Overview

Students who have completed graduate-level courses at other institutionally accredited institutions of higher education may receive credit for those courses that are equivalent to work required in their program at Bethel. The amount of credit, the courses to be accepted, and the method of evaluation will be determined by the nature of the courses.

At least 67% of the credits used to meet the requirements of a degree or certificate must be taken in programs that meet Bethel residency requirements except in cases where formal agreements with other institutions exist or when a program has its own residency credits requirement, as indicated in the catalog. In each major, certain courses are required to be taken in residence. Students who complete the requirements for transfer of credit will receive an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) indicating which Bethel courses may be waived, which must be audited, and which courses from other institutions will be accepted in transfer.

Credits earned prior to entering a graduate program at Bethel University, or with prior approval after matriculation, may be accepted in transfer with the approval of the Registrar's Office, based upon the evaluation of the program director when:

• Bethel’s Graduate School directly receives an official transcript.
• The transfer credit was earned at an institutionally accredited institution.
• The transfer credit is no more than three years old unless approved by the program director.
• The credits are clearly designated as graduate credits. For doctoral programs, the work completed is beyond requirements of a master’s degree.
• A description of course content, such as from the college catalog or course syllabus, has been submitted for the purpose of determining whether course(s) will be accepted in transfer.
• The course grade is a pass or at least a 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale).

Prior Learning Assessment

Students in academic programs that have formal agreements with other non-institutionally-accredited organizations or institutions may earn graduate-level credit for completing training at these organizations, as identified within the formal agreements. When a formal agreement with such an organization does not exist, the Registrar’s Office  may, with program director permission only, formally evaluate and approve this training in order to award graduate level credit. In either case, residency requirements for the degree must still be met.

Credits for prior learning assessment may be awarded through one of two options: