Graduate Study Manual

Special Circumstances

Transfer of Credit

Credit for a course completed at another university may be applied towards the credit requirements of the M.S. or Ph.D. degree. The course must be at a level comparable to courses for which graduate credit is allowed in the ECE Graduate Program, and must be relevant to the student's program of graduate studies. The course must have been completed within the past five years with a grade of B or better, and must not have been used towards the degree requirements of the other university.

Master's degree candidates may apply up to eight hours of credit earned elsewhere towards the 32 hours required for the M.S. degree. Only credit in Electrical or Computer Engineering courses will be considered for transfer, and the credit transferred cannot be used for any of the 500-level ECE hours required for the M.S. degree. Except in the case of credit transferred from the University of Illinois at Chicago, only the credit (and not the grade) in the course will appear on the transcript issued by this University, and the grades earned will not be included in the computation of grade-point averages.

The Graduate College does not allow Ph.D. degree candidates who are admitted with Master's degrees to transfer credit, and requires them to earn 64 hours in residence. A candidate with credits that otherwise satisfy the requirements for transfer can petition the ECE Graduate Committee to modify the division of the 64 hours (normally into 32 hours of coursework and 32 hours of thesis credit) so that the candidate takes fewer hours of coursework and more hours of thesis credit. No more than eight hours of credit can be "transferred" in this fashion, and all students must complete at least 24 hours of the coursework in residence.

In all cases, the candidate must submit a petition accompanied by a detailed outline of the course and an official transcript from the other university. If the course was taken prior to the award of a degree from the other university, it is also necessary to submit a letter from the other university verifying that credit earned in the course was not used towards the requirements of that degree. Petitions are not considered until the candidate has earned at least eight hours in residence. The ECE Graduate Committee appoints a faculty member to assist the committee in evaluating the credit being transferred.

Registration in Absentia

Master's degree candidates may register in absentia while they are completing their theses provided that they have completed at least 16 hours of coursework in residence and have not exceeded the time limits for the degree. Doctoral degree candidates may register in absentia while they are completing their theses provided that they have completed 64 in residence, have passed the Preliminary Examination and have not exceeded the time limits for the degree. A petition is required for registration in absentia.

A Ph.D. candidate who has passed the Preliminary Examination, completed the credit requirements for the doctoral degree, has left the campus, and is not making use of any University facilities, is not required to maintain registration. However, the candidate must apply for readmission if not registered for one year. Registration is also required at the time when the Final Examination is taken, as described earlier in the registration requirements. If, at the time of registration, the seven-year (or six-year) time limit for completion of the degree has been exceeded, a petition is required for waiver of the regulation.

Credit for Study Abroad

The course GC 499, "Graduate College Study Abroad," provides students with a way to register at UIUC and obtain campus credit for study at accredited foreign institutions or approved overseas programs. Final determination of credit granted is made after the student's successful completion of the work. Credit will not count toward residence requirements. When the student has completed the required work at another university and he or she wishes to receive credit for that work, the official transcript from the other university must be submitted together with a request for transfer of credit on a Graduate Student Petition form to the Graduate Records Office. If and when the credit has been transferred, the student's registration in GC 499 will be removed from the record and credit will be entered on the student's record for the work at the other university.