Co-listing of Graduate and Undergraduate Courses Policy

Month/Year Posted: 
December, 2014
Policy Number: 
P14-05

Humboldt State University allows individual degree programs to offer upper-division (300 or 400-level) undergraduate majors courses (no upper division general education courses) with graduate (500- or 600-level) courses having similar course content in a co-listing arrangement with a single instructor and a common meeting schedule. Co-listing (also known as co-convening or dual-listing) of courses allows for more interaction between undergraduate and graduate students and expands the opportunities for undergraduate students to be exposed to instruction at a more challenging level. Though such an arrangement can strengthen the undergraduate experience, courses must be carefully designed so as to ensure the integrity of the graduate experience and differences in expectations and requirements of the students enrolled in the two co-listed courses must be clearly identified. Graduate expectations must be commensurate with the level of the graduate course listed. Co-listed courses should generally be taught at a graduate level but with appropriate modifications to the undergraduate co-listed course so that it is accessible to upper-division students in the program.

When a graduate course and an undergraduate course are co-listed they should reflect the following guidelines:

     A. There must be two course syllabi that clearly differentiate the performance expectations for students receiving undergraduate and graduate level credit in the co-listed courses (e.g., student learning outcomes, required problems, projects, readings, presentations or other methods). The relationship between graduate work and graduate credit must be clearly spelled out, and there must be different standards of grading. Both syllabi must indicate that the co-listed courses meet at the same time and location with the same instructor, but that the two courses have different requirements and performance expectations reflecting the different course levels.

     B. Co-listed course pairings normally consist of one 400 level and one 500 level course. Exceptions to 400 and 500 level pairing should be rare and occur only under extreme circumstances. A strong rationale must accompany proposals.

     C. Courses to be co-listed must be offered within the same department or equivalent academic unit. Co-listed courses may not be cross-listed.

     D. Thesis, creative work, internship, special project, topic, directed reading, research and independent study classes may not be used as part of a co-listed arrangement.

     E. The Class Schedule should make clear, by means of class notes that co-listed courses meet at the same time and location, and with the same instructor, but that the two courses have different requirements reflecting the different course levels.

     F. Co-listed course descriptions must indicate that the courses can be co-listed. The descriptions must specify that if one of the co-listed courses is completed for credit, the other one may not be taken for credit at a subsequent time, unless explicitly stated on student’s program of study and approved by the student’s graduate committee.

     G. Course proposals must be submitted and approved separately for each of the courses in the proposed pairs through the campus curricular review process. The course proposals must address the following:

          i. Both course proposal forms must specify that the courses may be co-listed and that credit may not be earned in the other course of the pair at a later time (except by approval of a student’s graduate committee);

          ii. While course descriptions and course syllabi for co-listed courses should be similar, specification of the requirements for the graduate course must clearly delineate greater expectations for and the additional requirements of graduate students, appropriate to the field of study. At the time of the review of the co-listing, syllabi for both courses complete with course descriptions, course readings and activities, and Student Learning Outcomes (SLO) will be submitted to all curriculum committees as support for the co-listing. Examples of greater expectations may include that graduate students show development of independent critical judgment and evaluation of course material, and that graduate students present the evidence of their original critical analysis. Examples of additional assignments might include significant research papers, oral presentations of research on course assignments, and/or the demonstration of more sophisticated laboratory or studio skills than those required of students in the undergraduate course.

          iii. Proposals for co-listing of courses must be submitted at the same time as the new course proposals for the graduate and undergraduate courses. Approval of the courses is not contingent upon approval of the co-listing; however, co-listing is contingent upon the approval of the courses. Proposals for co-listing of courses can be submitted for already-existing courses if accompanied by a complete syllabus for both courses.