University of New Haven
300 Boston Post Road
West Haven
CT
06516
1-800 DIAL-UNH or 1-800-342-5864
Academic credit is granted on a credit hour basis. In addition to successfully completing regular courses, students may earn credit by independent study, coordinated courses, crediting examinations, CLEP examinations, or transfer of previously awarded credit from other institutions to name a few.
Transfer of Credit to the University - Graduate Students
Transfer credit may be given for applicable graduate courses taken at other regionally accredited institutions (or ones recognized as such by the university) prior to matriculation at the University of New Haven, subject to the following conditions:
Transfer of Credit to the University - Undergraduate Students
Students may transfer to the university after completing academic work at other institutions. Normally, the university accepts credit from regionally accredited colleges on an equivalency basis. The regional institutional accreditation bodies in the U.S. are Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA), New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA), Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), and Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC).
Students transferring from another institution must have at least a 2.00 cumulative gpa based on a four-point scale. Credit is normally granted for undergraduate courses completed with at least a grade of C or its equivalent. Credit is not awarded for pass/fail courses or pass/fail grades. Credit transferred from a two-year institution is generally limited to sixty credit hours and restricted to freshman- and sophomore-level courses, unless otherwise approved in writing by the dean of the school in which the student seeks to enroll. Credit will be accepted only for transfer courses that are equivalent to UNH courses or electives; all accepted credit must pertain to UNH degree requirements.
Coordinated Courses - Graduate Students
Graduate students currently matriculated at the university must secure written approval before taking courses at another institution if they wish to transfer credit(s) into their UNH programs. Forms are available in the Graduate Records Office for this purpose. In all cases, an official transcript must be received directly from the institution where the course was taken and placed on file at UNH before transfer credit will be awarded. Transfer credits are not included in courses used to establish a student's gpa or residency requirement at the University of New Haven.
Coordinated Courses - Undergraduate Students
In order to maintain continuity in a degree program, students are encouraged to use UNH Summer Sessions and Winter Intersession; however, courses taken by matriculated UNH students at regionally accredited institutions may be designated as coordinated courses. Credit for such courses is accepted and posted to students' transcripts, and the grades are included in the students' gpas.
Credit for courses taken at a two-year institution is restricted to equivalent UNH courses at the freshman and sophomore levels. (Students with junior or higher standing at UNH may not take coordinated courses at two-year institutions.) Care should be taken in requesting coordinated course credit for courses given during intensive terms.
Prior authorization for a coordinated course must be obtained from the department(s) housing the student's major and the related course at UNH. The appropriate form must be obtained from the Registrar's Office, approved by the department(s), and returned to the Registrar's Office before the course begins. Normally, approval is granted only for those courses which are equivalent to courses offered at UNH, and/or standard courses in a given discipline unavailable at UNH because of frequency of offerings, cancellation, etc., or inaccessible to the student because of temporary residency at a distant location. Complete detailed instructions can be found on the Coordinated Course Form.
Students must be continuously matriculated at UNH while taking a coordinated course. Approval for a coordinated course will become void upon withdrawal from the university by the student or dismissal of the student from the university.
Students are responsible for securing an official transcript upon completion of their course work. Official transcripts must be mailed directly from the other institution to the attention of the Registrar's Office at UNH. Credit will not be posted to the student's UNH transcript until the official transcript from the other institution has been received by the Registrar's Office.
Advanced Placement
The university recognizes the program of advanced placement available to talented high school students through the College Entrance Examination Board. Students satisfactorily completing advanced placement courses in high school and the final examination prepared by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) may be given appropriate college credit if their courses are similar to those offered at the University of New Haven.
ETS Advanced Placement examinations are graded from 1 to 5. Credit may be allowed when the grade earned is 3, 4, or 5. Students desiring to submit advanced placement courses for college credit should have all results of those courses and tests sent in with their application for admission.
The University of New Haven accepts credit by examination from the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), subject to academic department chair approval. The passing percentile for CLEP and subject examinations is 50. Credit will be evaluated by the appropriate department chair.
The University of New Haven awards credit for scores of 4 or greater on International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. To receive credit, students must request that the testing service forward official test results directly to the University of New Haven. Credit will be evaluated by the appropriate department chair.
Crediting Examinations - Graduate Students
Under certain circumstances, students who have independent knowledge of a specific course may apply for permission to take a crediting examination in lieu of taking the course. To qualify for a crediting examination, the student must have taken a similar course at either the graduate or undergraduate level; completed the equivalent work in non-credit training courses; or had extensive, related, on-the-job experience. Crediting examinations are subject to the following conditions:
Permission to take a crediting examination must be granted by the department chair or program coordinator, the chair of the department in which the course is offered, and the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies. Crediting Examination Permission Forms are available from the Graduate Records Office. Once permission has been granted and the crediting examination fee of $300 paid, the examination is administered and graded by a full-time faculty member designated by the chair of the department that offers the course.
