Concurrent Offering of 400/500-level Courses
At its meeting of April 19, 2000 the Graduate Council approved the following recommendation from the Committee on Academic Standards: The Graduate Council prohibits the simultaneous offering of the same course at the 400- and 500-levels in the same classroom. Special exceptions may be considered by the dean of the Graduate School.
The Senate Guide to Curricular Procedures contains definitions of 400- and 500-level courses as follows: 400-level course: an advanced course built on lower division undergraduate courses, the content of an approach to which is more sophisticated than lower division courses, but not beyond the level of current textbooks or their equivalent. Independent or original work may be expected of the student. 500-level course: a course built on advanced undergraduate and/or graduate courses dealing with the frontiers of knowledge in the field. It treats theories and hypotheses, and methodology as expounded in current and/or primary literature sources. Independent analytical work by the student is expected.
Reason for the Policy Change
Council raised concern that the offering of courses concurrently to undergraduate and graduate students may not meet the pedagogical and academic needs of either, either because the course is pitched at an undergraduate level (thus not challenging graduate students) or at a graduate level (thus overwhelming and confusing undergraduates). Council wanted to ensure that graduate students get graduate-level experience in 500-level courses taken. Procedures are already in place for undergraduates to take 500-level courses as are procedures for graduates to take a limited number of 400-level courses to apply to their degree program; and graduate students are not prohibited from registering for independent study (596) in order to take 400-level coursework with additional requirements imposed for graduate credit.
Implementation
Departments who wish to offer 400/500 level classes simultaneously in the same room will be contacted by the University Registrar and informed that for the classes to be scheduled an exemption to the policy must be obtained from the Dean of the Graduate School.
Requesting an Exemption
In certain circumstances the Dean of the Graduate School will approve requests for exemptions to the policy if the program can document that there are strong pedagogical reasons for leaving these classes together and that the elements of graduate education will be retained for the graduate students in the class.
Requests for exceptions should be submitted to the Dean of the Graduate School, 114 Kern Graduate Building, and should provide the following documentation:
- justification for offering classes concurrently
- documentation of methods for ensuring graduate level experience for graduate students
- documentation of separate opportunities for graduate students to interact, if applicable
- documentation of differential assignments and evaluation methods for undergraduate and graduate students