Understanding the Course Descriptions

The course descriptions provide information believed to be true and correct as of the publication of this college catalog. Courses described may not be offered every term or every academic year. Check the Schedule of Classes for our current listings of LMC course offerings.

Courses are listed alphabetically by department and numerically within the departmental sequence.

Any course may be offered during any term, evening or day hours, on or off campus, when there is evidence of sufficient numbers of students to justify offering the class. Any course listed in the Schedule of Classes may be canceled when the enrollment is too low to justify offering the class or if an instructor is not available.

Course Codes/Descriptors

Class Hours

References the number of lecture, lab, and/or activity hours of class meeting time per week or total hours that a course will meet over the duration of the term.

Units (of Credit)

The measure of how much credit may be earned for any given course. Unit totals are determined by the type of instruction associated with the course (i.e. lecture, lab) and the total number of hours the course will meet. See the “Guidelines on Units of Credits” section for further information.

Prerequisites/Co-requisites/Advisories

Prerequisites, co-requisites and advisories are listed for certain courses in the college catalog and class schedules. Prerequisites are courses or other requirements that a student must have completed and have verified in the Admissions & Records Office prior to enrolling in a given course. Prerequisites are required for classes when there is a need for a specific skill level or knowledge in order to be successful in the desired class. Corequisites are courses that must be taken concurrently with the desired course, in order to provide additional knowledge, skills, or lab time. Advisories are associated with particular classes to indicate the desired knowledge or skill level for successful course completion. Advisories are not required classes, but are recommended for student success. Prerequisite coursework will only be accepted from regionally accredited institutions, as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Course Repeatability

Not all courses may be repeated, once they have been successfully completed (with a grade of “P”, “C” or better). If a course is repeatable, it will be stated at the end of the course description. If there is no statement regarding repeatability, a course may only be repeated if the first grade received was substandard (“NP”, “D”, or “F”). See the “Standards of Scholarship” section for further information about the Course Repetition Policy.

Grading Information

Courses may be graded with letter grades (A – F), or by student choice (SC). If a class is graded by pass/no pass, P/NP will appear at the end of the course description. If the student has a choice as to receiving a letter grade or credit/no credit, SC will appear at the end of the course description. LR will appear at the end of the course description for letter grade only.

If a student wishes to initiate the student choice option, they must complete a petition by the posted time line in the Admissions & Records Office (the deadline for short-term classes will vary, depending upon the length of the class). See the “Standards of Scholarship” section for further information.

Associate Degree Requirements

Associate Degree Requirements Courses may be identified as meeting a requirement for the standard Associate of Arts/ Associate of Science degree(s) . These courses will be coded with an “LMC: ADR:” and the appropriate area requirement it meets. See page 68 for a listing of courses that are required to meet the standard Associate of Arts/Associate of Science path.

Degree Applicability

Courses are either identified as degree applicable or non degree applicable. If a course is degree applicable, it will be coded with “DA” below the course description and will apply toward the completion of requirements for an associate degree. If a course is non degree applicable, it will be coded with “NDA” and cannot be applied to units required for an associate degree.

Transfer Status Designations

CSU transferable (CSU): Courses identified with the CSU code are transferable to campuses of the CSU system. However, they may only be transferable as an elective. Students should check with their counselor or the Transfer Center for complete information about the transferability of courses toward meeting general education breadth requirements or major requirements.

CSU General Education Breadth Requirements (CSU GE): Courses identified with the CSU GE code are transferable to campuses of the CSU system. These courses meet the general education breadth requirements of the CSU system.

UC transferable (UC): Courses identified with the UC code are transferable to UC campuses. A course must be on the transfer course agreement (TCA) at the time the class is taken to be transferable to UC.

The lists of CSU, CSU GE and UC transferable courses are available at www.assist.org.

Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC): Courses identified with the IGETC code are part of a comprehensive pattern of courses prospective transfer students from the California Community Colleges may complete to satisfy lower-division General Education requirements at both the University of California and the California State University.