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What are cross-listed and meets-with courses
Cross-listed courses
A cross-listed course is a single course that has been approved to be offered in multiple subjects (departments). Cross-listed courses (i.e., courses offered by more than one department) will be assigned the same number in each department in which it is offered. The course will carry identical L&S course attributes (i.e., breadth and level), will have the identical catalog descriptions in each listing, and will have identical course prerequisites. All cross-listed courses:
- Must be approved by the University Curriculum Committee (all departments must submit a letter of support)
- Must have the same Course Guide number (e.g.,BIOLOGY 151, BOTANY 151, and ZOOLOGY 151)
- BIOLOGY
- BOTANY
- ZOOLOGY
All students who enroll in this course, regardless of the subject listing through in which they have enrolled, experience the same course.
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When you see a cross-listed course in Guide it will always appear as one course, with all the subjects together, like BIOLOGY/BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 151.
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But when you enroll in a cross-listed course, you must choose a specific subject, i.e. BIOLOGY 151, or BOTANY 151, or ZOOLOGY 151. Each option will appear in Course Search and Enroll.
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Regardless of which subject listing is chosen for enrollment, it will meet program and degree requirements in exactly the same way.
**Courses listed as "Meets With" another course ARE NOT considered cross-listed courses.
Meets-with Courses
"Meets-With" courses are distinguished from cross-listed courses by the fact that only some portion of the academic experience is common between the classes. For example, students who enroll in two different courses may attend the same lecture, but have different discussion sections that focus on different topics or require different assignments. One course in the arrangement may include laboratory time, while another course requires students to take on a service project. "Meet-With" courses are considered distinct courses and may have distinct course requirements described on the syllabus; they may also have distinct course numbers, prerequisites, breadth and level codes, and summary block times. More information about meets-with courses can be found here.
Because meets-with involves two different courses, students may earn different types of credit and do different work, depending on the course in which they are enrolled. Students should not assume that they may easily switch their enrollment from one course to another, or attend discussion sections or labs in which they have not enrolled. This is particularly important when the courses are distinct and students in the different courses are receiving different instruction.
The Office of the Registrar has more information about cross-listed and meets-with courses in their "Combined Sections Cheat Sheet."
For specific questions, feel free to contact the L&S Student Academic Affairs office at (608) 262-0617 or lsdeans@saa.ls.wisc.edu