Course Number Expansion
With the launch of Workday Student, course numbers will be expanded from 3 digits to 4 digits. The majority of course numbers will be expanded by appending a “0” to the end of course numbers.
Why are we making this change?
As our programs have grown, we’re reaching the limit of available course numbers. Moving to 4 digits gives us the flexibility to add new courses and continue expanding our program and course offerings. Workday enables us to engage in course renumbering, laying a strong foundation for our future growth.
How is this change related to Workday?
While Workday does not require a shift from 3 digit to 4 digit course numbers, it does provide the opportunity to make this change. UMD has been monitoring our available course numbers for some time and the move to Workday is providing the resources and infrastructure to make this transition possible
See below for more details about this change. As more information comes to light, we will continue to update this page. As we get closer to go-live, please revisit this page for more information about recommended actions for operations and communications.
At a Glance
Click through the First Use, Audiences, and Impacted Systems tabs below to learn more.
All audiences will need to understand the numbering change. For instance, if they are interested in ENGL101, it will now be ENGL1010. Additional audience impacts are outlined below:
Students: Students may need to update their personal 4-year plan to use the new numbering.
Faculty: Course syllabi, materials, and documentation will need to be updated with the new course numbers.
Staff: Department and programs will need to update materials, documentation, 4-year plans, and program curriculum of studies to reflect the new numbering.
Why it Matters: From Today to Tomorrow
Today: Current State
UMD uses a 3-digit course numbering system with an additional alpha character added, as necessary, for select courses. Course numbers fall in a range of 001 to 899 and are sometimes followed by different letters to identify special topics, music performance courses, honors, scholars, and other special populations.
Tomorrow: Future State
Course numbers will be converted to 4 digits. There also may be some immediate changes to courses with alpha suffixes. Approved GenEd courses will likely be assigned a new number. All courses will fall into a new range of 0001 to 8999. Most courses will have a "0" appended to the end of course numbers.
Please check back in the coming weeks for more details about alpha suffixes.
- The process is automated with no negative impact on course credit, degree audits, or degree progression.
- Provides more available course numbers per department allowing for flexibility in the future.
- Increases flexibility for departments for course number sequences and clustering.
- Expands the availability of numbers for cross-listed and dual listed courses, reducing burden on administrators.
- Creates consistencies between peer institutions using 1000s course numbers.
- Adding a zero after the last digit of the course number retains the original three-digit number, easing the transition at initial go-live.
- Updates may be needed to departmental and unit websites or planning materials that reference course numbers.
- Downstream changes may need to be made to reports, systems, and integrations if other systems have character limits for course number.
Please revisit this site as we approach go-live events in 2027 and 2028 for more planning details.
Learn More
More information related to course number expansion can be found in the following resources:
This website will grow over time with new information, ideas, and topics, so please continue to revisit! To ask a question or request assistance, please contact elevate@umd.edu.