2009-2011 Catalog – Course Description Form
Course Description Form
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Date:
Use this form if you are making changes to existing course descriptions or submitting new courses.
Save Word document as Subject Code and Course Number.
Automatic changes (to existing course descriptions) not requiring a form are:
 DL options, which will be removed by MCO.
 Course fees, which will be removed by MCO. (“Additional fees published in the Schedule of Classes” will be added by MCO.)
Program of Study and Academic School
New Course
Example: AUTC -Automotive Technology Courses (School of Applied Technologies)
Revision to an
Existing Course
Subject Code
Number
Course Title
Previous
Course
Number
Prerequisite(s), Corequisite(s), Recommended, Accuplacer Scores, or equivalent, required (All prerequisites will
be enforced on Banner.) See instructions for writing pre and corequisite(s) information.
Description: 400 characters (approximately 4 lines)
Description Length Justification: Provide if length of description exceeds 400 characters.
Theory / Lab Hours
Course Fees
Course Description Form
Revised 10/16/08 Final
Credit Hours
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2009-2011 Catalog – Course Description Form Instructions
Whether you are providing a new course or revising a course description, all information must be included on the
form. If you are changing an existing course (in any way), fill in all boxes and highlight all changes in yellow.
All information must match information approved by CCC and Deans Council.
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Course descriptions not being changed or revised will be grandfathered even if over 400 characters (approximately 4
lines).
4. All prerequisites will be enforced in Banner. If you do not want the prerequisite(s) enforced, list it as a
“recommended” prerequisite(s). Please follow these guidelines when writing your descriptions:
 Use + to mean “and”
 Use “;” to separate sections of the list and to help distinguish options
 Use parenthesis when there is more than one “or” per section
 Do not list accuplacer scores or equivalents.
Examples:
AVMT 1240 (Recommended prerequisites: ENG 0750 + RDG 0950 + MATH 0940; Corequisites: AVMT 1260 + AVMT 1280; or permission of
program director)
COS 1072 (Pre or co requisites COS 1010 + 1071; or school approval)
ACCT 1112 (Prerequisites: ACCT 1109 + ACCT 1111; or Math 1315)
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5. Writing Course Descriptions
First, think general. Remember that the description has to last for the entire 2-year period of the catalog. Next, write a onesentence description of the course, beginning with an action verb and followed by one or more descriptive nouns or phrases.
For example, here is a possible description for a fictional history course: Focuses on the economic, political, and social
development of the United States from 1600 to 1877.
Write a second sentence, using the same format, if necessary: Introduces the development of the role of the U .S. in world
affairs.
Now, check to see if your statement meets the limitation of 400 characters (approximately 4 lines). After typing your
completed statement, click on the Tools button on the tool bar, then click on “word count.” If you have other items on the page,
highlight the text to be counted first.
Focuses on the economic, political, and social development of the United States from 1600 to 1877. Introduces the
development of the role of the U .S. in world affairs.
The word count shows 169 characters, including spaces, so you can add more if necessary. However, brevity and clarity are a
real plus here. If the course is writing intensive or has some other important information for the student, add it, but always
follow the sentence format of action verb followed by descriptive information. Again, remember to be general enough so that
new techniques or advances in the field can be used without compromising the description.
Eliminate “year” specific information in course descriptions where possible, e.g. Office 2003. When applicable, course
descriptions should include the following statement “Please refer to the cnm.edu web site for the latest versions on software and
releases”.
Here is a description for CM 2105 from the current catalog:
Introduction to techniques for transforming contract documents into project schedules, including Gantt, Pert and CPM
development. Students break down a job into its basic tasks and reassemble it in a framework that controls time, work
materials and related activities. During the course students will apply theory, knowledge and techniques to actual projects
using computer scheduling programs. (396 characters,5 lines)
While meeting the length requirement, this is not written in the correct format. A rewritten version follows:
Introduces techniques for developing contract documents into project schedules, including Gantt, Pert, and CPM development.
Teaches how to break down a job into various tasks and to reassemble it into a framework that controls time, work materials,
and related activities using computer scheduling programs. (312 characters, 4 lines)
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Theory only courses: do not list contact hours
Theory/Lab courses: specify theory hours and lab hours
Labs only: specify number of lab hours
Do not list specific program fees in the catalog text. If a fee is charged for a course, add the dollar sign without the fee.
(“Additional fees published in the Schedule of Classes” will be added by MCO.)
Do not include DL option.
Course Description Form
Revised 10/16/08 Final