are numbered 199.
- Graduate courses are numbered 200-299, and ordinarily open only to students who have completed at least 18 upper division units basic to the subject matter of the course.
- Professional courses for teachers are numbered 300-399, are offered in Education and other departments, and are specifically designed for teachers or prospective teachers.
- Other professional courses are numbered 400-499.
- Individual study or research graduate courses are numbered 500-599 if they may be used to satisfy minimum higher degree requirements; otherwise they are numbered 600-699.
- Extra Session Courses: Upon the recommendation of the department concerned, and with the approval of the appropriate Council or the appropriate Committee on Courses, laboratory, field, or other individual work supervised by the department and performed outside of a regular session may be accepted in partial satisfaction of the residence requirement for the Bachelor’s degree. All such work shall be designated as upper division or graduate courses. Before the work is undertaken, each student concerned must register for the course with the approval of the appropriate Faculty or Graduate Council.