HOW ARE TOP CODES ASSIGNED?

HOW IS A TOP CODE DIFFERENT FROM A CIP CODE?

WHY DON’T TOP CODES MATCH THE CONTENT OF MY PROGRAMS?

WHY DO OTHER COLLEGES HAVE DIFFERENT TOP CODES FOR SIMILAR PROGRAMS?

USE OF TOP 6 CODES

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TOP 2, TOP 4, AND TOP 6?

Use the TOP Code Manualto assign codes to…

Reviewded byChancellor’s

Office

Ultimate decision

COLLEGES

COLLEGE C

COLLEGE B

COLLEGE A

Over time, TOP codes have been expanded to serve a variety of purposes including supporting the curriculum approval process, documenting which types of certi�cates and degrees are issued, tracking enrollment data, recording outcomes for state and national funding streams for career and technical education (CTE), creating sta�ng reports, itemizing spending on instructional programs, supporting facilities planning, and displaying information in statewide data tools like the Data Mart, Salary Surfer, and the LaunchBoard.

TOP codes can be assigned at di�erent levels of speci�city using two digit pairs.

Understanding TOP Codes

Taxonomy of Program (TOP) codes were created by the California community college system in 1979 to make it possible to group programs and courses with similar objectives.

W

CTEAdmin

OtherColleges

LocalCurriculum

Chair

FACULTY

WITH SUPPORT

FROM:

AWARDS

COURSES

COURSES

AWARDS

1230.30

TOP codes are unique to California community colleges.

Most other post-secondary institutions use a di�erent coding system called the Classi�cation of Instructional Programs (CIP).

CIP codes are more detailed than TOP codes, so several di�erent CIP codes could correspond to the same TOP code.

Many colleges use CIP codes for federal Gainful Employment and �nancial aid �gures, accreditation, and veterans programs.

SUB-DISCIPLINE

FIELDDISCIPLINE

TOP

TOP6

TOP4

CIPvs

TOP 2 is indicated by the �rst two digits and represent the discipline, e.g. Health (12).

TOP 4 adds two additional digits to designate the sub-discipline, e.g. Nursing (1230).

TOP 6 adds two more digits to specify a �eld, e.g. Certi�ed Nursing Assistant (1230.30)

TOP code groupings don’t align with interdisciplinary content

This can make it di�cult to

pinpoint similar programs across campuses using TOP codes alone.

TOP codes are too broad TOP codes have not been assigned consistently

Business Information

Worker Certi�cate

0501.00Business English

0514.00Keyboarding 0702.00

Intro to Windows

Speci�c skillsmay vary

Codes were assignedbefore more speci�c

codes became available.

Multiple codesmay be applicable

31AUG

Digital Media

Certi�cate

Animation (0614.40)OR

Computer Graphics and Digital Imagery (0614.60)

ORGraphic Communication

(0602.00)

COURSES

AWARDS

TOP6

COURSES

AWARDS

TOP4

0702.20Database Design & Administration

SQL?Oracle?

Informix?Sybase? 1208.20Administrative

MedicalAssisting

0514.20MedicalO�ce

Technology

COURSECHANGES