Student Handbook

Review the GPS Student Handbook for complete policies, procedures, regulations, responsibilities and resources.

Incompletes, Transfers and Waivers


Incomplete Status

Students are expected to complete work in each course no later than the final examination date. Students unable to complete the work by this time for legitimate reasons may request an incomplete from their instructor.

Requests for incompletes may be presented to an instructor after a student successfully completes weeks one through seven of a class, and on or prior to the ninth week of class. Students must make a written agreement with their instructor, outlining specific work to be completed and corresponding due dates.

To formalize an incomplete, students must:

A grade of EI (Excused Incomplete) will be recorded in SAGE as a placeholder grade until all work is submitted and a final grade is awarded.

All incomplete course work must be completed by a date stipulated by the instructor as part of the agreement, and no later than two months after the course completion date.

The student’s record will display an incomplete until a permanent grade has been awarded. If the student fails to satisfy the incomplete requirements by the deadline, a permanent failing grade will be reported for the course.

For campus courses, students are expected to continue attending class meetings until the course concludes. For distance learning courses, students are expected to continue participating in online discussions from the date of the incomplete request until the course concludes.

Course Transfers

Students may request credit for courses taken elsewhere. Please note the requirements affecting transfer credit:

  • Students must be formally accepted into a Division of Graduate Professional Studies master’s degree program.
  • Students are allowed to apply a maximum of six (6) transfer credits toward a master’s degree program.
  • The credits must be of graduate level and from a regionally accredited United States institution of higher learning.
  • Transfer credit is awarded only for courses that are equivalent in scope and breadth to courses offered by the Rabb School of Continuing Studies, Division of Graduate Professional Studies, as judged by the program chair.
  • Grades received must be B- or higher. 
  • Courses cannot be considered for transfer credit if they are part of a previously completed degree (or certificate) program.
  • Transfer credit requests will not be considered for the ninth and tenth graduate-level courses in any master’s degree program.

For each transfer request, students must provide:

  • A completed Course Transfer Credit Request Form.
    • This form includes the attachment of a course description and syllabus, at the time it was taken by the student.
  • An official transcript containing the grade received for the course. The originating institution must mail the official transcript, in a sealed envelope, directly to the Graduation Professional Studies office.

Course Waivers

Based on assessment by the Division of Graduate Professional Studies, students may waive required courses in which they can demonstrate proficiency.

Students will not receive academic credit for waived courses, but instead will be allowed to substitute another course in the program, in consultation with a program advisor.

To request a course waiver, complete the Course Waiver Form, and submit a one-page statement indicating the reason for the waiver request, along with your current resume. Students may be asked to submit additional supporting documentation.