Course Prefixes

How Course Prefixes are Used at WPI

Course prefixes are useful because they indicate the subject of a course. Certain distribution requirements may say that you need a class from a certain discipline. For example, any course that begins with the prefix SS, can count towards the Social Sciences requirement.

How Course Prefixes are Written

Course prefixes are usually only written by themselves when discussing distribution requirements. When used in part with course numbers, they are written of the form "CE 3050" or "OBC 2300". There is always a space between the course prefix and course number.

Course Prefixes
ACC Accounting
  other notes: formerly MG
 
AR Art History
 
AS Air Science
  other notes: Air Force ROTC
 
BB Biology
 
BME Biomedical Engineering
  other notes: formerly BE
 
BUS Business
  other notes: proposed as BBL, Business and Business Law
 
CE Civil and Environmental Engineering
 
CH Chemistry
 
CHE Chemical Engineering
  other notes: formerly CM
 
CP Cooperative Education
 
CS Computer Science
 
ECE Electrical and Computer Engineering
  other notes: formerly EE
 
ECON Economics
 
EN English
 
ENT Entrepreneurship
 
ES Engineering Science
 
EX Exchange Program
 
FIN Finance
  other notes: proposed as FEC, Finance and Economics
 
FP Fire Protection Engineering
  other notes: graduate level course
 
FS Freshman Seminar
  other notes: not restricted to freshmen
 
GN German
 
GOV Political Science, Government and Law
 
HI History
 
HU Humanities
 
ID Interdisciplinary
 
IDG Interdisciplinary (Graduate)
  other notes: graduate
 
IMGD Interactive Media and Game Development
 
IS International Studies
 
MA Math
 
ME Mechanical Engineering
 
MFE Manufacturing Engineering
  other notes: graduate level course
 
MIS Management Information Systems
  other notes: formerly MG
 
MKT Marketing
  other notes: formerly MG
 
ML Military Leadership
  other notes: ROTC
 
MME Mathematics for Educators
  other notes: graduate level course
 
MTE Materials Science and Engineering
  other notes: graduate level course
 
MU Music
 
OBC Organizational Behavior and Change
  other notes: formerly MG
 
OIE Operations and Industrial Engineering
  other notes: formerly MG and IE
 
PE Physical Education
 
PH Physics
 
PSY Psychology
 
PY Philosophy
 
RBE Robotics Engineering
 
RE Religion
 
RH Rhetoric
 
SD System Dynamics
  other notes: Prior to AY2007, SD was exclusively for graduate courses.
 
SECE Electrical and Computer Engineering (SIM)
  other notes: courses offered by the School of Industrial Management
 
SMIS Management Information Systems (SIM)
  other notes: courses offered by the School of Industrial Management
 
SOC Sociology
 
SOIE Operations and Industrial Engineering (SIM)
  other notes: courses offered by the School of Industrial Management
 
SP Spanish
 
SS General Social Sciences
 
STS Society/Technology Studies
 
TH Theatre
 
WR Writing
 
Historic Course Prefixes
BE Bio-Medical Engineering
  other notes: now BME
 
CM Chemical Engineering
  other notes: now CME
 
EE Electrical Engineering
  other notes: now ECE
 
IE Industrial Engineering
  other notes: now OIE
 
MG Management
  other notes: replaced with ACC, FIN, ENT, MIS, MKT, OBC, OIE
 
SS Social Sciences
  other notes: Replaced with ECON, GOV, PSY, SD, SOC, SS, STS
 

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The WPI Acronym Dictionary
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