Crediting Examinations - Undergraduate Students
A student who has at least a 2.00 cumulative quality point ratio (gpa) and has independent knowledge of the content of an undergraduate course offered by the university may, with the approval of the appropriate department chair and dean, take a crediting examination in lieu of taking the course.
Students are reminded that they must earn at least thirty semester hours through regular UNH coursework if they are to meet the residency requirements for graduation. Credits by examination do not count toward the residency requirement.
Students may not take crediting examinations during the first term in which they are enrolled.
External Credit Examinations - Undergraduate Students
Learning which has been acquired through many traditional and non-traditional approaches can be measured and validated by objective procedures acceptable to the faculty of UNH. This learning must appropriately parallel the curriculum of the university in order to be awarded UNH credit. Sources of external credit that may be evaluated currently include:
Independent Study, Internships, and Research Projects - Graduate Students
All academic programs leading to a master's degree require the completion of a capstone work - a thesis, a substantial research or other special project, or a comprehensive examination. Students must have the written approval of the advisor, department chair, and program coordinator prior to enrolling for the capstone program research or project. The required approvals must be on the appropriate forms, which are printed in each of the graduate trimester schedule booklets, and are also available on the university website and at Graduate Records. In some programs, the capstone research or special project is structured as an internship or independent study, the approval for which is covered by the aforementioned process. However, some programs permit or encourage internships or independent studies under the supervision of a faculty supervisor as distinct from the capstone requirement. Prior approval for these is also required, using forms available from Graduate Records, the university website, or the registration booklet. A student may not register for more than a total of six credits of independent study/internship within a degree program. An independent study/internship proposal must be approved by the student's advisor and/or program coordinator as well as the coordinator or chair of the department offering the course.
Students preparing a report for their research or special project, internship, or independent study may be asked to follow the guidelines presented in the UNH Dissertation and Thesis Manual (2nd edition, 1998), copies of which are available in the Graduate Records Office, on the university website, and in the bookstore.
Students who are required to take comprehensive examinations in order to complete their degree programs must obtain the appropriate comprehensive examination approval form(s) from the Graduate Records Office, secure the necessary approvals, and pay the required fees, if applicable. Students should confirm arrangements for comprehensive examinations with the program coordinator.
Independent Study - Undergraduate Students
In all courses of independent study the student and advisor must jointly file a project outline with the Registrar within four weeks of the beginning of the course. This outline shall serve as the basis for determining satisfactory completion of course requirements.
Normally, independent study is restricted to no more than six credits and open only to seniors, juniors, and exceptionally qualified sophomores. Students must have at least a 3.00 quality point ratio (gpa).
Regularly scheduled courses (that is, those offered at least once every four semesters) are not normally acceptable as independent study.
Thesis - Graduate Students
Preparation and completion of a thesis are optional for master's degree programs. A number of preliminary steps are required before registration for the thesis will be accepted by the Registrar. The student completes the Proposal for Thesis form (available online or at the Graduate Records Office), in which the proposed subject, hypothesis, and methodology are described. The student secures the approval signature of a faculty member who will serve as advisor. The student must also secure approval of the proposed thesis and thesis advisor from the department chair and/or program coordinator and the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies. Only after the Registrar has received the approved form will the student be permitted to register for the thesis. A thesis will carry no fewer than six academic credits taken over no fewer than two academic terms. A preliminary draft must be presented to the advisor at least 75 days prior to commencement. Upon approval by the advisor and the program coordinator, unbound copies are presented to the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies. A date and time will then be scheduled by the thesis advisor for the thesis defense before the student's thesis committee and the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies or his/her designee. Successful defense of the thesis must be completed at least three weeks prior to the date of commencement. Students must complete and defend the thesis within the time limit for completion of the degree.
After successful defense and the approval of the thesis by the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies, thesis credit is awarded, and final, unbound copies of the thesis are deposited with the Associate Provost for Graduate Studies to be forwarded for binding at the university library, where the thesis becomes a part of the permanent collection. Additional copies may be required by the department or program coordinator.
For guidance in the preparation of theses, graduate students should consult the university's Dissertation and Thesis Manual (2nd edition, 1998), copies of which are available in the Graduate Records Office, on the university website, and in the bookstore. Questions not resolved by the instructions should be settled in consultation with the advisor and by references to a standard style manual.