Course Descriptions
Waivers of prerequisites may be granted by deans, program directors or instructors-in-charge under certain conditions. Students who feel that they have sufficient training and/or experience to warrant an exception of the prerequisite should work with a student advisor to consult with the dean, program director or instructor-in-charge to assess whether a request for a waiver is appropriate or allowed.
Please note some courses may have special fees. Also, for some courses, the hours required may exceed the number of credit hours for the course. This will be especially true for courses in which clinical rotations or intern hours are required.
Florida's Statewide Course Numbering System
Courses use prefixes and numbers that are assigned by Florida's Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) whenever possible. This numbering system is used by all public postsecondary institutions in Florida and some participating nonpublic institutions to facilitate the transfer of courses between participating institutions. Students, advisors, and administrators use the online Statewide Course Numbering System to obtain course descriptions and other information to assist them in making decisions about course transfer between participating schools (please visit the Florida SCNS website). Individual schools control the title, credit, and content of their own courses. Individual schools also assign the first digit of the course number to reflect the level of instruction at which the course is being offered. Course prefixes and the last three digits of the course numbers are assigned by members of statewide faculty committee appointed by the Florida Department of Education to oversee the SCNS system.
Course Equivalencies
Equivalent courses at different institutions are identified by the same prefixes and same last three digits of the course number and are guaranteed to be transferable between the participating institutions that offer the course, with a few exceptions.
For example, a freshman composition skills course is offered by 84 different public and nonpublic postsecondary institutions. Each institution uses "ENC 101" to identify its freshman composition skills course. The level code is the first digit and represents the year in which students normally take the course at a specific institution. In the SCNS taxonomy, "ENC" means "English Composition" the century digit "1" represents "Freshman Composition," the decade digit "0" represents "Freshman Composition Skills," and the unit digit "1" represents "Freshman Composition Skills I."
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 course or the laboratory part of a course that has the same prefix and course number but meets at a different time or place.
Transfer of any successfully completed course from one participating institution to another is guaranteed in cases where the course to be transferred is equivalent to one offered by the receiving institution. Equivalencies are established by the same prefix and last three digits and comparable faculty credentials at both institutions. For example, ENC1101 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. PHSC uses the semester unit of credit.
Example: ENC 1101 for four (4) credits in a quarter-term college is equal to 2.67 credits at PHSC.
Exceptions to Course Equivalencies
Transfer credit for courses that do not fall under the Florida state course numbering (SCNS) are accepted at the discretion of PHSC (the receiving institution). The following courses are exceptions to the general rule for course equivalencies outlined above and they may not transfer to PHSC:
- Courses not offered by PHSC.
- For courses at non-regionally accredited institutions, courses offered prior to the established transfer date of the course in question on the SCNS tables.
- Courses in the -900-999 series are not automatically transferable and must be evaluated individually. Courses ending in these numbers may include special topics, internships or an individualized course.
- College preparatory and vocational preparatory courses.
- Credits for military training and service: course equivalencies for military training are evaluated by the appropriate academic department dean for equivalency credit.
- Upper-level courses: undergraduate courses numbering above 300+ level may be transferable at the discretion of the College, for students enrolled in baccalaureate (upper-level) programs. Upper-level course work can be brought in to satisfy lower course requirements on a case by case basis.
- Graduate level coursework.
- Internships, apprenticeships, practicums, clinical experiences, and study abroad courses with numbers other than those ranging from 900-999.
- Applied courses in the performing arts (art, dance, interior design, music and theater) and skill courses in criminal justice and/or law enforcement are not guaranteed as transferable.
- Courses from foreign institutions or courses completed outside of the U.S.
Courses at Non-regionally Accredited Institutions
The SCNS makes available on its home page (https://flscns.fldoe.org) a report entitled "Courses at Non-regionally Accredited Institutions" that contains a comprehensive listing of all nonpublic 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 Sonia Thorn, Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs at Pasco-Hernando State College in the Office of Academic Affairs 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 https://flscns.fldoe.org.