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Bulletins

Graduate Transfer Credit Policy

This policy relates to non-CMU coursework being considered for transfer into a CMU graduate degree program plan.

Transferable Credit:

  • Graduate Certificate: maximum of 33% semester hours from a previous or concurrent graduate degree or certificate may be transferred toward a graduate certificate.
  • Master's Degree: maximum of 50% of the semester hours if the credits are not used towards a credential (exception: maximum of 30 semester hours on the 54 credit hour joint master's degree in history are transferable).
  • Specialist's Degree: maximum of 12 semester hours beyond the master's degree if the master's degree was earned at CMU (exception: maximum of 9 semester hours beyond the master's degree if the degree was not earned at CMU).
  • Doctoral Degree: maximum of 50% of the post-baccalaureate semester hours. Minimum percentage that must be earned at CMU can vary among academic programs.
  • Maximum of 9 semester hours may only once be transferred from one earned graduate credential to another master’s or higher degree program.
  • Military coursework: coursework with a grade of outstanding or excellent is transferable.

A separate policy exists for the following: Students entering the Au.D. with a master's degree in Audiology and significant, relevant professional experience. See the Au.D. program description for details. Global Campus students are limited to six semester hours of prior learning according to California regulations.

Graduate transfer credits must be appropriate to the student's program, recommended by the student's academic advisor for use on the program plan, and approved by department and the Registrar's Office for final review. Transfer credits are not considered in the computation of the student's graduate grade point average. Graduate transfer credit must meet the following criteria:

  1. Credits must have been earned at a regionally accredited higher education institution or one of the recognized standing (at the time the credits were earned) as defined by the Office of Graduate Studies;
  2. The credits are not in violation of any pertinent university or Office of Graduate Studies regulation, procedure, or policy;
  3. The credits do not correspond to a course previously taken at CMU;
  4. The credits were earned within the time limit for program completion. Credits from a prior graduate degree or certificate that are to be applied to a doctoral degree may be exempt for the time limit for doctoral degree completion (see individual program description);
  5. The credits are appropriate to the student's program and are not in conflict with credit limitation specified elsewhere in the Graduate Bulletin;
  6. As certified on the official graduate transcript, courses must be at the graduate level.
  7. The grade for the credits must be B or higher. Ungraded coursework will not be accepted in transfer unless accompanied by evidence that the work was of B or higher quality; Military coursework with a grade of outstanding or excellent is transferable.
  8. The student is in good standing (3.0 cumulative graduate GPA or higher) at the institution at which the credit was earned.
  9. Doctoral degree students must have regular admission to their degree program;
  10. The student is responsible for having official graduate transcripts sent by the institution in which the credit was earned directly to Graduate Admissions at CMU and for completing the most recent version of the Graduate Transfer Credit Request form (available online at www.grad.cmich.edu under New and Current Students: Applications and Forms.
  11. The credits must be approved by the student's academic advisor (for graduate certificates and Master's degrees) or Program Director (doctoral degrees), the department and the Registrar's Office for final review.
  12. Courses earned by correspondence will be eligible for graduate transfer credit unless otherwise stipulated in department admission requirements.
  13. Transfer credits must be earned within the time limit for program completion. Transfer credits are not eligible for extension of time consideration.

Transfer credits are not included in the computation of the student's CMU graduate grade point average.

(Approved by Senate, 9/6/11, 5/4/21, 5/5/22; Graduate Committee 2/20/13)