Course Descriptions

Limitations on Scheduling Courses

Some courses in this catalog will not be scheduled in 2023-2024. Additional courses may be added. The College of San Mateo reserves the right to discontinue, postpone, or combine classes and to change instructors when circumstances warrant such changes. Further, it reserves the right to cancel classes that do not reach a minimum enrollment.

Unless otherwise designated, any course may be offered either in day or evening. Additionally, some courses are offered online. Specific information concerning class hours and locations will be found in the current Class Schedule.

Special Courses

The following special courses may be offered as recommended by the appropriate Division Dean and approved by the Curriculum Committee. See class schedule for specific course descriptions and current semester offerings

680-689 Selected Topics (1-3)
690 Special Projects (1-3)
879 Selected Topics (1-3)
880 Other Selected Topics (1-3)

Learn more about special courses

Prerequisites, Corequisites, and Recommended Preparation

A prerequisite is a condition of enrollment that a student is required to meet. A corequisite is course that a student is required to take simultaneously in order to enroll in another course. Recommended preparation is a condition of enrollment that a student is advised, but not required, to meet.

Course Articulation Information

At the end of each course description there is information that identifies how the course applies to your educational goals, or in other words, how the course is articulated.

“Degree Credit” indicates the course is applicable to the associate degree. “Units do not apply toward AA/AS degree” indicates non-degree applicable courses.

Transferability is indicated by “CSU” if the course is transferable to the California State University System and/or “UC” if the course is transferable to the University of California system. For a list of transferable courses and additional information refer to Transfer Planning.

In addition, other “attributes” appear that provide information about how the course may meet general education requirements for the associate degree, California State University General Education pattern, and the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) pattern for UC and CSU. An in-depth description of these attributes and their meaning is provided on the Articulation Attribute Legend. In addition, use Assist for a more thorough understanding of articulation and how courses taken at College of San Mateo apply to transfer lower division general education requirements and lower division major requirements.

Course Repetition

The Board of Trustees of the San Mateo County Community College District has adopted a policy (District Rules and Regulations, Section 6.17.1) in which three types of courses are designated as repeatable:

Intercollegiate Athletics — Courses in which student athletes enroll to participate in an organized sport sponsored by the district or a conditioning course which supports the organized competitive sport may be designated as repeatable. (Title 5 Section 55040/ 55041)

Intercollegiate Academic or Vocational Competition — Courses that are specifically for participation in non-athletic competitive events between students from different colleges may be designated as repeatable. The course must be tied to the student’s participation in the competition. The event must be sanctioned by a formal collegiate or industry governing body.

Required by CSU or UC for Completion of a Bachelor’s Degree — Repetition of the course is required by CSU or UC for completion of the bachelor’s degree. Courses are limited to four attempts and this enrollment limitation applies even if the student receives a substandard grade or a “W.” (Title 5 Section 55041)

These courses will be designated as “may be repeated for credit’’ in the College Catalog. For more information on this policy, please consult your College counselor. For further information, see Course Repetition under the Academic Standards section of this Catalog.

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Courses marked with a (*) are transferable with unit limitations as specified in assist.org. If you have questions, see your counselor.