Florida National University is one of 37 non-public institutions in Florida that affiliate with the Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS), and 1 of 12 that is regionally accredited. FNU utilizes the SCNS as a means of facilitating the transfer of credit from other Florida institutions affiliated with the SCNS. By utilizing the SCNS, the evaluation of student transcripts is more efficient and uniform. FNU also uses the SCNS in developing courses that conform to statewide standards. The transferability of credits is a benefit that allows students mobility and reduces the expense of repeating courses, should they have to move from one institution to another within Florida. All final decisions regarding the acceptance of transfer credit at FNU are subject to evaluation by the Office of Academic Affairs.
General Principles of the SCNS
Course Number Assignments
All postsecondary courses offered by institutions participating in the SCNS must be entered into the SCNS database. The SCNS uses a course designation that consists of a three-letter prefix and a four-digit number, and when needed, a one-letter lab designation (L for laboratory only, C for lecture/lab combinations).
Example: CHM 1020L, Introduction to Chemistry Lab
| Prefix |
Level
|
Course Number |
Lab Indicator |
| CHM |
1 |
020 |
L |
| Chemistry |
Lower (Freshman) |
|
Laboratory |
This course would be taught in conjunction with the companion lecture course, CHM 1020. If an institution chooses to teach both the lecture and lab together, the lab indicator becomes “C”, for a combination course: CHM 1020 + CHM 1020L = CHM 1020C.
The level code, which roughly corresponds to the year in college the course is normally taken (i.e., freshman, sophomore, etc.), is placed between the course prefix and the course number. The level is recommended by the institution according to its own policies. The level digit does not affect course equivalency—course equivalency is determined by the prefix and the last three digits. The following are the level definitions:
0 = college prep, career certificate, career prep
1-2 = lower level undergraduate, freshman and sophomore
3-4 = upper level undergraduate, junior and senior
5-9 = graduate and professional
Courses are numbered based on content, rather than by department or program. A single academic program may have courses in several different disciplines and may have courses with several different prefixes. Institutions may use their own course titles to describe course content. The course title does not affect the transferability of a course. Each course shall have only one prefix and one number (see State Board of Education Rule/Board of Governors Guideline 6A-10.024(13), FAC). Institutions not participating in the SCNS are prohibited from using SCNS numbers (1007.24(6), Florida Statutes).
Course Transfer
Courses that have the same academic content and are taught by faculty with comparable credentials are given the same prefix and number and are considered equivalent courses. Equivalent courses are guaranteed to transfer to any other institution participating in the SCNS. The credit awarded for these equivalent courses will satisfy the receiving institution’s requirements on the same basis as credits awarded to native students (1007.24(7), F.S). Courses that are not substantially like any other course in the SCNS are given unique course numbers and are not considered equivalent.
Receiving institutions are never precluded from accepting non-equivalent courses to satisfy specific requirements.
Credit generated at institutions on the quarter-term system may not transfer the equivalent number of credits to institutions on semester-term systems. For example, 4.0 quarter hours often transfers as 2.67 semester hours.
Laboratory Equivalency
If a student has only taken the laboratory or the lecture portion of a course and transfers to an institution where the same course is offered only in combination, it is the receiving institution's responsibility to determine whether and how to assign credit to this partially fulfilled requirement.
Exceptions to Guaranteed Transferability
Since the initial implementation of the SCNS, specific disciplines or types of courses have been excepted from the guarantee of transfer for equivalent courses. These include variable topics courses that must be evaluated individually, or applied courses in which the student must be evaluated for mastery of skill and technique. The following courses are exceptions to the general rule for course equivalencies and will not transfer automatically. Transferability is at the discretion of the receiving institution.
• Courses not offered by the receiving institution.
• For courses at non-regionally accredited (private) institutions, courses offered prior to the established transfer date of the course in question.
• Courses in the X900-999 series are not automatically transferable and must be evaluated individually. These include such courses as Special Topics, seminars, internships, apprenticeships, practicums, Study Abroad experiences, Thesis and Dissertations (including any similar individualized courses with numbers other than those in the 900-999 series).
• College preparatory (developmental or remedial) and career preparatory courses.
• Graduate-level courses.
• Applied courses in the performing arts (Art [prefix ART], Dance [DAA], Interior Design, Music [MVB, MVH, MVJ, MVK, MVO, MVP, MVS, MVV, and MVW] and Theater [TPP with numbers ranging from 000-299]) and skills courses in Criminal Justice are not automatically transferable. These courses need evidence of achievement (e.g., portfolio, audition, interview, etc.) and must be evaluated individually.
Authority for Acceptance of Equivalent Courses
Section 1007.24(7), Florida Statutes, states:
Any student who transfers among postsecondary institutions that are fully accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education and that participate in the statewide course numbering system shall be awarded credit by the receiving institution for courses satisfactorily completed by the student at the previous institutions. Credit shall be awarded if the courses are judged by the appropriate statewide course numbering system faculty committees representing school districts, public postsecondary educational institutions, and participating nonpublic postsecondary educational institutions to be academically equivalent to courses offered at the receiving institution, including equivalency of faculty credentials, regardless of the public or nonpublic control of the previous institution. The Department of Education shall ensure that credits to be accepted by a receiving institution are generated in courses for which the faculty possess credentials that are comparable to those required by the accrediting association of the receiving institution. The award of credit may be limited to courses that are entered in the statewide course numbering system. Credits awarded pursuant to this subsection shall satisfy institutional requirements on the same basis as credits awarded to native students.