How to understand your course number: Your class number is made up of three parts, your course acronym, course number, and section number. (Example: MATH:121-2) The first four letters of the code tell you which department is teaching the class and, therefore, from which academic area you will be receiving credit when you pass the class. In our example, it would be the math dept. The second part of the code is made up of three digits called your course number. You can tell how difficult or what grade level a course is considered to be by how high a number it has. A "121" class is considered to be a first year, or freshman level class. A "521" class is considered to be a more difficult postgraduate level class (and thus possibly academic suicide for a first year student to attempt). The last number is called your section number. It denotes which section of the class you belong. For instance, there may be five different instructors teaching the same course during a given semester, each instructor's class meeting at a different time and place, using different books. When shopping for textbooks, it is very important to have your computer printout of your class schedule so you will know who is teaching your particular section number.