SHARED UNIQUE NUMBER SYSTEM (SUN)
The SUN System is a college course numbering system designed to help Arizona students plan their education and ensure successful transfer of course credits.
The SUN System is a special bank of courses that have direct equivalency at all Arizona public community colleges and universities.
Tens of thousands of other Arizona college courses also transfer– check the Course Equivalency Guide to search for additional transferrable courses.
For more details, scroll down to review SUN System FAQs.
Tens of thousands of other Arizona college courses also transfer– check the Course Equivalency Guide to search for additional transferrable courses.
For more details, scroll down to review SUN System FAQs.
HOW THE SUN COURSE NUMBERING SYSTEM WORKS
SUN courses have a unique three-letter prefix and four-digit course number that represents direct course equivalency at all Arizona public community colleges and universities. Each institution retains its original course numbers but uses the SUN to indicate commonality.
For example:
College Algebra has several different prefixes and numbers at the community colleges and universities (see the table below). In the SUN System, all of the courses will share a unique number and a single prefix: SUN# MAT 1151. This unique number/prefix indicates course equivalency at all institutions! When students enroll in a SUN course, they know that your credit will be accepted at any Arizona college.
For example:
College Algebra has several different prefixes and numbers at the community colleges and universities (see the table below). In the SUN System, all of the courses will share a unique number and a single prefix: SUN# MAT 1151. This unique number/prefix indicates course equivalency at all institutions! When students enroll in a SUN course, they know that your credit will be accepted at any Arizona college.
|
Institution |
Course Number |
|---|---|
|
Arizona State University |
MAT 117 |
|
Arizona Western College |
MAT 151 |
|
Central Arizona College |
MAT 151 |
|
Cochise College |
MAT 151 |
|
Coconino Community College |
MAT 151 |
|
Eastern Arizona College |
MAT 154 |
|
Maricopa Community Colleges |
MAT 151 |
|
Mohave Community College |
MAT 151 |
|
Northern Arizona University |
MAT 110 |
|
Northland Pioneer College |
MAT 152 |
|
Pima Community College |
MAT 151 |
|
University of Arizona |
MATH 112 |
|
Yavapai College |
MATH 152 |
FIND SUN COURSES
You can also use the Course Equivalency Guide (CEG) to find SUN courses at your community college or university. SUN courses are also listed in your community college catalogs online and in print.
SUN courses are designated in the CEG and in your college catalogs by the orange SUN icon shown below:
SUN courses are designated in the CEG and in your college catalogs by the orange SUN icon shown below:
SUN FAQ
How were courses selected to become SUN courses?
Senate Bill (SB) 1186, the 2010 legislation that mandated a shared course numbering system, specifically identified the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) and common major courses for inclusion in the system because these courses are the most commonly used in transfer and articulation between Arizona’s institutions of higher education.
Will more SUN courses be added?
The SUN System is being implemented in phases; the initial phase includes the AGEC and major courses which have direct equivalencies at all three Arizona universities and the community college districts which offer them. Institutions are reviewing additional courses for inclusion in the SUN System.
Will non-SUN courses transfer?
Yes! The Course Equivalency Guide (CEG) has been publishing course transfer information since 1973. The CEG system is still used for determining the transferability of coursework, and the SUN System is built upon the direct equivalencies in the CEG. The SUN System makes it easy for students to select courses with direct equivalencies across institutions.
Are general electives included in the SUN System?
Only courses that transfer as direct equivalents are included in the SUN System. Depending on a student’s major and institution some SUN courses might be considered electives.
Why doesn't SUN include private or tribal colleges?
The 2010 legislation mentioned above, Senate Bill (SB) 1186, only addressed Arizona’s ten public community college districts and the three state universities (ASU, NAU, and UArizona).
Where are SUN course numbers listed?
The SUN implementation plan calls for SUN course numbers to be included in catalogs, transcripts, websites, databases, and degree audit programs.
Why can't all colleges just change their course numbers?
Historically, Arizona’s colleges and universities have developed their course banks independently over many decades. As a result, there are many curriculum decisions and business practices based on course numbering that are very costly to change, considering the many places where course information is located. For this reason, SUN was developed as a “supra-numbering” system that does not require any institution to changes its course prefixes, numbers, or titles.
Will SUN replace current course numbers?
No. The advantage of the SUN System is that institutions can retain their course prefixes, numbers, and titles, and then “map” those to the corresponding SUN prefixes, numbers, and titles.
Will the SUN appear on transcripts?
Yes, only for those courses that have received SUN numbers.
Does the SUN apply to courses I've already taken?
SUN courses took effect in January 2012. For courses taken before this date, students should check the Course Equivalency Guide for the year the courses were taken to determine their equivalencies.
Will my SUN courses transfer to out-of-state colleges?
The SUN System is unique to Arizona public community colleges and universities only. The SUN System does not affect transferability to out-of-state colleges and courses will transfer out-of-state as they always have. Transferability is at the discretion of the receiving institution.
Senate Bill (SB) 1186, the 2010 legislation that mandated a shared course numbering system, specifically identified the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) and common major courses for inclusion in the system because these courses are the most commonly used in transfer and articulation between Arizona’s institutions of higher education.
Will more SUN courses be added?
The SUN System is being implemented in phases; the initial phase includes the AGEC and major courses which have direct equivalencies at all three Arizona universities and the community college districts which offer them. Institutions are reviewing additional courses for inclusion in the SUN System.
Will non-SUN courses transfer?
Yes! The Course Equivalency Guide (CEG) has been publishing course transfer information since 1973. The CEG system is still used for determining the transferability of coursework, and the SUN System is built upon the direct equivalencies in the CEG. The SUN System makes it easy for students to select courses with direct equivalencies across institutions.
Are general electives included in the SUN System?
Only courses that transfer as direct equivalents are included in the SUN System. Depending on a student’s major and institution some SUN courses might be considered electives.
Why doesn't SUN include private or tribal colleges?
The 2010 legislation mentioned above, Senate Bill (SB) 1186, only addressed Arizona’s ten public community college districts and the three state universities (ASU, NAU, and UArizona).
Where are SUN course numbers listed?
The SUN implementation plan calls for SUN course numbers to be included in catalogs, transcripts, websites, databases, and degree audit programs.
Why can't all colleges just change their course numbers?
Historically, Arizona’s colleges and universities have developed their course banks independently over many decades. As a result, there are many curriculum decisions and business practices based on course numbering that are very costly to change, considering the many places where course information is located. For this reason, SUN was developed as a “supra-numbering” system that does not require any institution to changes its course prefixes, numbers, or titles.
Will SUN replace current course numbers?
No. The advantage of the SUN System is that institutions can retain their course prefixes, numbers, and titles, and then “map” those to the corresponding SUN prefixes, numbers, and titles.
Will the SUN appear on transcripts?
Yes, only for those courses that have received SUN numbers.
Does the SUN apply to courses I've already taken?
SUN courses took effect in January 2012. For courses taken before this date, students should check the Course Equivalency Guide for the year the courses were taken to determine their equivalencies.
Will my SUN courses transfer to out-of-state colleges?
The SUN System is unique to Arizona public community colleges and universities only. The SUN System does not affect transferability to out-of-state colleges and courses will transfer out-of-state as they always have. Transferability is at the discretion of the receiving institution.
