Graduate Degrees, Programs, Licensure, and Credit

Graduate Credit

Categories of Graduate Credit

Graduate Courses

In order to take graduate courses for graduate credit, students must be officially accepted for admission to the School of Graduate Studies. Courses that carry graduate credit are listed in the graduate course section of this catalog. The section also contains the course numbering system and course abbreviations.

Workshops and In-Service Courses

All students who have completed the graduate admission requirements may take workshops and in-service courses.

Students granted special status by the School of Graduate Studies are permitted only to take workshop courses for graduate credit without being admitted to the School of Graduate Studies. Only 12 hours of approved workshop credit may be applied toward degree requirements.

Transfer Credit

Students may transfer courses (credits) completed at another academic institution to their Wright State academic record and apply those courses toward the requirements of graduate degree programs. The courses must have prior approval from the Wright State program accepting the transferred credits and must have been completed at an appropriately accredited academic institution or at an academic institution with high academic standards deemed appropriate and acceptable by the Wright State academic program accepting the transferred credits.

A student may transfer graduate credit if all of the following conditions are met:
The student's advisor reviews the transfer of credit request and recommends that the course(s) be accepted for transfer credit.
The student was admitted and enrolled as a graduate student at the institution where the graduate credit was completed. In addition, the student must be or have been in good standing at that institution.
The graduate credit to be transferred is within the seven year time limit for completing a master's degree. Graduate Credit transferred toward a program's elective credit requirement does not have to meet the seven year time limit.
The amount of credit to be transferred does not exceed 50% of that required by the particular degree the student is pursuing. Such transfer credit is subject to all other requirements of this policy.
The student has a Program of Study on file in the School of Graduate Studies. The Program of Study must clearly reflect the student's required courses (professional, core, advanced, introductory, general, etc.) and elective courses. Transfer courses do not have to be placed on the Program of Study until the courses have been approved by the School of Graduate Studies. The grade for the credit is "B" or better, or equivalent as determined by the School of Graduate Studies. The School of Graduate Studies may require additional information from the student and/or the institution in order to determine grade equivalency.
An official transcript reflecting the credit to be transferred is on file in the School of Graduate Studies.
The credit to be transferred has not been applied toward an awarded degree, except in case where the student is pursuing a BS/MS combined degree program as described in 4.50.
The student is actively pursuing a graduate degree program at Wright State.
The transfer of credit request is approved by the School of Graduate Studies.

At least 50% of the credit hours must be completed at Wright State and be within the seven-year time limit. All required (other than elective) program course requirements must be completed within the seven-year time limit.

A student wishing to transfer credit should consult with his or her program advisor. If the advisor approves the courses for transfer credit and the courses meet all of the School of Graduate Studies requirements, then the advisor should request in writing that the School of Graduate Studies have the courses posted on the student's academic record. The request should indicate the courses and number of hours to be transferred (the hours to be transferred may be less but cannot exceed the number of hours the student earned for the course(s)).

Graduate courses completed at Wright State in non-degree status and later applied toward degree requirements are not considered as transfer credit from outside the University. Should students be accepted into degree status, a maximum of one-half (50%) of the graduate hours required for completion of degree requirements may consist of applicable graduate hours completed in non-degree status (see sec. 4.43).

Credit by Examination

A graduate student may be awarded graduate credit by an academic unit based on the successful completion of an examination prepared by that academic unit. The development and offering of such an examination are at the discretion of the individual academic unit. To apply for credit by examination you must: be admitted to a graduate program and registered at Wright State University, complete the appropriate form (available from the Office of the Registrar), receive approval from both the graduate program director and the department administering the exam, schedule the examination with the participating academic unit, pay a nonrefundable $25 fee at the Office of the Bursar, take and pass the examination with at least a grade of "B." Signatures of the examiner and the department chair are required to indicate successful completion of the examination. The completed form is presented to the Office of the Bursar with payment of $25 per credit hour. You must return the form to the Office of the Registrar for posting to the permanent record.

A maximum of twelve hours of graduate credit recieved through credit by examination may be applied toward graduate degree requirements. This credit may be elective and/or program required credit. Colleges may specify which courses may be completed through credit by examination.

A particular course requirement may be waived through the successful completion of a proficiency examination. To apply for a proficiency examination, you must: complete the appropriate form (available at the Office of the Registrar), schedule the examination with the participating academic unit, pay the nonrefundable $25 fee at the Office of the Bursar, take and pass the examination.

Graduate Credit Hour Limits

The maximum number of credit hours for which graduate students may register in a quarter is 16. In a summer term of five weeks, nine hours is the maximum.

Students holding graduate assistantships must register for a minimum of eight quarter hours of graduate credit during each quarter they hold the appointment. Predoctoral fellows and students holding Graduate Tuition Scholarships are required to register for a minimum of 12 credit hours.

Students who wish to deviate from the normal registration loads listed above must have the approval of the program advisor and the School of Graduate Studies.

A graduate student who is employed full time should normally register for no more than two courses per quarter. This should be determined by the student and the faculty advisor based on such factors as the student's employment and its effect on the student's energy and mental alertness, the student's previous academic records, and the nature of the course taken.