Regardless of whether a course transferred back to UW as specified or unspecified, it will have exactly the same credit value here (i.e. 0.5 units).
Specified Course Equivalents
You might choose to take a course overseas that has content that is close to the courses offered here at UW, which would allow a UW Undergraduate Advisor to give you a course equivalent that matches a specific UW course (ie. PSYCH 101). It means you are simply taking that specific UW course somewhere else. When your course equivalents are transferred back you will have a specific UW course equivalent applied.
Unspecified Course Equivalents
It often happens that courses or modules you wish to take overseas do not have content that corresponds to any courses offered here at UW, but is still relevant to your program and study. If this is the case and you are deemed eligible to take the course, when your course equivalents are transferred back you will have an unspecified UW course equivalent applied (ie. PSYCH 1XX).
Please be aware: On the transcript you will receive from the overseas partner university you will see the exact name of each of the courses you took there, even if some of those courses appear as unspecified courses with an -XX designation on your UW grade report or transcript. You will also see the exact numerical or alpha grade you received for that course. On your UW grade report or transcript you will see only “CR” for courses transferred back to UW.