Graduate Residence & Transfer of Credit Policy

Custodian of Policy: Graduate Council

Relevant Minnesota State system Policy:

Effective Date: Fall 2019

Last Review: Fall 2020

Next Review: Fall 2027

Policy

  1. Residence requirement. At least one-half of the semester credits constituting the minimum requirements for the master's degree, specialist degree, or graduate certificate must be completed through registration at Minnesota State University Moorhead (MSUM) in courses offered by its faculty.
  2. Transfer of non-degree status credits. Courses taken at MSUM as a non-degree seeking student prior to program admission will be transferred as follows:
    1. Up to nine semester credits for a master’s or specialist degree.
    2. Up to one-half (maximum of eight) of the credits required for a graduate certificate.
    3. Up to 18 semester credits from the 18 Online Initiative into the Curriculum and Instruction program as a content specialization or into the Master of Business Administration program.
    4. At least 21 semester credits for a master’s or specialist degree program or one-half of the semesters credits for a graduate certificate, must be taken after program admission, except in the case of the 18 Online as stated in 2.c. of this policy.
     
  3. Transfer of credits into the Ed.D. Up to 27 semester credits (12 semester credits from an initial master's degree and 15 semester credits from a subsequent master's degree and/or graduate work not applied toward the initial master's degree) or up to 27 semester credits from a doctoral degree may be transferred into the Doctor of Education (EdD) degree.
  4. Transfer from other Minnesota State system universities. Courses from another Minnesota State system university may be transferred to a graduate degree program or a graduate certificate program based on the following: Up to 1/2 of the minimum course credits (not including project, thesis, internship, or practica credits) required for a master's or specialist degree may be transferred to an MSUM degree program with the approval of the graduate coordinator of the program involved.
    1. Up to 1/2 of the minimum credits required for a graduate certificate may be transferred to an MSUM Certificate program upon the approval of the Graduate Certificate program coordinator.
    2. If more than one graduate institution was attended previously, the student and advisor will determine which credits will be transferable but no more than 1/2 of the minimum course credits will be allowed.
    3. An official transcript from each graduate institution from which the student wishes to transfer credits must be given to the Registrar’s Office; the advisor will notify the Registrar’s Office which transfer credits are approved by the program and they will be added to the MSUM transcript. This will apply to credits transferred upon initial admission to MSUM as well as any credits taken after admission. The total transfer credits may not be more than 1/2 of the minimum degree or certificate requirements.
  5. Transfer from Tri-College University. Courses approved for registration through the Tri-College University are transferred upon approval of individual programs. A “600” course number from North Dakota State University (NDSU) cannot be transferred to an MSUM graduate degree program because NDSU transcripts state that these courses are not graduate level.
  6. Transfer from other accredited institutions. If a student transfers to an MSUM master's degree, specialist degree, or graduate certificate program after attending an accredited graduate institution (other than a Minnesota State system campus), a maximum of nine (9) semester credits may be accepted in transfer from other accredited institutions. This must be approved by the program coordinator and the Dean of Graduate and Extended Learning.
  7. Other requirements.
    1. A grade of A or B is required in any courses to be included in a master's or specialist degree program or graduate certificate program and not taken at this university. No "P" or "S" grades may be transferred. Individual programs may approve credits with grades of A or B (not pass/fail) in workshops or in special in-service courses. No more than 1/6 of the required master's degree or graduate certificate credits may be counted from workshop or special in-service courses. Some continuing education courses from MSU Moorhead may be counted towards the master's or specialist degree or graduate certificate requirements. These will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the program coordinator and the Dean of Graduate and Extended Learning.
    2. All courses submitted for degree requirements, including transfer credits, must be within the ten (10) year time limit. Some graduate programs have specific time requirements for degree completion. Check with your individual graduate program for verification.
    3. For the Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) degree, up to 27 credits may be transferred into the 72 semester credit degree program in accordance with #3 of this policy. There are no date restrictions (age of courses) regarding the transfer of these 27 credits. Didactic, practicum, internship, and field experience credits may transfer, including those with a grade of “P” or “S.”