Graduate Credit—General

Only courses listed in this bulletin or specifically allowed by it may be counted toward the requirements for a degree offered by the University Graduate School. These courses are ordinarily numbered at the 500 level or above. In certain cases, courses at the 300 and 400 level have been specifically approved for graduate credit; all such courses are listed in this bulletin. Nor­mally, these courses require a higher level of performance and significantly more work (such as an increased number of read­ings, additional papers, extra class sessions, oral class presenta­tions) for the graduate students than for the undergraduates. Each instructor should identify the graduate students enrolled in the course during the first week of classes and should out­line the nature of the work expected of them at that time. In certain other unusual instances the dean may approve, upon recommendation and justification by the student’s advisory committee, other 300- or 400-level courses for graduate credit, typically to count toward requirements in the student’s outside minor. Such approval should be requested before the course is taken.

In many departments there are strict limitations on the number of 300- and 400-level courses that may be counted toward advanced degree requirements; see departmental notices for details. For descriptions of 300- and 400-level courses, see the College of Arts and Sciences Bulletin or the School of Liberal Arts Bulletin.
Not all courses listed in this bulletin are offered every year and on every campus. Inquiries concerning the availability or suit­ability of a particular course should be directed to the appropri­ate departmental chairperson.
 
The number of hours of credit given a course is indicated in pa­rentheses following the course title. The abbreviation “P” refers to the course prerequisite or prerequisites. Similarly, the ab­breviation “R” indicates recommended prerequisites. Courses eligible for a deferred grade are marked by the sign “**”.

Courses taken while an undergraduate and counted toward the requirements of a baccalaureate degree may not also be counted toward a graduate degree. With only three exceptions, courses counted toward the requirements for one advanced degree may not be counted toward requirements for another degree at the same level.
 
In the case of the M.F.A., course work completed as part of an M.A., M.S., or M.A.T. degree may, with the approval of the student’s department, be counted toward the M.F.A., provided it otherwise meets the conditions stated in this bulletin.

In the case of the Dual Master’s Program, certain reductions are allowed in the total number of hours required if the two degrees had been taken separately. The Dual Master’s Program involves two degrees at the master’s level; the degrees may be under the jurisdiction of the University Graduate School or of another school (e.g., Journalism, Library and Information Science, Public and Environmental Affairs). For further informa­tion, see below (under Requirements for Master’s Degrees) and the departmental entries for Central Eurasian Studies, Comparative Literature, East Asian Languages and Cultures, Economics, Environmental Programs, Fine Arts, Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Geography, History, History and Philosophy of Science, Journalism, Latin American and Caribbean Stud­ies, Library and Information Science, Music, Nursing Science, Philanthropic Studies, Russian and East European Institute, and West European Studies.

Work counted toward a master’s degree may also be counted toward the Ph.D. if it has been approved by the student’s advi­sory committee and if it otherwise meets the conditions stated in this bulletin, including the rules governing the transfer of credit from other institutions.

Transfer of Credit

Upon recommendation of the department and with the ap­proval of the dean, work taken for graduate credit at other institutions may be transferred in partial fulfillment of degree requirements. No course may be transferred from another institution unless the grade is B or higher and unless the course was completed within the time limit prescribed (see “Gradu­ate Credit—General” section below). The following restrictions apply:

1. Candidates for the M.A., M.S., LL.M., or M.A.T. degree may offer up to 8 hours of graduate credit from other institu­tions.
2. Candidates for the M.A.T. degree who are graduates of Indiana University may offer up to 12 hours of graduate credit from other institutions.
3. Candidates for the M.F.A. degree may offer up to 20 hours of graduate credit from other institutions.
4. Candidates for the Ph.D. degree may offer up to 30 hours of graduate credit from other institutions.
5. It must be emphasized that the transfer of credit is not an au­tomatic occurrence. Students must obtain the written consent of both their departmental advisor and the dean before credit earned at other institutions will be added to their records.

Revalidation

Normally, a course may not be counted toward degree require­ments if it has been completed more than (a) five years prior to the awarding of the degree for master’s students or, (b) seven years prior to the passing of the qualifying examination for Ph.D. students. The graduate advisor, after consultation with the advisory committee, may, however, recommend to the dean that course work taken prior to the above deadlines be revalidated if it can be demonstrated that the knowledge con­tained in the course(s) remains current. Currency of knowledge may be demonstrated by such things as: (a) passing an exami­nation specifically on the material covered by the course¹; (b) passing a more advanced course in the same subject area; (c) passing a comprehensive examination in which the student demonstrates substantial knowledge of the content of the course; (d) teaching a comparable course; or (e) publishing scholarly research demonstrating substantial knowledge of the content and fundamental principles of the course. Each course for which consideration for revalidation is being requested should be justified separately.

¹If the qualifying examination is used for this purpose, the number of courses to be revalidated by this method should be limited to two in order to avoid compromising the integrity of the qualifying examination process.