Responsible Office: Academic Affairs Approved By: Office of the President Approved Date: 3/10/2021 Effective Date: 3/10/2021 Category: Academics Description/Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to define in what instances undergraduate students may enroll in graduate-level courses, how these courses are counted toward GPA calculations, how these courses are counted toward degree requirements, and limitations regarding the number of credits. Details: Undergraduate students are permitted to register for graduate-level courses under the following options: For those enrolled in an accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree program. Option 1: Be accepted into an accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree program that specifically provides for undergraduates to enroll in graduate courses as part of the program's course paradigm. The University has several defined accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree programs. These programs have specifically designed and approved course paradigms intended to accelerate students' time to completion while meeting the requirements of both an undergraduate and graduate degree. Mixed-Credit allowance for certain accelerated programs Among these accelerated programs, there are specific accelerated degree programs that not only allow undergraduate students to complete graduate courses but also allow students to have up to 9 credits of graduate courses simultaneously fulfill both undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. This is referred to as "mixed credit". These programs may meet the 128-credit minimum for bachelor's degree programs utilizing mixed credits. In all cases, however, these programs will contain at least 150 combined credits with at least 120 unique credits at the undergraduate level and 30 unique credits at the graduate level. Although a maximum of 9 credit hours may be defined as eligible for mixed credit, many accelerated programs have lower limits including 0 credits that qualify as such. For mixed credit courses, the credits and grades will appear on both the undergraduate and graduate transcript but will count toward the undergraduate grade point average (GPA) only. For more information, please see the specific catalog requirements of each accelerated program. For those not enrolled in accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree program. Option 2a: To complete in addition to their undergraduate degree requirements for partial fulfillment of graduate degree requirements. Undergraduate students not enrolled in an approved accelerated degree program may complete up to two courses totaling no more than 6 credits at the graduate level for graduate credit. To be eligible, students must have senior standing with an overall cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 and must receive written approval from their academic advisor and the director of the applicable graduate degree program. The credits and grade(s) cannot be applied to satisfy any undergraduate degree requirements. The credits and grade(s) appear on the graduate transcript only and count toward the graduate GPA only. Students utilizing this option are required to maintain their full-time undergraduate status for financial aid purposes. Please note that permission to enroll in graduate courses under this option does not constitute a commitment on the part of any department to accept the students as a graduate student in the future. Option 2b: To fulfill requirements for their undergraduate degree only. In some select instances, undergraduate students may take graduate level courses with the permission of their advisors and the director of the graduate program offering the course to fulfill requirements for their undergraduate degree. The credits and grade(s) appear on the undergraduate transcript and count toward the undergraduate grade point average (GPA) only. The course credits cannot be applied to satisfy any graduate degree requirement now or in the future.
DEFINITIONS: Accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree program: An accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree program is one which accelerates the completion of an undergraduate and a graduate degree in less time than usual. The acceleration can be accomplished by attending summer sessions, carrying extra courses, or completing graduate courses as an undergraduate. These programs must meet the minimum number of credit hours as prescribed by all applicable accrediting and regulatory agencies. The program must clearly specify the courses to be taken for undergraduate credit and those to be taken for graduate credit. In addition to the minimum number of hours required, students must meet all university requirements for both the undergraduate and graduate degree as stated in the appropriate catalogs. New proposed programs must specifically apply for the "accelerated undergraduate/degree program" designation as the program is proposed and vetted through the faculty governance process. Mixed Credit: For certain undergraduate/graduate accelerated degree programs, a limited number of graduate courses may be utilized to simultaneously satisfy requirements of an undergraduate and graduate degree. This is referred to as "mixed credit". The number of mixed credits is defined at the program level but cannot exceed a maximum of 9 credit hours for any program. In all cases, the accelerated undergraduate/graduate degree programs that utilize mixed credit courses will contain at least 150 combined credits with at least 120 unique credits at the undergraduate level and 30 unique credits at the graduate level. For mixed credit courses, the credits and grades will appear on both the undergraduate and graduate transcript but will count toward the undergraduate grade point average (GPA) only. For more information, please see the specific catalog requirements of each accelerated program.
APPROVAL: Faculty Senate: 03/09/2021 |