Cross-Level Listing of Undergraduate and Graduate Courses

I. Scope

This policy applies to William & Mary as a whole university, including the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (the university).  It applies to all credit bearing courses.  

II. Purpose and Policy Statement

The purpose of this policy is to provide explicit requirements for cross-level listed courses.  Although normally undergraduate and graduate courses are separate and distinct from each other, there are circumstances in which academic units may wish to teach certain graduate and undergraduate courses together.  In such cases, specific requirements must be met to ensure the University's compliance with the Principles of Accreditation of the Southern Association of College and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

III. Definitions

Cross-listing refers to the practice of offering one course under two or more subject codes and course numbers.  Students may enroll through either course number and they take the same course. 

Cross-level listing refers to offering two courses, one undergraduate and one graduate, in the same time and place (or in the same distance education course), with the same instructor. For cross-level listing, only the “classroom” experience is shared. The graduate course must have distinct requirements and learning outcomes that are more advanced than those within the undergraduate course. Cross-level listed courses must have separate syllabi for the undergraduate and graduate courses.

While “cross-listing” is a technical term utilized within student information systems (SIS) for mechanically linking class records, the rules regarding “cross-level listing” apply to instruction across levels, whether the sections are officially linked or cross-listed in the SIS or simply share instructional time and location (often referred to as “course stacking.”)

IV. Policy

In general, academic units should offer distinct undergraduate and graduate courses. However, when cross-level listings of undergraduate and graduate courses are deemed appropriate and necessary, academic units must adhere to the requirements below. Courses must be approved through the usual approvals process of the academic unit in which the graduate course is housed. Approvals for cross-level listings are valid for five years from the date of approval, except for circumstances involving significant revisions to this policy or to the content of the approved course(s), at which time the courses must be re-reviewed for approval.

A. Separate syllabi are established for each course section, containing specific and distinct expectations and learning outcomes for the undergraduate and graduate courses.  

B. Assessments (e.g., exams, assignments, etc.) should promote more in-depth examination of course material and should be more difficult/more complex at the graduate level. 

C. The learning outcomes and expectations for graduate students must be clearly differentiated from expectations of undergraduate students, must be clearly documented in the graduate course syllabus, and must be consisted with the level of the course. Learning outcomes for graduate courses must include more advanced learning than those for undergraduate courses.  This can be achieved, by example, through more sophisticated/advanced readings, research projects and/or experiential activities. 

D. Graduate students must be expected to do more advanced work than undergraduate students.

1. Prerequisites should be appropriate for both courses and should be comparable enough to warrant cross-level listing.
2. Only upper-level undergraduate courses (3xx and 4xx) and lower level-graduate courses (5xx and 6xx) may be cross-level listed, and they must not be more than two levels apart. That is, 300-level courses may pair only with 500-level courses, while 400-level courses may be cross-level listed with either 500- or 600-level courses. Each primary academic unit (school) may establish more restrictive requirements regarding cross-level listed course groupings.
3. No graduate courses may be cross-level listed with lower-division (100- and 200-level) undergraduate courses.  Doctoral-level graduate courses (i.e., at the 700- or 800-level) cannot be cross-level listed with undergraduate courses, except in special cases such as colloquia, special seminars, individual research projects, etc.  Such special cases must be approved by the dean(s) of the primary academic units (schools). Other exceptions to this policy are rare and must be approved by the Dean of the primary academic unit (school) and the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs before the courses are entered into the official University schedule.

E. In cases where the course numbering does not follow a traditional numerical order (e.g., through the use of alphanumeric characters), the school or program must identify lower-division undergraduate, upper-division undergraduate, master's-level and doctoral-level courses and cross-level list those courses according to this policy.

F. The course content for courses that are cross-level listed must be sufficiently similar to warrant cross-level listing and to protect against undergraduate level students from enrolling in a course for which they are unprepared.

G. Course titles and credit hours should, in general, be the same for courses that are cross-level listed together. When credit hours differ between the graduate course and undergraduate level course, approval by the Dean of the primary academic unit (school) must be on file in that Dean’s office, and both courses must comply with W&M’s Academic Credit Hour Policy.

H. Courses not approved for cross-level listing must be taught separately and must not be co-located in the same classroom at the same time nor in the same distance education course. Further, faculty cannot be scheduled to teach together two or more courses that are not approved for cross-level listing, regardless of whether the courses are co-located in the same physical space or in the same distance education “classroom space.”

I. Faculty teaching cross-level listed courses must meet minimum requirements for teaching the graduate-level course, as required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and as detailed in the William & Mary Faculty Qualifications Manual.

V. Enforcement

Deans shall ensure that departments within their schools/academic units comply with this policy. Deans of these units are also responsible for maintaining documentation on the approval of cross-level listed courses. Documentation (including syllabi and evidence approval as requested) must be provided to the Office of the University Registrar, the Office of the Provost, and the Office of Institutional Accreditation & Effectiveness upon request.

The Offices of the University Registrar and the Provost are responsible for monitoring compliance with this policy.

VI. Authority and Amendment, Implementation

This policy is approved by the Provost in accordance with Article X Section C of the Bylaws of the Board of Visitors and the Policy on Creating Whole University Policies & Procedures. 

Section IV. of this policy was amended June 21, 2024 to include a five year period for course approvals.

VII. Related Documents

• Principles of Accreditation, The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
• William & Mary Faculty Qualifications Manual