Graduate Credit
Only the courses that appear on the student’s Program of Work are counted toward the degree. The following policies govern the inclusion of courses on the Program of Work.
Courses Taken in Residence
Courses completed with a letter grade. Courses in which the student earned a grade of at least C while registered in the Graduate School may be included in the Program of Work, although some programs may restrict the use of such courses.
Courses completed on the credit/no credit basis. Graduate programs may allow up to 20 percent of the hours on the Program of Work for a master’s degree to be taken on the credit/no credit basis, and no more than a comparable portion of the Program of Work for the doctoral degree. Thesis, master’s report, master’s recital, dissertation, and treatise courses, which are offered only on the credit/no credit basis, are not included in the 20 percent. More information about credit/no credit grading is given in General Information.
Courses with incomplete grades. Courses for which the symbol X (incomplete) or I (permanent incomplete) is recorded may not be included on the Program of Work. More information about incomplete grades is given in General Information.
Transfer of Credit
Ordinarily, all work for the master’s degree must be done at The University of Texas at Austin. Under some circumstances, a maximum of six semester hours of graduate coursework in which the grade is A or B may be transferred to the Program of Work from another institution, but only on the basis of a petition by the Graduate Studies Committee and with the approval of the graduate dean. (In the School of Nursing, a higher number of hours may be transferred in some degree programs.) A student seeking a transfer of credit must provide the Graduate School with an official transcript and an official explanation of the course numbering and grading systems at the school at which the credit was earned. Only graduate courses may be transferred. Work counted toward a degree at another institution cannot be transferred. Students are encouraged to seek approval before taking any coursework they plan to transfer. Students should not take courses at another institution during the semester they plan to graduate because the grades may not be received in time to certify the student’s Program of Work for graduation. Unless its inclusion has been approved by the graduate dean, no coursework listed on the Program of Work may be over six years old.
The doctoral Program of Work normally includes no more than six semester hours of courses transferred from another university. The Graduate School recognizes that the academic background of each doctoral student is different, and exceptions to the six-hour maximum may be granted with approval of the Graduate Studies Committee.
Transferred coursework as described in this section appears only on the student’s Program of Work. It does not appear on the official student record maintained by the registrar. Because it is not part of the official record, such coursework does not appear on the student’s transcript and is not included in either the graduate grade point average or the Program of Work grade point average.
Extension Credit
Up to six semester hours of work done in extension classes through the University Extension Office may be listed on the Program of Work, with the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee and the graduate dean. The extension credit must be in graduate courses; the courses and instructors must be approved in advance by the Graduate School and by the program in which the student would otherwise take the work on campus; and the student must be admitted to the Graduate School before taking the extension courses. Because students must be registered at the University in the semester in which they graduate, they cannot be registered solely for extension courses in their final semester.
All grades in graduate courses taken through Continuing and Innovative Education are included in the graduate grade point average.
Correspondence Credit
Courses taken by correspondence may not be counted toward graduate degrees.
Credit by Examination
Credit by examination may not be counted toward graduate degrees.
Enrollment of Undergraduates in Graduate Courses
Graduate Work for Undergraduate Credit
An undergraduate may enroll in a graduate course under the following conditions:
- The student must be an upper-division student and must fulfill the prerequisite for the course (except graduate standing).
- The student must have a University grade point average of at least 3.00.
- The student must receive the consent of the instructor of the course and of the graduate adviser for the field in which the course is offered. Some colleges and schools may also require the approval of the dean’s office. Individual divisions may impose additional requirements or bar undergraduates from enrolling in graduate courses.
- Students in most colleges must have their dean’s approval before they register for a graduate course.
Undergraduate students may not enroll in graduate courses that have fewer than five graduate students enrolled.
A graduate course taken by an undergraduate is counted toward the student’s bachelor’s degree in the same way that upper-division courses are counted, unless the course is reserved for graduate credit as described in the next section. Courses reserved for graduate credit may not also be used to fulfill the requirements of an undergraduate degree.
An undergraduate student enrolled in a graduate course is subject to all University regulations affecting undergraduates.
Reservation of Work for Graduate Credit
Under the following conditions, a degree-seeking undergraduate may enroll in a graduate course and reserve that course for credit toward a graduate degree:
- The student must have a University grade point average of at least 3.00.
- The student must have completed at least 90 semester hours of coursework toward an undergraduate degree.
- The student may not register for more than 15 semester hours in the semester or for more than 12 semester hours in the summer session in which the course is reserved.
- No more than 12 semester hours may be reserved for graduate credit.
- All courses reserved for graduate credit must be approved by the twelfth class day of the semester or the fourth class day of the summer session by the course instructor, the student’s undergraduate adviser, the graduate adviser in the student’s proposed graduate major area, the dean of the student’s undergraduate college, and the graduate dean. A form for this purpose is available on the Graduate School website.
An undergraduate student enrolled in a graduate course is subject to all University regulations affecting undergraduates.
A student who reserves courses for graduate credit must be admitted to a University graduate program through regular channels before the credit may be applied toward a graduate degree. By allowing a student to earn graduate credit while still an undergraduate, the University makes no guarantee of the student’s admissibility to any graduate program.
A course reserved for credit may be listed on the student’s Program of Work for the master’s or doctoral degree. Because it was taken before the student entered the Graduate School, it is not included in the graduate grade point average.
Use of the Course 398T on the Program of Work
With the consent of their Graduate Studies Committee, students may include the college teaching methodology course, numbered 398T, on the Program of Work. Master’s degree students may include up to three semester hours. Doctoral degree students may include up to six semester hours, if they complete both introductory and advanced teaching methodology courses.
Courses Counted toward Another Degree
No course counted toward another degree may be counted toward a master’s degree, either directly or by substitution.
Work done for the master’s degree may be included in the work for the doctoral degree, provided it is acceptable to the Graduate Studies Committee, the supervising committee, and the graduate dean and provided it has not already been used toward another doctoral degree.
Students in a dual degree program must meet the course requirements for both degrees. Courses common to the two curricula in a dual degree program are included on the Program of Work for one of the degrees and are waived by the other degree program as specified in the dual degree program requirements. The Program of Work on which courses are waived must meet the Graduate School’s minimum-credit-hour requirements for the degree. A list of approved dual degree programs is given on the Dual Degree Programs page.