AA118-H Transfer Credit Policy – Student Procedure
No./Title: AA118 – TRANSFER CREDIT POLICY | Resp. Office: ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Approval Body: CASA | Effective Date: 05/15/2012 |
Category: Students | Last Review: 10/5/2021 | Next Review: 10/05/2024 |
Contact: MaryAnn Clark, Associate Vice Chancellor Academic Affairs | 901.448.4930 | |
Related Information: | These policies conform to the principles set forth in the Joint Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit-available at http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/CLLL/Joint.htm. These policies also conform to the principles set forth in the Complete College Act of Tennessee, 2010 which is available at Complete College TN Act 2010 | Tennessee Board of Regents (tbr.edu). |
POLICY
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) awards transfer credits based on defined and published policies for evaluating, awarding, and accepting credits from another academic institution and/or based on established practices for recognizing relevant prior life experiences.
RATIONALE AND EXPLANATION
The evaluation of credit for transfer is based on an assessment of course equivalency, evaluation of transcripts, articulation agreements (where in place), and the accreditation status of the awarding institution. UTHSC also recognizes, accepts and awards credit where appropriate for educational experiences in the armed services using the guidelines that have been developed by ACE (American Council on Education – see Military Guide at http://www.acenet.edu/news- room/Pages/Military-Guide-Online.aspx). In addition, and as appropriate, UTHSC accepts credits for other types of learning gained outside the traditional academic environment in accordance with the guidelines and standards adopted August 7, 2012, by the Statewide Prior Learning Assessment Task Force in a report titled “Recommended Standards in Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Policy and Practice for Tennessee Public Colleges and Universities.”
Each college, as well as the UTHSC Admissions Office, provides information regarding coursework that is accepted for transfer credit. Most of the programs at UTHSC are at the post- baccalaureate level and the number of credits that can be transferred at the graduate level is limited. In general, options for admission with advanced standing into postgraduate professional programs are limited and dependent on the availability of positions in the class. Details by program are available in the UTHSC catalog and on the college web sites.
Undergraduate programs in the health professions are generally two-year programs, equivalent to the third and fourth year of an undergraduate degree program. These programs generally require students to complete a minimum of 60 credit hours of general education credits from another accredited institution prior to admission (official transcripts required as part of the admission process). Students who transfer from a public institution in Tennessee, whether UT or Tennessee Board of Regents, and who have completed the general education requirements at that institution, will be considered to have completed the general education requirements at UTHSC. Students should review the requirements of each program, however, as many are prescriptive as to specific general education courses that students must complete prior to acceptance. Waivers of prerequisite courses and/or the substitution of a course to meet admission requirements require approval by the dean or designee using the Waiver Form (https://www.uthsc.edu/registrar/documents/WaiverAndSubstitutionRequest.pdf).
Transfer credits toward a bachelor’s degree are granted only for courses in which a grade of “C” or better was earned. For graduate degrees, transfer credits may only be granted for courses in which a grade of “B” or better was earned. In addition, transfer credits are only awarded for coursework that is at the appropriate level for the program. Upper-level credit (e.g., coursework normally at the 300 or 400 level at an undergraduate institution) will not be awarded for coursework completed at a community college. The program director for each academic program, in consultation with the faculty in that program, determines if the level of the transferring coursework meets necessary standards. Decisions regarding transfer course acceptance are made on a case-by-case bases at the discretion of the Dean or the Deans designee. Students may submit a written appeal of the evaluation of their transfer credits to the Office of the Registrar.
Comparable Quality
Because different programs or experiences do not have automatic equivalencies within a degree program, each case must be handled individually. This individual attention guarantees that scrutiny is applied to each proposal for credit by the appropriate discipline or office. Thus, transfer credits as well as credits for relevant life experiences are held to high standards and are ensured to be of a quality comparable to the UTHSC coursework they seek to replace.
Transcript Policy & Evaluation of Transfer Credit
Transcripts from another institution must be official. UTHSC does not accept transcripts issued to the student unless contained within a sealed envelope bearing the official seal of that institution’s registrar. Transcripts to be used for admissions purposes should be sent directly to the UTHSC Office of Admissions. Please check the web site for mailing directions (http://www.uthsc.edu/admissions/). Transcripts needed to obtain credit for coursework that can substitute for a UTHSC course, or that could be accepted as partial fulfillment of an academic degree program should be sent directly to the appropriate Program Director/Academic Dean for evaluation; once approved the transcripts will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar along with the Course Transfer form (included in the PDF Version). Transcripts of college coursework completed outside of the US must be submitted for evaluation by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) member. For more information about current members of NACES, visit www.naces.org.
The official UTHSC grade point average is based only on coursework completed at UTHSC and does not include transfer credits or grades.
APPROVAL HISTORY:
Effective: May 15, 2012
Revised: April 2, 2013, Committee on Academic and Student Affairs (CASA) Reviewed: May 15, 2018, CASA
Revised: July 17, 2018, CASA
Approved: August 3, 2018, Chancellor
Reviewed: October 5, 2021, CASA
Approved: October 12, 2021, Chief Academic Officer