CSULB Curriculum Forms
New Course
Before You Begin…
Make sure to use the correct form.
• There is an Upper and Lower Division version of the New Course form.
• New Honors Courses require a different form and different signatures.
• New Topic Courses have their own form.
Forms are to be completed in Word, and saved as Word documents (.doc or .docx). The version
of Word or operating system does not matter when completing these forms.
Make frequent saves. Be sure to change file names after completing a form. Since this is a word
document, commands such as “Undo” and “Redo” are available.
The online CSULB Curriculum Handbook can be found at:
http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/catalog/curr_handbook/
The most up-to-date version of the Curriculum Forms can always be found at:
http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/catalog/curr_handbook/curr_word_forms/
Previous Catalog Information can be found online at:
http://www.csulb.edu/catalog
New Course - Lower Division
Each New Course form requires 7 lines of catalog description.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Catalog Title Line
Short Title Line
Prerequisite - Corequisite Line
Course Description Line
Supplemental Information Line
Classification Line
Articulation Line
New Course - Catalog Title
Line 1 - Catalog Title Line
The course prefix (ART, KIN, BIOL, etc.) followed by the new course number and a period. The new
course number cannot be currently in use and depending on the form should be lower division 0-299
or upper division 300+. In this example “KIN 299.” has been typed in the gray form field.
The course title and the number of units (in parentheses) follows this.
For this example, the first line is complete: KIN 299. Techniques of Tetherball (3)
Hitting return at the end of this line will generate space for the second line of course information.
New Course - Short Title
Line 2 - Short Title Line
Short Titles are use by Enrollment Services and are limited to thirty characters (including spaces).
If the course title in line 1 is shorter than thirty characters, it can be used as the short title.
If the Short Title Line is left blank, the course short title will be determined by Enrollment Services.
New Course - Prerequisite(s) and
Corequisite(s)
Line 3 - Prerequisite(s) and Corequisite(s)
Prerequisites are courses or permission previously granted to the student that allows them the opportunity to take the
course. Corequisites are courses or activities to be taken simultaneously with the course.
In the third line of the text field, preface the appropriate course stipulations with “Prerequisite:” and/or “Corequisite:”
followed by the appropriate information.
For this example: Prerequisite: KIN 143 or consent of instructor. Corequisite: Community CPR/First Aid/Safety or current
certification.
If the new course has no prereqs or coreqs, this line can be left blank.
New Course - Course Description
Line 4 - Course Description
The course description line is limited to forty words maximum. Submission of courses with the
description over this limit will be returned to be revised. This information is not to include such
things as the inclusion of course fees, grading options or other supplemental information. Those
will be addressed later.
For this example: “Instruction, techniques and analysis in the concepts of teaching, coaching and
playing tetherball.”
New Course - Supplemental Info
Line 5 - Supplemental Information Line
The information for the remaining three lines of the form will be derived from the multiple choice
questions towards the bottom of the form.
The Supplemental Information line is composed of the following statements (in this order) if they are
applicable to the class: Grading, Repetition, Fees, Multiple Offering, Contact Hours Statement.
New Course - Replacement?
The first question in the second half of the form asks if the new course being created replaces an
existing course in the degree requirements. By clicking on the “Select an option:” box, two
choices pop up. Select the appropriate response for this new course.
If “Yes, new course is replacing an existing course.” Is selected, enter the prefix and course
number in the gray form field.
New Course - Grading
Grading is the first piece of information required for the supplemental information line.
Unlike the previous replacement question, there is no drop down box. All three options for
grading are represented in their own text field.
The user needs to delete all but the appropriate grading option for the new course. Click on
the other options, highlight the text and hit “delete”.
If the new course is “Letter grade only (A-F)” or “Credit/No Credit grading only”, this
information will be included in the supplemental information line.
New Course - Transferring Data
To transfer the grading data to the supplemental information line without having to retype it,
highlight the appropriate text - right click and select “Copy”. Windows/Linux users can also
use “Ctrl+C”, Mac users “Command+C”.
