Transfer Credit

Students may transfer, with departmental approval, graduate credit from an accredited graduate school under the following conditions:

  1.  
    1. The credit-offering institution is accredited by the cognizant regional accrediting association to offer graduate degree programs appropriate to the level of credit to be transferred;
    2. The credit is fully acceptable at the issuing institution in satisfaction of its advanced degree requirement;
    3. The credit must be approved by the student’s advisor as applicable in terms of content to the student’s program of study at WSU, and must carry a minimum grade value of 3.000 on a 4.000 point scale, with no course having a grade that generates fewer than 3.000 points on a 4.000 scale;
    4. Short courses must be at least three days in length/15 hours of instruction per credit;
    5. Taught by a faculty member of the institution, not a professional brought in to teach the course;
    6. The course must be clearly marked as graduate level credit, with no other designation, such as: professional development, continuing education, etc.
  2. Master’s and specialist degree programs may include no more than one-third of the total hours or 12 credit hours whichever is greater, of graduate work completed at another regionally accredited graduate school. (No more than 6 credit hours of the transfer amount may be coursework from an earned master’s degree.) Some programs may require lower limits on transfer credit and therefore students should consult individual program descriptions. Doctoral, Master of Fine Arts (MFA), and other more lengthy programs have special transfer credit allowances, as indicated in their program descriptions.
  3. Doctoral programs may include a maximum of one-third of the coursework hours required, beyond what may be accepted from a previously earned master’s degree.
  4. Terminal activity hours specifically related to thesis and dissertation research may not be transferred from another institution. Some exceptions may apply for degree programs in which research hours constitute a larger portion of the program requirements. These instances and specific amounts must be approved by both the department and the Graduate School.
  5. An official transcript containing the requested transfer work must be on file in the Graduate School. If such work is shown on the transcripts provided in support of the original admission to the Graduate School, no new record need be provided. Approval by the graduate degree program is necessary to ensure that the coursework has been accepted as an integral part of the candidate’s program. Students assume responsibility for initiating the request for transfer of graduate credit as part of their degree plan.
  6. Transfer credit that is accepted must have been in courses started 10 years or less before the semester in which the degree work is completed, unless the transfer work is from a previously earned graduate degree, graduate certificate or graduate badge.
  7. WSU courses repeated at another institution may be used to fulfill program requirements; however, the repeated course transferred from another institution will not be counted in the WSU grade point average.
  8. Transfer hours cannot be used to satisfy the 60 percent course level requirements (see Credits Required for details) unless transfer hours are of appropriate level, and from Kansas Board of Regents institutions.

Graduate credit work from another university is posted on the WSU transcript only after it has been approved for transfer through the approved plan of study, and once the official transcript, sent directly from the transfer institution, has been received and accepted. Only the specific courses approved for transfer are posted. Coursework completed in another graduate program at Wichita State University is not considered transfer credit, therefore transfer credit rules do not apply.

Official Wichita State University transcripts reflect only a total number of transfer hours accepted and the transfer institution’s name. Additional detail, including course name and grade, appears only on the unofficial transcript.