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HomeAcademicsSchool of Professional StudiesGraduate Degrees

Transfer Credits, Challenge Credits, and Course Waivers

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DEFINITIONS

Transfer Credits
Subject to evaluation by the Program Director, graduate courses taken at other institutions towards a degree THAT WAS NOT AWARDED may be transferred into a student’s program of study at Manhattanville. When transfer credits are awarded the student does not have to take the corresponding SPS course and the number of credits transferred is deducted from the total credits required to complete the degree. Up to a maximum of 6 credits* are eligible to be transferred.

Challenge Credits
Subject to evaluation by the Program Director, students may “challenge” up to a maximum of 6 credits in their program of study based on evidence of knowledge, skills and/or competencies gained chiefly from work-related experiences complemented by prior study. Students must submit a detailed portfolio to demonstrate mastery of the subject. When Challenge credits are awarded the student does not have to take the corresponding SPS course and the number of credits successfully challenged is deducted from the total credits required to complete the degree. Students must register and pay for Challenge Credits. Up to a maximum of 6* credits may be challenged.

Course Waivers
Subject to evaluation by the Program Director, students may petition to waive out of CORE COURSES ONLY based on prior coursework (even towards a degree that has been awarded) and/or work experience. When a waiver is granted, the student takes an additional elective course instead of the waived core course. The number of credits required to complete the degree is NOT reduced. Up to a maximum of 9 credits may be waived.

PROCEDURE
Students wishing to transfer/challenge credits or waive courses must contact their department immediately upon acceptance for detailed information on how to file a petition. Transfer Credit and Course Waiver submissions must be made by the end of the first semester following acceptance into the program. Challenge credits must be filed BEFORE the last semester of residency. The department devotes time in the third week of each semester to evaluate student requests. Students are advised to gather, organize and submit helpful documentation well in advance of this assessment week, so that the process may be swiftly completed thus avoiding a full semester delay until the next evaluation period.

Transfer and Waiver Requests
Student must provide documentation outlining previous courses and/or experience. Examples of such documentation include course syllabi, course descriptions, transcripts, projects (both professional and academic), program brochures/websites, and/or any type of information about previous experience that may aid in the granting of their request.

Challenge Credits
Subsequent to departmental approval, the student registers for Challenge Credit and submits a portfolio. It should be a carefully organized folder of information in a specific academic area in the student’s designated curriculum that demonstrates the breadth and depth of the student’s experience accompanied by evidence of the quantity and richness of what the student has learned.
* Up to a maximum combination of 9 Transfer and Challenge Credits in total may be applied.

Revised July 2020