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Preparing for Workday Student

Changes Related to Workday Student

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Academic Planning and Programs Changes to Individual Courses

Course Practice Changes Related to Workday Student

As we prepare for the transition to Workday Student, with key activities occurring ahead of its full implementation in Fall 2028, we want to ensure that all academic units are aware of any significant changes to course practices. This page lists the Workday Student-related changes that pertain to creating, modifying, and discontinuing courses. This information will be updated when additional items or more detailed guidance become available. Please contact cmsupport@umd.edu if you have any questions.

Course Renumbering: From Three Digits to Four Digits

Course numbers will transition from three digits to four digits. Expanding to four digits increases the available numbering range for academic units and reduces the need to create new course subject (prefix) codes as curricula evolve and programs grow. Implementing this change during the Workday Student transition allows the university to take advantage of dedicated staffing and external consultant support for system-wide updates.

The conversion of existing courses will be managed centrally. Current three-digit course numbers will be updated by adding a zero to the end (e.g., 101 will become 1010). Workday Student will retain links between former and updated course numbers to support student eligibility requirements (such as prerequisites) and course repeatability. For suffixed courses that remain in use after Fall 2028, the zero will be added before the suffix (e.g., 389A will become 3890A).

Four-digit course numbers will be in place for student registration beginning in Spring 2028. The Schedule of Classes for Fall 2028 and beyond will reflect the new numbering.

Phasing Out of Suffixed Courses

Suffixed courses—typically used for special topics courses that have not undergone the regular course (i.e., VPAC) review—will be phased out, except for limited exceptions (i.e., certain School of Music performance courses). Suffixed courses were intended as temporary offerings to pilot new content; however, Workday Student’s special topics functionality does not support this use in most cases.

Beginning with the Fall 2028 implementation term, academic units that wish to pilot new courses prior to VPAC review will use the Pilot functionality in CourseLeaf CIM. CIM will remain the system of record for course data and will continue to support course proposal reviews after Workday Student is implemented. This Pilot functionality is already available and in use by many units.

As of Fall 2028, no new suffixed courses will be scheduled. Any new course that has not been approved through the VPAC process must be submitted using the Pilot functionality in CIM in order to be offered.

Because of the scope and complexity of converting the large number of existing suffixed courses to unique course numbers, this work cannot be completed prior to the Fall 2028 implementation. As a result, suffixed courses currently in use that will continue after Fall 2028 may be offered on a transitional basis but must be renumbered to non-suffixed course numbers by Fall 2030.

We recognize that this transition will affect a range of academic and administrative processes that rely on course data, including transfer articulation, dual enrollment, and accreditation reporting. Guidance will be provided by the appropriate offices as needed, and our office is available to help connect units with the relevant resources. 

For more information, please see our detailed guidance about the phase out of suffixed courses, including an FAQ document.