Course Numbers

WashU has updated all course numbers to be four digits without letters in Workday Student for courses offered Fall 2025 onward.

The mapping table linked below shows how course numbers from our legacy SIS application WashU Course Listings (WUCRSL) translate to course numbers in Workday Student as of February 2025.

• This table does not reflect any changes to course numbers that occurred after February 2025. Search “Find Course Sections” in Workday to find a course’s new/current number. Course and section managers, including school registrars, can view a course’s definition to see its version history, including former numbers.  

Use the filters in the first row of the table to quickly find a specific course.

Impact 

WashU’s instance of Workday has been set up to recognize how old course numbers translate to the new course numbers. So, students needn’t worry about getting credit for courses they took prior to the renumbering. Students can confirm that the courses they took with old numbers have applied toward their academic requirements by reviewing their academic progress report, which will be visible when they start using the system in February 2025.

Old course numbers will appear on a student’s transcript for any courses taken prior to the renumbering. That is, for all courses taken prior to Fall 2025.

Spring & Summer 2025 only

Academic requirement definitions will include old course numbers until the Fall 2025 semester. Meaning, if a student looks at their academic requirements in Spring 2025 to plan for Fall 2025 course registration (in April), the course numbers they see in their requirements will be different than what they see when browsing course sections for Fall 2025.

In general, students can navigate this mismatch by searching for sections by name, like “Computer Architecture,” instead of by number. For classes with similar names, students and their advisors can refer to the mapping table above.

Additionally, if you browse courses in Workday prior to Fall 2025, you will see the old numbers.

Background 

In our legacy SIS application for course listings, course numbers had a mix of three and four digits and letters. Numbers or letters were sometimes used to indicate characteristics like instructional format (lecture, lab) or to signal academic requirements. 

Workday, by contrast, has specific fields on courses and course sections to indicate course characteristics. Additionally, academic requirements and the courses that fulfill them are visible in Workday via each student’s academic progress report. 

Updating all course numbers to be four digits supports the long-term maintenance of the system and makes it easier for students to see how courses relate to one another as a progression of rigor and/or depth, following the guidelines below. 

• 1000 to 1999 indicate introductory undergraduate courses, usually without college pre-requisites. 
• 2000 to 2999 indicate introductory or intermediate undergraduate courses, sometimes with a pre-requisite in the same or related subject.    
• 3000 to 3999 indicate upper-level undergraduate courses, often with a pre-requisite of a prior course or class standing (e.g.: junior standing).    
• 4000 to 4999 indicate courses or seminars with advanced content for undergraduates, in which graduate students may be eligible to register.    
• 5000 to 9999 indicate graduate courses; advanced undergraduates may seek permission to register.