Exempting, Waiving, and Repeating Courses

The following policies on course waivers, exemptions, and repeats apply only to the University of Michigan-Dearborn master’s programs.

Some University of Michigan Dearborn master’s programs permit course waivers and/or exemptions. Wherever permitted, course waivers or exemptions are initiated and approved by program faculty. A course may be waived -- thereby reducing the number of credit hours required for the degree -- in cases when students have taken courses similar in content to courses in a graduate program. A course exemption, on the other hand, does not reduce the total number of credit hours needed to satisfy program requirements, and thus requires the replacement of the exempted course with another approved course.

Course waivers/exemptions are approved for academic study of a subject; they are not approved for experiential background in the subject area.

Course Waivers

It is recognized that some students may have taken courses that are similar in content to courses in a graduate program. Under these circumstances, with academic unit approval, a course requirement may be waived. Course waivers reduce the number of credits required for the degree. It is important to note that all masters students will still need to accumulate a minimum of 30 credits in order to earn the degree. Many master’s programs require more than 30 credit hours. To qualify for a waiver, typically, the course should have similar content as the course required for the University of Michigan-Dearborn program. Students should consult their academic unit for their specific policies; not all graduate programs permit waivers.

Course Exemptions

On occasion, a course in a graduate program may not be available, may no longer be offered due to program changes, or the student may have taken a course with equivalent content. In these instances, and for other similar reasons, programs may consider granting a course exemption. The determination of courses suitable for exemption rests with the academic unit.

To qualify for an exemption, the course should be similar in content to a course required for the University of Michigan-Dearborn graduate program. An approved course exemption does not reduce the total number of credit hours needed to satisfy program requirements. Programs must require an approved course to replace an exempted course. Students should consult their academic unit for their specific policies and process; not all graduate programs permit course exemptions.

Repeating Courses

Graduate students, with the permission of the program advisor, may repeat a course up to two times (total of three attempts). Grades and honor points for the original course and the repeated course(s) will appear on the student’s transcript but only the last grade assigned in a course will be used in computing the student's cumulative grade point average and credits earned toward degree (additional credit toward program will not be awarded for the repeated course). Rackham Ph.D and Masters programs are excluded from this policy.