Graduate Catalog 2003-2004

Students who have been fully admitted into graduate degree programs at the University may petition for transfer of graduate credit from another accredited graduate school once they have satisfactorily completed eight hours of graduate work in University degree programs. The petition takes the form of inclusion in the Tentative Degree Program (TDP). An official transcript must be received by the Graduate College before credit can be approved for transfer. Credit may be transferred only for courses in which the student received the grades of A or B. Credit for an S grade may be transferred only if the grade is regarded by the grading school as B or better.

Transfer of credit is not appropriate for graduate non-degree students; by definition, they have no graduate degree program toward which credit is to be transferred. The transfer of credit for any graduate student for purposes of consolidating transcripts is not allowed. If a graduate non-degree student later becomes admitted to a graduate degree program, transfer of credit can be requested in consultation with the graduate coordinator of the program. Conditionally admitted students must achieve regular status before petitioning for transfer of credit. Final approval for transferred credit is granted only by the graduate dean designate.

The time limits for completion of a master’s degree and a specialist degree (six years) and for a doctoral degree (eight years) apply also to transferred credit. That is, all credits within a master’s and specialist program must fall within the six-year period dating from the end of the earliest course used to fulfill degree requirements on the Tentative Degree Program; similarly, all credits within a doctoral program must fall within the eight-year period.

Once the request for transfer of credit has been approved by the academic program and the Graduate College, and official transcripts are received, the credit hours—not grades—for the courses are transferred into the student’s degree program. Because the grades are not officially recognized, they cannot be counted into a student’s cumulative grade point average.

Courses equivalent to those at the University cannot be transferred for credit and also taken for credit here (course duplication is not allowed). Only graduate level courses qualify for transfer to graduate degree programs. Courses that have already been applied in whole or in part in any way toward any other degree or certificate may not be transferred.

A student may transfer up to a maximum of 9 semester hours of post-baccalaureate credit into a master's program subject to approval of the program and the Graduate College.

A student may transfer up to a maximum of 9 semester hours of post-master's credit into a doctoral program subject to approval of the program and the Graduate College. This is in addition to the 30 hours that transfer from a master's program.