Transfer of Credit

Earned graduate credit may be transferred from accredited institutions that offer advanced degrees. The maximum number of semester hours transferable, upon request, is six. Up to six additional hours may be requested, in a master's program, provided that these additional hours are not credit earned by extension, thesis or practicum and provided also that the residency requirement of 24 semester hours is maintained by the addition of University of Louisville credits to the total program.

In unusual circumstances, a lesser residency credit requirement may be considered by the Graduate Council. Requests for such exceptions must be supported by the major department and the program advisor. In no case will a master's degree be awarded to a candidate who has completed fewer than 18 semester hours at the University of Louisville. Final approval rests with the Graduate Council.

Credit earned more than six years prior to the student's application to the Graduate School of the University of Louisville will not normally be considered for transfer; however, the Graduate Council and the Dean may make an exception upon the recommendation of the student's department.

The course work being considered for transfer must have been taken while the student was enrolled in an accredited graduate or professional school and must be evaluated for transfer by the head of the department in which the student is seeking additional graduate work. Six hours may be transferred from previously earned master's degrees toward a second master's degree, subject to the approval of the second degree program and the Dean of the Graduate School. Hours earned toward a culminating experience such as a thesis, practicum, or internship shall not be transferable to the second master's degree. Only courses in which the student earned grades of "B" or better will be considered for transfer. Hours and quality points earned at other institutions are not included in the calculation of a student's GPA.

Courses in which grades of "P" were earned must have the approval of the Graduate Dean in order to be transferred. In case of questions regarding the transferability of course work, the Graduate Council is empowered to decide.

Courses requested to be transferred that have been taken on the quarter system are equivalent to two-thirds the credit hours at the University of Louisville.

Transfers of credit from constituent schools and colleges of the University of Louisville are not subject to the above limitations on transfers but

require the recommendation of the student's department and the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School.

Course Numbering System

Courses with numbers from 500 to 599 may be open to both advanced undergraduate and graduate students and can be taken by graduate students for graduate credit. Those numbered 600 and above are primarily for graduate students.

Graduate students who wish to receive graduate credit for 500-level courses must demonstrate a level of mastery of the course material substantially above that required for undergraduate credit. This mastery must be verified in writing by the instructor if graduate credit is requested after course is completed.

Demonstration of an appropriate degree of mastery may include term papers, independent study, comprehensive examinations, or other more stringent requirements than those applied for undergraduate credit. The nature of the differences between the requirements for graduate credit and those for undergraduate credit must be described in course syllabi.

Only those 500-level courses that appear in this catalog are available for Graduate School credit. The student is advised to consult his/her department for information on any particular 500-level course.

Undergraduates Taking Graduate Courses

Undergraduate students with special permission of their undergraduate dean, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the instructors in the courses involved may register in graduate courses, including those at the 600 level. It is understood that such courses will replace courses in the normal undergraduate curriculum and therefore cannot be used for subsequent graduate credit. The student should be registered for at least one undergraduate course if requesting to enroll in a graduate course.

Undergraduate students at the University of Louisville who are within six semester hours of completing the baccalaureate requirements may register in graduate courses, including those at the 600 level, with the permission of the undergraduate dean, the Dean of the Graduate School, and the instructors involved. Subsequent graduate credit can be obtained only if these courses have not been used to satisfy part of the baccalaureate requirements, and if the recommendation of the chairman of the department involved and the approval of the graduate dean are obtained. Exceptions are those students enrolled in an accelerated Bachelor/Master's program in the College of Arts and Sciences.