Course Type Overview

Course type isn't just a label game. It determines whether a course affects graduation, weighted average, GPA, comprehensive evaluation, academic warnings, major transfer, and graduate school recommendation. When looking at your course schedule, don't just glance at the course name -- check which category it falls under in your training plan.

First, Check Your Training Plan

The Undergraduate Handbook states that the comprehensive training plan is the basic framework for arranging teaching content, organizing teaching activities, and guiding students in course selection. It clearly specifies at least:

• Training objectives and graduation requirements;
• Required course credits, elective course credits, and minimum graduation credits;
• Course attributes, course names, class hours, credits, and teaching components;
• Teaching schedule.

So don't rely on word-of-mouth from upperclassmen to determine a course's type -- check your own major's and year's training plan first. The same course name in different majors may have different classifications.

Summary Table

Course Type	Main Function	Affects Graduation	Counts in 100-Point Weighted Average	Counts in 4.0 GPA	Counts in Comprehensive Evaluation (Academic Score)
Major Required Courses	Foundation for major graduation	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Major Elective Courses	Fills major direction and elective credits	Usually	No	Yes, if required by the major training plan	May be included at department discretion
General Education Courses	Fills general education credits and breadth	Yes	No	No	Usually not automatically included; per department rules
Common Basic Courses	Math, English, Physics, PE, Political Education, etc.	Most are	Only the required ones count	Yes, if required by the major training plan	Required courses (including PE) count
Intensive Practice Courses	Internships, labs, training, course design, etc.	Yes	Yes if major required course	Yes if required by major training plan	Depends on grading format and department rules
Minor Courses	Second major, micro-major, minor degree	Only affects minor requirements	No	No	Usually not counted in major evaluation; per department rules
Off-Campus Courses	Cross-institutional, exchange, open courses, etc.	Credits can be recognized upon review	No	No	Usually not counted
Retake/Re-enroll Courses	Remedying failed courses	Credits earned upon passing	Treated as 0	Retake GPA capped at 3.3	Academic score treated as 0

Required Courses: The Hardest Core

Required courses are those that the training plan mandates you must take and pass credits for. If you fail a major required course, you must take a retake exam or re-enroll.

Their impact is the greatest:

• Graduation: You must earn the specified required course credits.
• 100-point weighted average: Only calculates required courses in the major's comprehensive training plan.
• Major transfer and graduate recommendation: The university often directly looks at first-attempt required course scores, required course weighted average, and required course ranking.
• Comprehensive evaluation: The academic score is weighted from required courses (including PE) and department-selected elective courses.
• Awards: Having no failed courses in required courses during the academic year is usually a threshold for awards and honors.

In short: required courses are the main battlefield for on-campus competition. Failing one required course doesn't just hurt during retake week -- it triggers a chain reaction across subsequent indicators.

Elective Courses: Not All the Same

The Undergraduate Handbook divides comprehensive training plan courses into required and elective. Electives should be viewed in two categories:

• Major elective courses: Usually used to fulfill direction or module requirements within your major. Graduation conditions require a specified number of credits.
• General education courses: Part of the common basic general education, covering humanities, social sciences, science and technology, etc.

The key point about electives isn't whether they're “easy” -- it's whether they're required by the training plan and whether the department includes them in a given indicator.

• 100-point weighted average: Not counted. The handbook clearly states this only covers major required courses.
• 4.0 GPA: Major elective courses are usually included if required by the major's training plan; general education courses are not.
• Comprehensive evaluation academic score: Required courses are always included; whether electives are included is up to each department.

Common Basic Courses: Common Name, Not-So-Common Consequences

Common basic courses include social science basics, natural science basics, skill-oriented basics (required and general education). Common examples: Math, English, Physics, PE, Political Education, Military Theory.

Don't misunderstand “common” as “unimportant.” Many major transfer thresholds directly target math, English, physics, and other common basics. The comprehensive evaluation also explicitly includes PE in the required course academic score.

The judgment is simple: if a common basic course is a required course in your training plan, treat it as a required course; if it's a general education course, treat it as such.

Minor Courses: Mostly Ignored by Major Indicators

Minor programs, minor bachelor's degrees, and micro-majors are additional systems pursued on top of completing your major requirements.

Key rules:

• Minor courses are recorded under the minor teaching plan and affect the minor certificate or degree;
• They do not count toward the major's 100-point weighted average;
• They do not count toward the 4.0 GPA;
• Failed or unsatisfactory minor courses can be dropped and retaken;
• Students who apply to defer major courses are not eligible for minor programs.

The value of a minor lies in skills and experience, not boosting your major GPA. Using minor courses to gamble on major indicators is misreading the ledger.

Off-Campus Courses: Credits Can Be Recognized, Grades Don't Count

Students can take courses at other institutions through inter-university exchange agreements. After review by the Academic Affairs Office, off-campus course grades and credits are recorded on the transcript with an “off-campus” designation, and can be recognized toward SCUT credits as per regulations.

But the handbook is strict: Off-campus course grades and credits are never included in any type of GPA calculation.

This means:

• They can be used for credit recognition;
• They can appear on your transcript;
• They do not count toward the 100-point weighted average;
• They do not count toward the 4.0 GPA.

Off-campus courses are good for gaining experience, earning credits, and doing exchanges -- not for saving your GPA.

