Course Credit and Level
A student must be in attendance in class, fulfill the course requirements, and be evaluated by the course instructor in order to receive course credit for that class. The attendance requirement to receive class credit does not affect enrollment for thesis, dissertation or independent study.
A student must be enrolled in the course during the term or summer session in which they receive credit for that class. A student may not enroll in a class to:
- Receive credit for course work performed in a preceding term or summer session.
- Receive credit for work performed at another college or university.
Course Level
All courses required for the graduate degrees offered at Texas State are at the 5000-level or above. Courses required for the doctoral level are at the 7000-level.
Repeating Courses
A student may repeat a course but cannot receive credit for the course more than once unless the course description in the catalog specifically provides that the course may be repeated for credit. When a course is taken more than once, the second grade (first repeat) and all subsequent grades (repeats) are included in computing the Texas State hours attempted, grade points earned, and GPA. “W”, "PR", and “I” grades are excluded. If a course taken at Texas State University is to be repeated, it must be retaken at Texas State University.
Post-Graduate Credit
After a student is regularly admitted to a graduate degree program, they may be permitted to utilize some of the courses taken as a post-graduate, teacher certification, non-degree, or certificate student toward their graduate degree. At the recommendation of the student’s graduate advisor and with approval of the dean of The Graduate College, up to six hours of graduate-level courses taken under the post-graduate status with a grade of “B” or better may be petitioned for degree credit.
Transfer Credit
After a student is regularly admitted to a graduate degree program, they may be permitted to utilize some graduate level courses taken at another institution toward their graduate degree program. Acceptable transfer credit may be applied to a graduate degree program as follows:
- up to 6 hours for degree programs with 30-35 credit hours,
- up to 9 hours for degree programs with 36-41 credit hours, and
- up to 12 hours for degree programs with 42+ hours.
(Note that the total approved course transfer credit and prior learning assessment (PLA) credit approved together must not exceed those amounts.)
An exception to the standard maximums is the mathematics education doctoral program. Transfer credit will be accepted and applied upon confirmation of the following requirements:
- The credit was earned in graduate courses completed in residence at a regionally accredited institution.
- The courses are at the appropriate level and applicable to the student’s degree program at Texas State.
- Courses have not been, and will not be, used for credit toward another degree program.
- If the credits were earned prior to the student’s admission to his or her degree program within The Graduate College, the student must have his or her program graduate advisor submit a written request to the dean of The Graduate College asking for acceptance of the transfer work toward the student’s Texas State degree program.
- If the credits are to be earned after the student is admitted to The Graduate College or enrolled in a graduate degree program, the student must initiate a request for a letter of good standing well in advance of the time of anticipated enrollment at another university. Transfer credit cannot be permitted if the student fails to obtain a letter of good standing from the dean of The Graduate College prior to enrollment in the course(s) to be transferred. In order to obtain a letter of good standing, the student will need to:
- Receive permission from the departmental graduate advisor to take a course elsewhere.
- Have the graduate advisor submit a written request to the dean of The Graduate College so that the dean can issue an official letter of good standing. The request from the advisor should identify the course(s) by name and number and should state what term(s) and where the course(s) will be taken. If the dean of The Graduate College approves the request, a letter of good standing will be sent by the dean of The Graduate College to the university where the student will enroll.
- Have an official transcript of the work forwarded to The Graduate College at Texas State as soon as the grade(s) posts to the transcript at the other institution.
Transfer work will be accepted only if it bears a letter grade of “B” or higher, or a numerical equivalent. A grade of “Credit,” “Pass,” "Satisfactory,” etc., is unacceptable. Transfer work will not be accepted for graduate degree credit from another institution if such courses are designated as non-degree, background, preparatory, etc. No credit will be awarded until an official transcript showing the course work to be transferred is on file inThe Graduate College. The student may also be requested to provide a catalog from the transferring university that gives course descriptions for any transfer work requested. Students admitted on “Conditional Admission” or students on “Probation/Suspension” will not receive credit for transfer work taken under the aforementioned status. The dean of The Graduate College determines the applicability of transferred credit toward a graduate degree program at Texas State based on the recommendation of the program's graduate advisor. Applicability of transferred credit is made on a course-by-course basis. Students may appeal courses deemed non-transferrable. The dean of The Graduate College, or designee, and graduate advisor review student appeals for re-evaluation of transferred credit.
Transcripts for Transfer Work
Texas State transcripts will separate transfer course work from Texas State course work. On the transcript, transfer work will be listed first, followed by Texas State course work. In each section, course work will be listed chronologically. The transcript will show the number of hours transferred, Texas State hours attempted, Texas State hours passed, Texas State grade points, and Texas State GPA.
Credits transferred are included in the total hours the student has earned, but the grades and quality points do not affect the student's Texas State GPA. However, transfer grades and quality points do calculate into an overall GPA.
Prior Learning Assessment
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is the process for awarding course credit for specific knowledge and skills the student has acquired outside of an institution of higher education, prior to beginning the student's program of study at Texas State University. PLA must always be tied to official student learning outcomes of a specific course at Texas State and that course requirement is then waived for the student.
There are a limited number of credits that can be waived through PLA, which depend on the number of credits in the degree program. Approved PLA credit may be applied to a graduate degree program as follows:
- up to 6 hours for degree programs with 30-35 credit hours,
- up to 9 hours for degree programs with 36-41 credit hours, and
- up to 12 hours for degree programs with 42+ hours.
(Note that the total approved PLA credit and approved course transfer credit together must not exceed those amounts.)
PLA is program-specific, not all programs have approved PLA processes, and requirements may differ from program to program. If a program allows PLA credit, specific requirements are described on the overview section of that program's catalog entry.