As noted on the form, only copy the grading information if it is “Letter grade only (A-F)” or
“Credit/No Credit grading only”. “Both grading options” is the default and not necessary to
be replicated above.
New Course - Transferring Data
Returning to the top of the form (after inserting a “RETURN” after the course description) will allow
for editing Line 5 - Supplemental Information.
Pasting the copied information below (right click and select paste, ctrl+v or command+v), will insert the
grading information. This process will be replicated throughout the remainder of the form.
New Course - Course Repetition
The next part of the Supplemental Information line, as well as the next question on the form, relates
to course repetition. As with the grading option, delete all but the appropriate result.
If this course may be repeated, replace the “--” with the number of units the new course may be
repeated to.
If the course “may be repeated,” copy and paste the entire line above in the supplemental
information line.
New Course - Course Fees
The next part of the Supplemental Information line and question on the form relates to
Course Fees. As with previous question, delete all but the appropriate response.
If a new course fee is required for this new course, a “Request to Establish a Course Fee”
form needs to be attached to the printed copy of the curriculum form with appropriate
information and signatures.
As per the form, only if a new course fee has been approved does it need to be copied and
pasted above.
New Course - Multiple Offerings
Before requesting cross-listing, if the parent course already has GE status, the new course MUST have
the same GE category status.
The next part of the Supplemental Information line and question on the form relates to Multiple
Offerings (Cross-listed courses). As with previous question, delete all but the appropriate response.
If the course is cross-listed, type the prefix and course number of that course.
If the course is cross-listed, copy and paste the information above in the Supplemental Information line.
New Course - Course Classification
The next part of the Supplemental Information line and question on the form relates to the Course
Classification. If unfamiliar with CSULB Course Classification, information can be found in the online
Curriculum Handbook: http://www.csulb.edu/divisions/aa/catalog/curr_handbook/
New Course - Course Classification
On this page, a chart depicts the
different types of classification, their
description, contact hours per unit,
normative class size and workload
weighing factors.
Courses can have a C and/or an S
classification depending on the
activities that transpire within them.
For example if a 3 unit Biology course
met for 9 hours a school week and
involved technical activities and labs, it
would be classified as C-15.
New Course - Course Classification
Complete the form fields as necessary, inserting a unit number and checking the box before the
‘C’ or ‘S’. If there is additional classification (‘C’ only), add it below.
Insert the classification (in this example - 3 units at C-11) double spaced after the Supplemental
Information line.
New Course - Course Classification
If the contact hours exceed the number of course units (if the BIOL class is 3 units but meets for 9
hours a week), a contact hours statement is required in the Supplemental Information Line.
The contact hours statement should summarize the breakdown of student hours over the week. In
this example, “(Activity 6 hours)”, since the course meets for six hours but is only 3 units. Other
examples: (Lecture 2 hours, laboratory 3 hours), (Lecture-discussion 8 hours).
This completes the Supplemental Information line.
New Course - Articulation
As with previous questions, delete all but the appropriate information. This question only appears
on lower-division forms. For new articulation requests, or if review is required, a standard course
outline (not a syllabus) must be attached to the completed curriculum form.
Copy and paste the information on the line below the classification.
New Course - Special Dates
Occasionally a new course requires a special begin or end date. If this is the case for a new
course, complete the form field and replicate the answer in the final line of the catalog
description field at the top of the form.
This must be LATER than the default date.
New Course - Filename
The form filename is the final field.
Following the formatting provided in the text, fill the field with the following information:
Course Prefix (2-4 spaces) A (for a NEW Course) Number (including a suffix if applicable) . (a
period) College Abbreviation (3-4 spaces)
For this example: KINA299.CHHS
New Course - At Completion
With the form completed, remove the parenthetical statement as instructed. Review all answers on
the form.
New Course - At Completion
Be sure to save the document
to a new filename (especially if
compiling multiple forms).
Print out a copy of the forms,
attach any additional
documents if necessary and
obtain the appropriate
signatures.