A cross-listed course is a single course offered collaboratively through two departments or programs. Each department shares responsibility for the course, and must contribute resources to the offering of the course. In addition, the course must be either team taught by a faculty member from each department, or must be taught by a faculty member with a joint appointment in both departments. For more information on cross-listed course approvals, see Academic Senate Policies.

How do I get a cross-listed course approved?

For a cross-listed course to be approved, each department must submit a course approval form (ICMS Curriculum) for the course. The course approval forms must be identical in every way, with the exception of the three-letter subject code. You must clearly explain on the course approval form how the course meets the criteria for cross-listing, and how the cross-listing benefits students. The course approval forms must be submitted simultaneously for approval. Each department is responsible for ensuring that they submit a course approval form, and that the information is identical. Forms that are not identical or are not submitted simultaneously will not be approved. The course approval request is submitted through ICMS Curriculum.

What are the limits on cross-listing?

There are no restrictions on cross-listing, but the course must meet the criteria listed above to be valid for cross-listing. You must explain on your course approval form how the course meets the criteria, and how it benefits students to have the course cross-listed.

What is the difference between cross-listing and cross-referencing?

Cross-listing is an administrative way for two departments to share responsibility for a single course. If a course is important to students in another program, that alone is not a valid reason for cross-listing. In these cases, a course might be listed in the other programs major requirements or in the “Related Courses” section of the program’s catalog entry, but cross-listing cannot be used as a mechanism for cross-referencing a course.

Once my cross-listed course is approved, how do I get it scheduled?

The two departments responsible for the cross-listed course must continue to collaborate for the quarterly scheduling process. It is the responsibility of each department to schedule their version of the course and to ensure that the schedule information is identical (time, days, instructor, enrollment cap, etc.). Both departments must schedule the course any quarter it is to be offered regardless of who is teaching the course. If the departments submit different schedule information, or one department fails to schedule the course, this will delay scheduling and room assignment. Remember, a cross-listed course is a single course offered collaboratively through two different departments. It is the responsibility of both departments to coordinate in the scheduling and maintenance of cross-listed courses. 

What happens if I need to change my cross-listed course?

Whenever there is a change to a cross-listed course, both departments must submit a course approval form reflecting the change. Once again, the course approval forms must be identical, and must be submitted simultaneously for the change to be approved. A department cannot change a cross-listed course without a proper submission from the collaborative department.

What if I no longer want my course to be cross-listed?

In order to sever a cross-listing, both departments must submit a course approval form removing the cross-listing. On the form, each department should explain the reason for ending the cross-listing.

What if I want to discontinue my side of a cross-listed course?

Once again, both departments will need to submit a course approval form. The department that wishes to cancel the course should submit a cancellation, and the other department should submit a course approval form removing the cross-listing from the course. If a department submits a cancellation for a cross-listed course without the collaborative department submitting a course change to remove the cross-listing, the cancellation will not be approved.