Retake, Re-enroll, Deferred Exam, Deferred Study

These terms are the easiest to confuse:

Situation	Nature	Impact on Indicators
Retake Exam	If you fail the first attempt, you take the exam arranged by the offering department at the start of the next semester	100-point average treated as 0; GPA retake range capped at 3.3; comprehensive evaluation academic score treated as 0
Re-enroll	Retake the course and sit for assessment again	100-point average treated as 0; comprehensive evaluation academic score treated as 0; noted on transcript
Deferred Exam	Approved postponement due to illness or schedule conflict before the exam	Not recorded as a retake; if passed, can be counted toward the corresponding semester's indicators per rules
Deferred Study	Approved postponement of some major courses due to learning difficulties	If passed, can be counted toward the study semester; those applying for deferred study cannot participate in minor programs

Core difference: Retake/re-enroll are remedies after failure; deferred exam/study are approved postponements. The former already damage first-attempt indicators; the latter still have room for normal recording under the rules.

Relationship with Key Indicators

100-Point Weighted Average

Used for on-campus graduate recommendation, major transfer, etc. The calculation scope is required courses in the major's comprehensive training plan, based on first-attempt scores. Failed, not-passed, re-enroll-passed, and retake-passed courses are treated as 0.

4.0 GPA

Mainly used for study-abroad grade certificates, etc. The calculation scope is courses required by the major's comprehensive training plan, but general education courses, minor courses, and off-campus courses are not included. Based on the highest course grade achieved. Retake GPA is capped at 3.3.

Comprehensive Evaluation Academic Score

The comprehensive evaluation academic score is calculated as the weighted average of the year's required courses (including PE) and department-selected elective courses, converted to a 100-point scale. Whether electives count -- don't guess, check your department's detailed rules.

Academic Warning

When academic warnings tally accumulated failed credits, general education courses, minor courses, and off-campus courses are excluded; credits previously earned through retakes or re-enrollment count as passed; retake scores from the current semester's start are not included in the calculation.

Quick Judgment Method

When looking at a course, follow this order:

1. Is it in your major's training plan?
2. Is it required, major elective, general education, or practice?
3. Is it first-attempt, deferred, or retake/re-enroll?
4. What do you care about -- graduation, weighted average, GPA, comprehensive evaluation, or academic warning?

Don't ask “does this course count toward my grades?” That's too vague. Ask: as what course type, and toward which indicator, does this course count?

References

The following references are from the Undergraduate Handbook (PDF) (2024 Undergraduate Handbook). Page numbers use PDF reader pagination; numbers in parentheses are the handbook header page numbers. Course type, training plan, and indicator calculations may be adjusted by year, campus, departmental rules, or new university policies. For actual course selection, credit recognition, major transfer, graduate recommendation, awards, and academic warnings, refer to the latest notices from the university, Academic Affairs Office, Student Affairs Office, and your specific school/department.

• PDF pp. 60-61 (Handbook pp. 58-59), SCUT Full-Time Undergraduate Credit System Teaching Management Implementation Measures (2017 Revision), Parts 1, 2, and 3: Basic framework for credit system, comprehensive training plan, minimum graduation credits, required/elective credits, course attributes, common basic courses, disciplinary basic courses, specialized courses, intensive practice courses, and general education courses.
• PDF pp. 67-69 (Handbook pp. 65-67), same measures, Chapters 5 and 6: Course offerings divided into required and elective; students should prioritize major required courses; deferred study, general education course selection, minor courses, course exemption, audit exemption, retake, deferred exam, re-enrollment, grade recording, off-campus course classification and credit/GPA treatment.
• PDF pp. 70-71 (Handbook pp. 68-69), same measures, Article 39: 100-point weighted average only calculates major required courses; 4.0 GPA calculates courses required by the major's comprehensive training plan, excluding general education, minor, and off-campus courses.
• PDF p. 77 (Handbook p. 75), SCUT Full-Time Undergraduate Bachelor's Degree Award Implementation Rules, Chapter 2, Article 4, Item 5: Bachelor's degree requirement of 4.0 GPA ≥ 2.0, excluding minor and off-campus courses.
• PDF p. 100 (Handbook p. 98), SCUT Full-Time Undergraduate Minor Program and Minor Bachelor's Degree Implementation Rules, Articles 7, 10-15: Minor registration conditions, minor course teaching plan and grade management, minor course failure handling, suspension of minor eligibility under academic warning, and credit recognition rules upon termination of minor.
• PDF p. 160 (Handbook p. 158), SCUT Full-Time Undergraduate On-Campus Credit Recognition Implementation Measures, Articles 4, 5, and 6: Credit recognition between minor/micro-major courses and general education or non-major elective courses, and the limitation that “credit recognition is only for graduation eligibility review.”
• PDF pp. 168-169 (Handbook pp. 166-167), SCUT Full-Time Undergraduate Academic Warning and Grade Reduction Trial Implementation Measures (2020 Revision), Parts 2 and 3: Academic warning tallying of accumulated failed credits, excluding general education, minor, and off-campus courses; statistical treatment of credits earned through retakes/re-enrollment and current-semester retake scores.
• PDF p. 202 (Handbook p. 200), SCUT Undergraduate Comprehensive Evaluation and Awards Measures (2023 Revision), Appendix 1: Comprehensive evaluation academic score calculated as weighted average of required courses (including PE) and department-selected elective course grades on a 100-point scale.