Course Substitution/Transfer Credit Policy
Transfer Credit (from the Graduate Catalog)
All master’s degree students are required to complete a minimum of 24 credit hours of degree study through SUNY
Potsdam. A total of no more than nine hours of transfer credit may normally be used to meet Master of Science in
Education or Master of Science for Teachers degree requirements at SUNY Potsdam. No more than six hours of
transfer credit may normally be used to satisfy Master of Arts and Master of Music degree requirements.
Credits transferred from another institution are accepted at the discretion of the department granting the degree and
must meet the following conditions: upon evaluation, courses to be transferred are judged to be equal in scope and
content to those offered by this College. Only graduate credit earned at accredited institutions is acceptable for transfer
credit. The grades earned must be at the 3.0 level or above (based on a system where A=4.0). The transfer grade is not
included in the student’s SUNY Potsdam GPA.
Matriculated students planning to enroll in transfer courses at another institution must obtain prior approval for such
courses from their adviser. Evaluation should be requested in advance of registration for the course. A catalog
description for each course should accompany requests for transfer credit. Transfer credit is not formally applied to the
degree program until the student has achieved Full Admission. An official transcript confirming completion of the
work must be submitted to the Graduate Studies Office. This policy applies whether or not courses have been used to
satisfy another graduate degree from SUNY Potsdam or elsewhere. Courses taken to complete a previous Master’s
Degree at SUNY Potsdam will be treated as transfer courses in accordance with this policy.
Course Substitution Notes:
Approval is granted for substitutions on a case by case basis. Approved course substitutions are most typically
administered within the parameters that follow:
1. Use of an approved graduate transfer course from another institution (see transfer policy) to replace a required
course or elective within a program
2. Replacing a required course or elective with another approved Potsdam graduate course of equal or greater
credit, since either the student has already completed the academic requirement with previous academic or in
some cases experiential (most typically employment/volunteer) training
SUNY Potsdam Graduate
Course to substitute for
Course
Description(s)
Attached?
Example #1:
EDI 513 Intro to Spec. Ed.
SPED 505 Intro to Spec. Ed.
Example #2:
GRED 600 Phil. Fnds. of Ed.
GRED 607 Fnds. of Ed. (B-6)
Example #3:
EDAD 504 App. of Ed. Tech.
3cr. Approved Tech. Elective
Example #4:
GRED 530
Classroom Mgt. & Discipline
N/A
Substituting for
Work Experience*
Will substitute GRED 516
Diversity & Advocacy in Ed.