Undergraduate Courses
About Undergraduate Course Offerings
Practical Learning Courses - Internships, Field Work, Practicums
Practical learning courses include internships, directed projects, field work, and practicums. These courses are directly supervised by faculty at Hood College, are graded in a similar manner and awarded credit in the same unit as resident courses, are part of an approved curriculum, and meet a requirement for graduation. Students are expected to spend at least as much time in preparation and training as is normally required for resident courses; each course has an assigned instructor; and interaction between instructor and student is regularly scheduled. The planned program of activities is controlled by the school, not by officials of the external agency.
Independent Study (375) and Teaching Assistantships (335)
Independent study (375) and teaching assistantships (335) are not conventional classroom or laboratory experiences but are an integral part of Hood’s programs. A Hood faculty member is required to supervise and schedule regular interaction with students involved in these learning experiences.
Course Numbering System
100-499 Courses numbered in this way designate undergraduate courses.
299 Special topics courses are offered in many departments or on an interdepartmental basis. The content and methods of such courses vary with the interest of students and faculty members, emerging knowledge or issues, and opportunities for field experience. A special topics course may or may not count toward the major.
397 An upper-level special topics course offered at the discretion of the department. The content and methods vary with the interest of students and faculty members.
498 Special Topics (Reserved for double-numbered courses.) See individual departmental listings in current class schedule.
499 (A and B) Designates departmental honors paper, a two-semester senior-year program designed for students who wish to pursue intensive research or special projects in close coordination with faculty advisors. Departmental honors students are known as the Christine P. Tischer Scholars and receive 6 credits for this work.
Departments identify potential Tischer Scholars from junior majors with a 3.0 cumulative grade point average and a 3.5 GPA in the major, and invite students from that list to participate in Departmental Honors. Students who accept then choose topics in consultation with a departmental honors advisor. Students, in consultation with their advisors, select an advisory committee of two additional faculty members—one of whom must be outside the student’s major department—who will advise the student as needed and serve as readers. During the senior year, The Tischer Scholars are expected to work closely with their departmental honors advisors and, where needed, their other readers. They are also required to maintain a B average in the major and present a completed paper or project by the date set by the Honors Committee in order to qualify for departmental honors at Commencement. Tischer Scholars receive 6 credits, which may be applied to the major or considered as electives.
A student wishing to convert departmental honors (499) to an independent study (375) prior to the stated conversion deadline should seek permission from their departmental honors advisor and the Honors Director(s) prior to the stated conversion deadline. The advisor's decision as to whether the work is of Honors quality is normally made based on the first full draft submitted by the student. Prior to the stated conversion deadline, the advisor may recommend that the student convert to 375 in the department that the project is housed in.
All Departmental Honors Papers are included in the permanent collections of the Beneficial-Hodson Library.
Course Offerings
Each course indicates when the course is offered. Courses indicated as first semester are offered in the fall semester and those indicated as second semester are offered in the spring.