Reader's Guide to the Catalog

College Organization

The College of Western Idaho's largest academic unit is its schools. Each academic school consists of smaller units called departments that oversee and manage individual programs. The academic year is divided into two 16-week semesters (fall and spring) and one 8-week semester (summer). Within each of those semesters, CWI offers shorter class sessions of the following lengths: 4 weeks, 5 weeks, and/or 8 weeks. Shorter class sessions are identified within Student Planning on individual course sections at the time of registration.

Catalog Expiration and Requirements Policies

College of Western Idaho (CWI) issues a new catalog for every academic year. The academic/catalog year begins in the fall, followed by the spring and summer semesters. Students seeking to earn a degree or certificate from CWI are subject to the following catalog policies:

• Students must satisfy program graduation requirements in a single catalog year, as requirements may change from one catalog to the next. All requirements for graduation outlined in the applicable catalog must be met before the degree or certificate is awarded. Students need to follow the catalog in its entirety–they may not elect to follow different catalogs for their college requirements, general education requirements, and major requirements.
• Catalog rights do not exempt students from changes in course prerequisites. Students must follow the prerequisites stated in the course descriptions in the current catalog at the time of registration.
• CWI recognizes only one declared major; however, students may earn two or more degrees and/or certificates simultaneously, providing students complete the catalog requirements for each program.
• Students are evaluated based on the graduation requirements stipulated in the catalog at the time the student matriculates or enters the major.

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this catalog, the College of Western Idaho has the right to make changes at any time without prior notice. This catalog is not a contract between the College of Western Idaho and current or prospective students.

CWI reserves the right to, at any time and without advance notice, withdraw or cancel courses and programs, change course program offerings and prerequisite coursework, change admission and registration requirements, and alter other regulations that could affect matriculated (degree-seeking) students at the time of graduation. Either the College or the program may find it necessary to update requirements for students who have been enrolled at CWI or in a particular program for a period of five years or more. Substitutions for discontinued courses or program requirements may be authorized or required by the proper college authorities.

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information in this catalog, the College of Western Idaho has the right to make changes at any time without prior notice. This catalog is not a contract between the College of Western Idaho and current or prospective students.

CWI reserves the right to, at any time and without advance notice, withdraw or cancel courses and programs, change course program offerings and prerequisite coursework, change admission and registration requirements, and alter other regulations that could affect matriculated (degree-seeking) students at the time of graduation. Either the College or the program may find it necessary to update requirements for students who have been enrolled at CWI or in a particular program for a period of five years or more. Substitutions for discontinued courses or program requirements may be authorized or required by the proper college authorities.

Definitions of common terms used throughout the catalog can be found on the Glossary page.

Catalog Archive

An archive of all past CWI catalogs can be found on the Past CWI Catalogs page. Please note that all catalogs prior to 2017-2018 are only available as PDF files. 

How to Read Degree or Certificate Program Pages

Every program has the following information included in the catalog:

Program Description Page

Each program has a program description page that includes links to the individual catalog pages for information about the specific degree(s) and/or certificate(s) that are part of the program.

Individual Degree or Certificate Page

Each degree and/or certificate within a program will have its own catalog page which includes information about its requirements, recommended course sequence, and learning outcomes. You can access each section by clicking on the tabs underneath the header.

Requirements Tab

• This page tab lists all of the courses required to earn the degree or certificate. 
• "Quick Facts" are included at the top of the Requirements tab and provide much of the same information found on the Programs of Study page (e.g. Instructional School, Department, Program Code, Program Type, and whether a program is available fully online and eligible for federal financial aid). 

Degree/Certificate Plan Tab

• This page tab lists the course sequence that is recommended by the program to complete the degree or certificate as quickly as possible. It is meant to provide an easy semester-by-semester registration guide for students to facilitate the completion of all course requirements and is based on the assumption that students will be enrolled full-time. Part-time students should work with their advisors to add additional semesters to accommodate their individual needs.
  • Many of CWI's Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs are designed to build on knowledge obtained in the previous semester. Because of this, CTE programs often have prerequisite and/or corequisite courses that are accounted for within the Degree/Certificate Plan.

  • In most CTE programs, the required general education courses can be completed during any semester the student prefers, including summer semesters. Always verify requisites by viewing the individual course descriptions.

Learning Outcomes Tab

• This page tab lists the skills and knowledge that a student will possess upon successful completion of the degree or certificate requirements. 

Z-degree Pathway Tab

• This page tab provides a pathway indicating the courses that utilize open education resources (OER) or low-cost textbooks that will count towards the fulfillment of degree requirements. The intention is that students who take courses designated as OER or low-cost options will save money on textbook costs. 

How to Read CWI Course Descriptions

Every course has a description that consists of the following seven elements:

1. Course Prefix/Subject

The prefix indicates the department or academic unit offering the course. Refer to the Course Subjects tab for a complete list of course subjects.

2. Course Number

The following numbering system is used for all credit courses offered by the College of Western Idaho (CWI):

• Zero Level (000–099): Course content is considered below the college-freshman level. These courses may be referred to as developmental or remedial courses and are not applicable for graduation.
• One Hundred Level (100–199): Course content taught at the college-freshman level.
• Two Hundred Level (200–299): Course content taught at the college-sophomore level.

3. Course Title

This indicates the official title of the course.

4. Credits

For each credit hour granted, students must have successfully met the academic requirements with an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that reasonably approximates not less than:

• 12.5 clock hours of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of 25 clock hours of out-of-class student work; or
• At least an equivalent amount of combined in-class and out-of-class clock hours for other academic activities as established by CWI including laboratory work, clinicals, internships, practicum, and other academic work leading to the award of the appropriate number of credits.

CWI courses align with credit hours in the following manner:

Credits

Course Type	Credit Hours	Instructional Contact Hours	Out of Class Hours	Total Hours
Lecture	1	12.5	25	37.5
Lab A	1	37.5	0	37.5
Lab B	1	25	12.5	37.5

5. Semester(s) Offered

The semester code indicates the semester(s) during which the course is typically offered:

• Fall: Usually offered in the fall semester
• Spring: Usually offered in the spring semester
• Fall/Spring: Usually offered in the fall and spring semesters
• Fall/Summer: Usually offered in the fall and summer semesters
• Spring/Summer: Usually offered in the spring and summer semesters
• Fall/Spring/Summer: Usually offered in the fall, spring, and summer semesters
• Varies: Not offered consistently (contact the department offering the course for more information)

6. Requisites

The list of requisites specifies any prerequisites and/or corequisites using the following abbreviations:

• PREREQ: Prerequisite (must be completed prior to gaining access to another course).
• COREQ: Corequisite (must be completed concurrently with another requirement or course).
• PRE/COREQ: Pre/Corequisite (must be either completed prior to the course or taken concurrently with the course).
• PERM/INST: Permission of the instructor is required to enroll.
• PERM/CHAIR: Permission of the department chair is required to enroll.
• PERM/DEAN: Permission of the dean required is to enroll.

7. Weekly Contact Hours 

Each course description is followed by a sequence of three numbers that indicate the number of lecture hours per week that the course meets, the number of lab hours per week that the course meets, and the total number of credits a student earns by completing the course. Please note that variable credit course descriptions display weekly contact hours based on the lowest amount of credits for which the course can be offered.

IMPORTANT: Regardless of how long an individual section of a course runs, the weekly contact hours displayed in the course description are based on a 15-week semester; the 16th week of a semester is for final examinations and is excluded from contact hour calculations.

2025-2026 Edition Information

• The 2025-2026 catalog was first published on March 31, 2025.​