Graduate Transfer Credit Policy (Academic Courses)

1.

ACCREDITATION/RECOGNITION

To be eligible for transfer credit consideration, the external institution or organization must satisfy one of the following conditions:

1.1

A Canadian institution that is a member of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada (AUCC).

1.2

An institution from the United States of America that is a member of one of the following regional accrediting bodies:

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Higher Education

• Northwest Association of Schools, Colleges and Universities Commission on Colleges and Universities

• North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, The Higher Learning Commission

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Institutions of Higher Education

• New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Commission on Technical and Career Institutions

• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

• Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

• Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities

1.3

Institutions outside of Canada or the USA must be approved by its home country's Ministry of Education (or equivalent), as determined by the AU Evaluations Unit or an approved credential evaluation service.

1.4

Courses or programs from non-recognized institutions that have been documented as transferable to another AUCC institution (only the course or program that transfers to the AUCC institution will be considered).

1.5

Courses and programs from professional associations, bodies, and non-collegiate organizations. Particularly collaborative partners that have been approved by the procedures outlined in the Non-collegiate Transfer Policy.

2.

PROGRAM/COURSE TRANSFER CREDIT EVALUATION

In the evaluation of a course or program, the following applies:

2.1

All credit granted to a student is done on a program-specific basis. If the course or program will not fit into the student's current program credential regulations, no credit is granted.

2.2

Transfer credit is not evaluated for students in the unclassified category.

2.3

AU will not grant credit to any course that is offered as zero credits at the home institution.

2.4

Under no circumstances will AU grant more credit than what is earned at the home institution (assuming credit principles are the same as AU).

2.5

Credit from a completed graduate credential cannot be transferred. Courses completed that were not used toward a graduate degree (extra to the degree, ETD) may be transferred (students are responsible to demonstrate the ETD course work). Some graduate programs may accept completed post-baccalaureate credentials (certificate, graduate diplomas) based on collaborative agreements or internal AU laddering arrangements.

2.6

No credit will be granted for courses completed at the baccalaureate level. Studies must be at the graduate level for credit to be granted.

2.7

Transferring credit from a previously completed credential is generally not permitted, only graduate-level course work from incomplete credentials or unclassified studies are permitted. Some limited program transfer is permitted when articulations are formally arranged at the institutional level.

2.8

If graduate course work is used toward an undergraduate credential, it cannot then be used toward a graduate credential.

2.9

Courses or programs completed through Continuing Education (CE) may be considered for credit (varies by program) provided the CE department is within an institution that is a member of AUCC.

2.10

Depending on the program and the course, transfer credit may not be accepted if more than 5 or 10 years (varies by program) has elapsed since completion. Stale-dating will be noted in the program regulations and factors such as the student's continued involvement in the field may be considered.

2.11

The following information may be required to evaluate an external institution's course or program:

2.11.1

Program Information

• The program name as it appears on the transcript

• List of courses (names and codes) that comprise the program

• Instructor qualifications

• Years the program has been offered in its current configuration

• Statement of program objectives

• Number of weeks to complete the program

• Other, non-course, requirements

2.11.2

Course Information (for each course in the program)

• Statement of course learning objectives and detailed course outline

• Instructor qualifications

• Name(s) of textbook(s)

• Evaluation method (type and weighting), including a list of assignments

• Pre- or co-requisites

• Credit value

• The total number of hours of:

  • Lectures/classroom instruction

  • Lab work (if applicable)

  • Field placement/work experience (if applicable)

It may be possible for Faculty to review a request for transfer credit without having a complete package of information. Generally, a full program and/or course outline will be required unless otherwise indicated.

2.12

Credit for individual student assessments will be evaluated from source documents (i.e. official transcripts sent directly from the issuing institution) only. AU will not transfer credit that appears as a transferred credit from another institution.

2.13

All AU graduate programs require a minimum grade for the course to be used toward an AU credential and no credit will be granted if the course does not satisfy minimum program grade requirements.

2.14

If credit principles appear to represent values similar to AU, no further assessment will be done. A minimum of 39 hours of instruction is generally required for a three-credit equivalent.

2.15

Courses offered in the USA quarter system will be converted to credits as follows: To earn three AU credits, students must have completed four quarter hour credits. It may not be possible to grant credits if the student has not completed more than one course in a single subject area. One quarter-credit also equals 0.667-semester credits.

2.16

Courses offered in the unit system will be converted to credits by multiplying by two (primarily at the University of Victoria).

2.17

Course instructors must have the appropriate qualifications. Generally, a doctoral degree in the appropriate discipline is required.

2.18

Students who present transcripts from outside of Canada or the USA must have their transcripts evaluated by the International Qualification Assessment Service (IQAS) or other approved credential evaluation service. The original transcript (photocopy is not acceptable) must also be provided to AU. Approved credential evaluation services must be members of the Alliance of Credential Evaluation Services of Canada and a list is available at: https://canalliance.org/en/

2.19

Courses offered through recognized institutions (including institutions with religious affiliation) may be granted credit if the course work is not based on doctrine.

3.

TRANSFER CREDIT ASSIGNMENTS

After the evaluation, the following regulations surround the granting of AU transfer credit:

3.1

Assigned credit is granted when the transfer course matches an AU equivalent at a minimum of 60% content and is noted as a specific AU course equivalent (MAIS 650 for example). Unassigned credit is granted in cases where the course to be transferred is less than a 60% AU course content match, or in cases where AU does not offer an equivalent course. Unassigned credit may be at the discipline level (e.g., MAIS 6XX) or the area level, (e.g. ENGL 6XX) and stipulates the year level.

3.2

The respective AU Graduate Centre for School approves and decides upon the granting credit toward an AU graduate credential.

3.3

Credit is awarded on a course-by-course basis.

3.4

Transfer credit evaluation generally reflects the subject area designated at the home institution. Some broad categories are available for use in cases where AU does not have an equivalent or for broader scope areas such as applied studies.

3.5

The discipline to which credit is awarded, may not necessarily be a discipline offered by AU.

3.6

The minimum value of transferred credit is three. AU will not grant one or two credit values for transfer credit.

3.7

A student's transfer credit evaluation will be considered permanent as long as the student remains in the same credential, and the student maintains an active status. Where updates in evaluation produce an assessment that is to the student's benefit, the student's evaluation or a request for a change in program or calendar year.

3.8

Credit may be denied if any of the principles contained within this policy are not met. Students must be supplied with the rationale for the denial.