diff --git a/stepmania/src/PrefsManager.cpp b/stepmania/src/PrefsManager.cpp
index 69ca4a68c2..9e72609075 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/PrefsManager.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/PrefsManager.cpp
@@ -159,6 +159,11 @@ void ValidateRandomBackgroundMode( PrefsManager::RandomBackgroundMode &val )
 	CLAMP((int&)val,0,PrefsManager::NUM_RandomBackgroundMode-1);
 }
 
+void ValidateCourseSortOrder( PrefsManager::CourseSortOrders &val )
+{
+	CLAMP((int&)val,0,PrefsManager::NUM_COURSE_SORT_ORDER-1);
+}
+
 
 PrefsManager::PrefsManager() :
 	m_sCurrentGame		( "CurrentGame",		"" ),
@@ -289,7 +294,7 @@ PrefsManager::PrefsManager() :
 	m_bAnisotropicFiltering		( "AnisotropicFiltering",		0 ),
 
 	m_bSignProfileData		( "SignProfileData",			false ),
-	m_CourseSortOrder		( "CourseSortOrder",			COURSE_SORT_SONGS ),
+	m_CourseSortOrder		( "CourseSortOrder",			COURSE_SORT_SONGS, ValidateCourseSortOrder ),
 	m_bSubSortByNumSteps		( "SubSortByNumSteps",			false ),
 	m_GetRankingName		( "GetRankingName",			RANKING_ON ),
 	m_ScoringType			( "ScoringType",			SCORING_NEW ),
diff --git a/stepmania/src/PrefsManager.h b/stepmania/src/PrefsManager.h
index 78d36bbb19..d34765d461 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/PrefsManager.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/PrefsManager.h
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ public:
 	Preference<bool>	m_bSignProfileData;
 	
 	// course ranking
-	enum CourseSortOrders { COURSE_SORT_PREFERRED, COURSE_SORT_SONGS, COURSE_SORT_METER, COURSE_SORT_METER_SUM, COURSE_SORT_RANK };
+	enum CourseSortOrders { COURSE_SORT_PREFERRED, COURSE_SORT_SONGS, COURSE_SORT_METER, COURSE_SORT_METER_SUM, COURSE_SORT_RANK, NUM_COURSE_SORT_ORDER };
 	Preference<CourseSortOrders,int>	m_CourseSortOrder;
 	Preference<bool>	m_bSubSortByNumSteps;	
 	enum GetRankingName { RANKING_OFF, RANKING_ON, RANKING_LIST };