Course Loads by Subject Area | LSU Majors

Course Loads by Subject Area

This is a breakdown of how course loads are determined for each major or program.

Subject Area High Intensity Medium Intensity Low Intensity Types of Courses Included
Agriculture High Intensity20 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 19-15 credit hours Low Intensity 14-6 credit hours agriculture, animal sciences, earth systems, etc.
Business & Economics High Intensity 40 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 39-13 credit hours Low Intensity 12-9 credit hours accounting, finance, economics, marketing, management, etc.
Communication High Intensity 15 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 14-6 credit hours Low Intensity 5-3 credit hours advertising, audiology, branding, public speaking, etc.
Electives High Intensity 39 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 38-30 credit hours Low Intensity 24-12 credit hours students choose where they would like to focus their study 
Foreign Language  High Intensity 17 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 16 credit hours Low Intensity 15-8 credit hours french, latin, spanish, etc. 
History & Law  High Intensity25 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 24-18 credit hours Low Intensity 17-12 credit hours anthropology, civics, geography, history, law, etc.
Lab Hours or Field Work  High Intensity20 or more credit hours Medium Intensity⚪︎ 19-14 credit hours Low Intensity 13-7 credit hours labs, ensembles, observations, studios, etc.
Math  High Intensity 30 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 29-20 credit hours Low Intensity 19-10 credit hours algebra, calculus, geometry, statistics, physics, etc.
Performing Art High Intensity9 or more credit hours     music ensemble, theatre performance, etc.
Reading & Literature  High Intensity9 or more credit hours     literary study, American/British literature, Shakespeare, etc.
Science  High Intensity45 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 44-27 credit hours Low Intensity 26-12 credit hours astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, kinesiology, etc.
Social Studies  High Intensity40 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 39-20 credit hours Low Intensity 19-13 credit hours psychology, sociology, criminology, social sciences, etc.
Technology  High Intensity24 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 23-6 credit hours Low Intensity 5-2 credit hours circuits, computing, programming, software languages, etc.
Visual Art High Intensity 27 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 26-10 credit hours Low Intensity 9-6 credit hours design, drawing, photography, etc.
Writing High Intensity15 or more credit hours Medium Intensity 14-9 credit hours   creative writing, english composition, journalism, etc.