A maximum of six semester credit hours may be transferred or waived to reduce the length of the M.S. in L.S. program under the conditions listed below.

Previous Graduate Degree

A student who holds one or more accredited graduate degrees when admitted to the school will be automatically exempt from six semester credit hours, but all remaining credit must be earned within the School of Library and Information Science. An official transcript of the graduate degree must be submitted at the time application is made to the school.

Transfer of Credit for Courses from Another Institution

Students may request that six semester credit hours of graduate course work from another institution be accepted for transfer into the M.S. in L.S. program. Students requesting transfer of credit must submit a completed Transfer of Credit Request Form for each course, an official transcript issued to the school directly from the institution attended, and catalog descriptions of the course. The transfer must be approved by the student's adviser and the dean of the school. Guidelines for acceptance of credits are as follows:

1. The student has already successfully completed twelve semester hours in the school with at least a 3.0 average.
2. The courses were taken by the student after receiving the bachelor's degree.
3. A grade of B or better was received in the course(s) for which credit is asked to be transferred.
4. The course(s) taken are designated on the official transcript of the granting academic institution as graduate courses, and the transcript is on file in the office of the School of Library and Information Science. (An official transcript is one issued by the institution attended that is forwarded directly to the school office and bears the seal of the university, the signature of the registrar, and the date of issue.)
5. The student is not already excused from six semester hours because the student holds a graduate degree in another subject area.
   

Approval for transfer of credit involves a number of factors, including the accreditation status of the institution from which graduate courses are transferred, the specific content of the courses, and their consistence with the program of study that the student is pursuing at The Catholic University of America. A primary consideration is that the transferred courses not duplicate the content of courses taken in the master's degree program at Catholic University.

Courses outside the field of library and information science may be approved for transfer. The purpose of allowing courses to be taken outside of the professional program of the school is to give students opportunities to gain competencies which are not available in the school, but which will substantially contribute to their education as information professionals. The student must demonstrate how the course will materially and specifically contribute to the student's professional education, make the student's program a more cohesive whole, and lead to a specific educational attainment for the student. Students without previous library education courses or extensive experience are advised to confine their efforts to library and information science courses.

When the transfer of credits is approved by the dean of the school, the student will receive a letter verifying the transfer.

Waiver of Core Courses

Although no more than six semester hours can be accepted for transfer, some course work in library and information science may be acceptable in lieu of core courses in the school, but such acceptance of one or more course waivers will in no way result in a decrease in the number of credit hours required for the M.S. in L.S. An elective course must be taken for each course waived.

Students must petition for waiver of core courses by completing the appropriate request form. An official transcript and a catalog description must also be submitted. Waivers of core courses must be approved by the student's adviser and the dean of the school.

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