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APS Course Waivers

Course waivers are determined internally by the Chair of Admissions and the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies. The APS Department can waive particular courses that incoming students feel they have adequately mastered through prior courses. Such considerations are made on an individual basis. Please contact Lindsay.Nelson-1@colorado.edu for more information. 

Transfer Credits 

Please note that requests for transfer credit can only be made after completing 6 credits of graduate-level coursework at CU. These requests should be submitted as soon after completion of this 6 credit requirement as possible. Typically, transfer credit requests are processed during the second semester of study at CU.

Transfer credits from accredited institutions are accepted by CU only after approval by the graduate chair and under the special conditions outlined below. Transfer credit is any credit earned at another accredited institution, credits earned on another campus of the CU system, or credits earned as a non-degree student within the CU system. Â鶹ÒùÔº seeking a degree from CU must complete the majority of their course work while enrolled in a graduate program as a degree-seeking student. With the approval of the Graduate School and at the discretion of the unit, students may transfer up to and including 24 hours from a CU Boulder graduate certificate program, taken as a CU Boulder non-degree student, toward a graduate degree.

The following rules apply to transferring credit:

1. The maximum amount of work that may be transferred to CU depends upon the graduate degree sought. Master’s students may transfer up to 9 hours, while PhD students may transfer up to 21 hours.

2. Work already applied toward a graduate or undergraduate degree received from CUor another institution cannot be accepted for transfer toward another graduate degree of the same level at CU. In addition, work completed for a doctoral degree may not be applied toward a subsequent master’s degree.

3. All courses accepted for transfer must be graduate-level courses. The course grade must be B or higher. Transfer course work which is to be applied to a graduate degree at CU and was completed more than 5 years prior to being accepted to the program shall be evaluated by the Department as to current relevance and applicability to the degree requirements. At the discretion of the Department, a student may be asked to validate transfer credits prior to approval.

4. Credit may not be transferred until the student has completed 6 credits of graduate-level coursework as a degree-seeking student on the CU campus with a 3.0 GPA. Transferred credits do not reduce the minimum registration requirement but may reduce the amount of work to be done in formal courses.

5. With the exception of students enrolled in the BAM or BS/MS programs, seniors at CU Boulder may transfer a limited amount of graduate level work (up to 9 semester hours) provided such work: a. is completed with a grade of B or above at CU Boulder b. comes within the five-year course time limit c. has not been applied toward another degree d. is recommended for transfer by the department concerned, and such transfer is approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. 

Â鶹ÒùÔº seeking to waive a curricular requirement by substituting a transferred course and taking a different course should work with the GPA to determine the correct process for the request.