To request a CIP code for a course: 

Please include the following information in your email:

• course subject code (e.g., GEOG, HIST, ENGL)
• course number
• course name
• syllabus or catalog description of the course

CIP stands for Classification of Instructional Programs.  This coding system was developed by the US Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics in 1980 and has been revised every 10 years to accommodate new disciplines and emerging areas of study.

In Louisiana, CIP codes are used by the Board of Regents to identify programs of study (majors).  The Board of Regents assigns these CIP codes to majors.  Concentrations do NOT have separate CIP codes, but instead inherit their code from the major itself.  To see NSU’s majors with associated CIP codes, CLICK HERE and then click on the Active Majors tab at the top.   You can also refer to the CRINPROGA report  on the Board of Regents site when you CLICK HERE.

Each institution assigns CIP codes to its own courses.  As faculty, you are asked to provide a CIP code for each new course you propose using the Course Inventory Maintenance form.    Item (9.) “COURSE HEGIS (CIP CODE)” allows 6 digits.  Although some of NSU’s forms still refer to HEGIS codes, those codes are no longer in use and have been replaced by the CIP code.  Many faculty and staff tend to use the terms interchangeably.  If you have authorization, you may look up CIP codes for existing courses on Banner’s SCACRSE screen.

• CIP codes can be cross-walked to SOC (Standard Occupational Classification) codes to align majors with Occupations/Careers. To explore this cross-walk, CLICK HERE.
• These cross-walked codes are used by the Louisiana Workforce Commission to classify high-demand jobs. To explore these jobs and how they are classified, CLICK HERE.
• CIP codes assigned for courses are used by the Board of Regents in the Funding Formula.  Each course as identified by CIP code falls into 1 of 24 “Groups” in the Weighting matrix.  Examples of groups are Liberal Arts, Science, and Health Services.  Student credit hours are weighted for each group, and these weighted values are used as a component of the state funding formula.  To review the Funding Formula Summary provided by Board of Regents, CLICK HERE.