Course Description Information

Florida's Statewide Course Numbering System

Courses in this catalog are identified by prefixes and numbers that were assigned by Florida's Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS). This numbering system is used by all public postsecondary institutions in Florida and by participating non-public institutions. The major purpose of this system is to facilitate the transfer of courses between participating institutions. Students and administrators can use the online SCNS to obtain course descriptions and specific information about course transfer between participating Florida institutions. This information is on the SCNS website at http://scns.fldoe.org.

Each participating institution controls the title, credit, and content of its own courses and recommends the first digit of the course number to indicate the level at which students normally take the course. Course prefixes and the last three digits of the course numbers are assigned by members of faculty discipline committees appointed for that purpose by the Florida Department of Education. Individuals nominated to serve on these committees are selected to maintain a representative balance as to type of institution and discipline field or specialization.

Course Number Assignments

The SCNS uses a course designation that consists of a three-letter prefix and a four-digit number, and when needed, a one-letter lab designation (L for laboratory only, C for lecture/lab combinations). The course prefix and each digit in the course number have a meaning in the SCNS. The listing of prefixes and associated courses is referred to as the "SCNS taxonomy." Descriptions of the content of courses are referred to as "statewide course profiles."  Each course shall have only one prefix and one number (see State Board of Education Rule/Board of Governors Guideline 6A-10.024(13), FAC).

The Course Prefix

The course prefix is a three-letter code used for a discipline or subject area in the SCNS course numbering taxonomy, or a component of a discipline. It designates a particular area or part of a discipline. Then, each prefix is divided into ten (10) major content categories, called centuries.  Each century is further divided into ten (10) subcategories for courses with related content. These subcategories are called decades.  The century and decade correspond to the three-digit course number. 

The prefix is not intended to identify the department in which a course is offered. Rather, the content of a course determines the assigned prefix to identify the course. A single academic program may have courses in several different disciplines, and may have courses with several different prefixes. 

The Level Code

The level code, which roughly corresponds to the year in college the course is normally taken (i.e., freshman, sophomore, etc.), is placed between the course prefix and the course number. The level is recommended by the institution according to its own policies. The level digit does not affect course equivalency - course equivalency is determined by the prefix and the last three digits. The following are the level definitions:

0 = college prep, career certificate, career prep
1-2 = lower level undergraduate, freshman and sophomore
3-4 = upper level undergraduate, junior and senior
5-9 = graduate and professional

The Course Number

Courses are numbered based on content, rather than by department or program. A single academic program may have courses in several different disciplines, and may have courses with several different prefixes. Institutions may use their own course titles to describe course content. The course title does not affect the transferability of a course.

The Lab Indicator

In the sciences and certain other areas, a "C" or "L" after the course number is known as a lab indicator. The "C" represents a combined lecture and laboratory course that meets in the same place at the same time. The "L" represents a laboratory part of a course that has the same prefix and course number but meets at a different time or place.

Course Number Example:

CHM = Chemistry discipline

1 = Freshman, lower level undergraduate

025 = Century and decade category based on course content

C = Combined lecture and laboratory course

General Rule for Course Equivalencies

Equivalencies are established by the same prefix and last three digits and comparable faculty credentials at both institutions. For example, ENC 1101 is offered at a community college. The same course is offered at a state university as ENC 2101. A student who has successfully completed ENC 1101 at a Florida College System institution is guaranteed to receive transfer credit for ENC 2101 at the state university if the student transfers. The student cannot be required to take ENC 2101 again since ENC 1101 is equivalent to ENC 2101. Transfer credit must be awarded for successfully completed equivalent courses and used by the receiving institution to determine satisfaction of requirements by transfer students on the same basis as credit awarded to the native students. It is the prerogative of the receiving institution, however, to offer transfer credit for courses successfully completed that have not been designated as equivalent. NOTE: Credit generated at institutions on the quarter-term system may not transfer the equivalent number of credits to institutions on the semester-term system. For example, 4.0 quarter hours often transfers as 2.67 semester hours.

Equivalent courses at different institutions are guaranteed to be transferable between participating institutions that offer the course, with a few exceptions, as listed below in Exception to the General Rule for Equivalency. Additionally, if a student has only taken the laboratory or the lecture portion of a course and transfers to an institution where the same course is offered only in combination, it is the receiving institution's responsibility to determine whether and how to assign credit to this partially fulfilled requirement.

Authority for Acceptance of Equivalent Courses

Section 1007.24(7), Florida Statutes, states:

Any student who transfers among postsecondary institutions that are fully accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education and that participate in the statewide course numbering system shall be awarded credit by the receiving institution for courses satisfactorily completed by the student at the previous institutions. Credit shall be awarded if the courses are judged by the appropriate statewide course numbering system faculty committees representing school districts, public postsecondary educational institutions, and participating nonpublic postsecondary educational institutions to be academically equivalent to courses offered at the receiving institution, including equivalency of faculty credentials, regardless of the public or nonpublic control of the previous institution. The Department of Education shall ensure that credits to be accepted by a receiving institution are generated in courses for which the faculty possess credentials that are comparable to those required by the accrediting association of the receiving institution. The award of credit may be limited to courses that are entered in the statewide course numbering system. Credits awarded pursuant to this subsection shall satisfy institutional requirements on the same basis as credits awarded to native students.

DSC has policies and procedures that conform to commonly accepted practices in higher education. College Policy 4.02, Establishment of Instructional Programs, Classes and Lab FeesCollege Procedure 402(a), Curriculum Development; and the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) F.S 1007.24, State Course Numbering System (SCNS) are the College’s guidelines for determining and reviewing award of academic credit, regardless of course format or mode of delivery. 

Exceptions to the General Rule for Equivalency

Since the initial implementation of the SCNS, specific disciplines or types of courses have been excepted from the guarantee of transfer for equivalent courses. These include courses that must be evaluated individually or courses in which the student must be evaluated for mastery of skill and technique. The following courses are exceptions to the general rule for course equivalencies and may not transfer. Transferability is at the discretion of the receiving institution.

1. Courses not offered by the receiving institution.
2. For courses at non-regionally accredited institutions, courses offered prior to the established transfer date of the course in question.

3. Courses in the X900-999 series are not automatically transferable, and must be evaluated individually. These include such courses as Special Topics, seminars, internships, apprenticeships, practicums, Study Abroad experiences, Thesis and Dissertations (including any similar individualized courses with numbers other than those in the 900-999 series).

4. College preparatory (developmental or remedial) and career preparatory courses.

5. Graduate-level courses.

6. Applied courses in the performing arts (Art, Dance, Interior Design, Music, and Theater) and skills courses in Criminal Justice (academy certificate courses) are not guaranteed as transferable. These courses need evidence of achievement (e.g., portfolio, audition, interview, etc.) and must be evaluated individually.

Courses at Non-Regionally Accredited Institutions

The SCNS makes available on its home page (http://scns.fldoe.org) a report entitled "Courses at Non-Regionally Accredited Institutions" that contains a comprehensive listing of all non-public institution courses in the SCNS inventory, as well as each course's transfer level and transfer effective date. This report is updated monthly.

Questions about the SCNS and appeals regarding course credit transfer decisions should be directed to Alicia Alexander in the Office of Academic Affairs at Daytona State College or to the Florida Department of Education, Office of Articulation, 1401 Turlington Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400. Special reports and technical information may be requested by calling the SCNS office at (850) 245-0427 or at http://scns.fldoe.org.

Office of Articulation, Florida Department of Education