Course Cap Guidance
The Curriculum Committee is tasked with deciding (equitably and fairly) whether a proposed course is allowed an exemption from the standard course caps. The following guidance outlines current practice.
Standard course caps:
100-level courses: 28
200-level courses: 26
300-level courses: 18
Exemptions for lower course caps:
- Safety, equipment, or space considerations
- a. Science labs (labs are typically capped at 16-20, although they often have larger lecture sections)
- b. Studio space (e.g., arts/dance)
- c. Technology Limitations (e.g., limited availability of equipment)
- Course-level considerations
- a. Scribner Seminars (16)
- b. 100-level Expository Writing courses (15-17)
- c. Senior capstone courses (15)
- Pedagogy considerations
- a. Writing Intensive courses (guidelines in the documentation below) (17)
- b. Skill-intensive courses (such as language courses or music theory) (17)
- c. Creative writing workshops (15)
- d. IGR or other non-standard pedagogies
- e. One-credit add-ons (10-15) f. Team teaching (1.25x cap rather than 2x cap)
- Other
- a. Professional or accreditation requirements
- The Curriculum Committee does not allow exemptions for the following cases:
- a. Honors Forum courses
- b. Service learning courses
Exceptions that do not fall under these criteria must be approved on a case-by-case basis in consultation with DOF and CC.