2020 - 2021 Catalog
Course Description Help Page

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Course Description Index | Degree Plans

The course description section of the catalog includes a complete list of Academic (sometimes referred to as General Education) and Career and Technical Education credit courses available at the college. To determine which credit courses are available during a specific semester, access the credit class schedule in eConnect. There are three categories of courses:

• Academic courses from the Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM),
• WECM or career and technical courses and
• Upper-Division courses which are 3000- and 4000-level courses.

Each course is identified by its course prefix and course number. For example: ENGL 1301

Four-Letter Course Prefix:

• ENGL is the course prefix. ENGL signifies the course is an English course, but BIOL signifies the course is a biology course.

Four-Digit Course Number:

• The first digit "1" in a course number indicates the course is a freshman-level course, but:
  1. A "2" as a first digit indicates the course is a sophomore-level course,
  2. A "3" as a first digit indicates the course is a junior-level course, and
  3. A "4" as a first digit indicates the course is a senior-level course.
• The second digit in a course number indicates credit hours. For example:
1. ENGL 1301 -- "3" indicates the course is a 3-credit-hour course, but
2. BIOL 2416 -- "4" indicates the course is a 4-credit-hour course.
• The third digit in a course number:
  1. For Academic courses, if the number is "7," "8," or "9," that indicates courses are not considered Texas Common Course Numbers.
  2. For WECM courses, "7" as a third digit indicates the course is a Local Need course; "6 and 8" indicate External Learning; and "9" indicates Special Topics.
• The fourth digit indicates the course sequence.

To help meet your needs for transfer of courses, Dallas College is a member of the Texas Common Course Numbering System Consortium. Course descriptions will indicate if a course has been assigned a common course number. The common course number facilitates the transfer of these courses between and among participating colleges and universities.

All Texas community colleges, including Dallas College, participate in this system. Most Texas public universities are cooperating with this numbering system by indicating which courses are equivalent to the common course number.

Most course descriptions are developed based upon the descriptions published by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB). Academic courses are listed in the Lower-Division Academic Course Guide Manual (commonly referred to as the ACGM). Career and Technical Education courses are listed in the Workforce Education Course Manual (commonly referred to as the WECM). Upper-Division courses are listed in the Upper-Division Course Manual (commonly referred to as the UDCM).

Academic/General Education Courses

Academic courses (or General Education courses) are freshman and sophomore courses that have been designated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board for transfer among community colleges and state public four-year colleges and universities. These courses are found in the ACGM.

The ACGM is a generic course inventory that also includes the official list of approval numbers for Academic/General Education transfer courses that may be offered for state funding by public community and technical colleges in Texas. Courses listed in the manual may be offered and reported for funding without requesting approval from the Coordinating Board. If a community or technical college wish to offer a course not listed in the ACGM, or offer an ACGM course for more credits or contact hours than listed, a Unique Need Course Request for approval must be submitted to the Coordinating Board.

Currently, Dallas College does not offer Unique Need courses. The state will not fund academic courses at community and technical colleges that are not listed either in the ACGM or on the college's Academic Unique Need Inventory.

WECM/Career and Technical Education Courses

WECM (Workforce Education Course Manual) courses are courses that have been designated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as workforce education (technical) courses offered for credit and continuing education units (CEUs). These courses are not designed to automatically transfer to public four-year colleges and universities. They are designated to transfer among state community colleges. These courses can be found in the WECM.

The WECM is a statewide inventory of workforce education courses offered for semester credit hours (SCH) and Continuing Education Units (CEUs). These courses are used by the college to respond rapidly to the needs of business and industry. The WECM offers a means for the college to continually design and update high quality workforce courses by receiving input from business/industry and community college faculty throughout Texas.

The THECB approves all courses cited in the WECM for use by Texas public community and technical colleges. Students who earn semester credit hours or CEUs by successfully completing requirements for the course(s) will be able to transfer the credits or CEUs to another Texas public community or technical college offering the same course(s).

UDCM/Upper-Division Courses

UDCM (Upper-Division Course Manual) provides a searchable web-based inventory of upper-division courses approved for colleges that are authorized to offer Baccalaureate Degrees. Texas Senate Bill 2118, passed by the 85th Texas Legislature, Regular Session, and signed into law by Governor Greg Abbott, authorizes public junior colleges meeting specific requirements to offer applied baccalaureate degree programs.