Transfer of Credits
Up to one-half of the total course credits required for a Masters in SLS may be transferred from another university. Transfer of such credits must be accomplished no later than advancement to candidacy. However, one-half of the credits required in graduate courses (600 and above) must be completed at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa.
Up to 6 credits of work completed at another institution may be transferred to UH-M following advancement to candidacy provided such transfer does not exceed the maximum allowable (see above).
No courses offered by the extension division of a university may be transferred. Credits earned at foreign universities are normally not transferable.
No credits may be transferred from another university unless the grade is B or better. In this connection, grades of S, Cr, or P are NOT transferable.
Credits to be transferred must be credits completed within seven years preceding the date upon which the degree is to be conferred.
The minimum residence requirement of full time study must be met regardless of the number of credits transferred to UH-M. (See Residence Requirements above.)
Credits to be transferred to UH-M must be acceptable for graduate credit to the university at which they were taken. 400-level courses taken at another institution cannot be substituted for a 600-level course at UH-M. (Example: If a student took a 400-level syntax course at another university, that course cannot substitute for SLS 640.)
Students desiring to transfer credits should provide as complete documentation on those credits as possible for consideration by the graduate chair. Such documentation would include a course description from the university catalog, a course syllabus/outline, the name of the text(s) used, the list of readings used for the course, and any papers written for the course. In some cases, faculty specializing in the topic are asked to confirm equivalence to UH courses. In brief, the burden of proof is on the student to assure the chair that the credits taken at another institution are comparable to those offered by the Department of SLS.
Quarter-credit hours are converted to semester hours by using the formula: 2/3 X quarter-credits = semester hours (rounding off to the lower whole number). Calculation is done for the total credit hours requested for transfer rather than for individual course credits.
Unclassified graduate students must petition the Graduate Division to transfer courses taken during unclassified status (not more than 12 credits may be transferred) toward fulfillment of the MA degree requirements. Thus, credits taken while in unclassified status are not automatically transferred—the student must use the General Petition Form (available from the Graduate Division) to get the credits transferred.
