Ever wonder why Intro to Macroeconomics, Econ 201, gets a higher number than, say, Intro to Sociology, which is stuck with a lowly 110? You might have to take it up with the Economics department.
The Registrar’s office works with each individual department to get the information Northwestern students see on CAESAR. Departments themselves assign the numbers to classes.
“The catalog number is determined by departments based on the level of the class and what has not been used in the past,” said Leigh Ann Drevs, senior assistant registrar.
After departments decide their classes’ catalog numbers — as well as their classes’ instructors, days, times and locations — they relay that information to the registrar. “They determine the schedule,” Drevs said. “We're just posting the information for them.”
The Registrar’s Office does assign the section numbers, with numbers for lectures starting at about 20 and numbers for discussions starting around 60. Even section numbers are subject to departmental influence, though. “Some departments have specific numbers that pertain to a specific instructor,” Drevs said.
Compiling the list of classes for each quarter, including their course numbers, begins well before students see courses posted on CAESAR. For fall quarter, the Registrar’s Office sent out scheduling information to departments in late February, requesting the departments return schedules by March 28. Final edits to the schedule were due April 24, and the schedule went live on April 30.