Course Waiver Policy

Course Waiver Policy


Carroll School of Management Graduate Programs

Effective January 1, 2017

 

Course Waivers

Students may be eligible to waive courses based upon prior coursework and/or professional certifications (such as CPA or CFA). Waiver policies vary according to program.

Advanced Standing Credit: Students may waive a class and will also reduce the overall credit requirement for the degree.

Equivalency: Students may waive a class but will be required to replace it with an elective. Equivalency applies to core courses only.

Note About Transfer Credit: Under certain circumstances, students may receive approval to take graduate courses at other AACSB-accredited colleges or universities. Grades received for transferred courses are not calculated into the student’s Boston College GPA.

View Transfer Credit Policy, Guidelines, and FAQs

For more information please contact the Office for Graduate Programs at gsomstsv@bc.edu or 617-552-3773.

The University reserves the right to correct typographical errors or to adjust this policy at any time.

Part-Time MBA Program

All students accepted into the part-time MBA program will be evaluated to determine their eligibility for Advanced Standing Credit. If not included in their application materials, students may be required to provide official transcripts and other relevant course information necessary to facilitate the review of their academic record. Shortly after receipt of their acceptance letter, students will receive notification of their eligibility to waive courses.

  • The maximum amount of Advanced Standing Credit that a part-time MBA student may receive is 15 credits.
  • Advanced Standing Credit will only be granted for courses in which the student has earned a grade of “B” or better, at an accredited institution, within the ten years prior to enrolling in the Boston College part-time MBA program.
  • The combination of waived credits and transfer credits may never exceed 15 credits of the course requirements for the degree.
  • Students who have recognized professional certifications (i.e., CPA, CFA) may receive Advanced Standing Credit. A copy of the exam results is required.
  • Once an accepted student has been notified of eligibility to waive a course(s), they must respond with their intent to accept the Advanced Standing Credit, in writing, no later than the Drop/Add Deadline of the enrolling semester.
  • Students may contest waiver decisions within 30 days of the date of the initial decision. Course waivers will not be granted after this date. Once a student has accepted Advanced Standing Credit for a course, they may not take the course and receive credit.
  • Professional experience alone will not make a student eligible to waive a course.

Undergraduate Course Work

  • Part-time MBA students who have demonstrated mastery in a core subject area may receive Advanced Standing Credit for up to five courses (15 credits).
  • Mastery typically entails either an undergraduate major in a core course area or at least two intermediate to advanced undergraduate courses with grades of B or higher.
  • Students may only receive Advanced Standing Credit for core courses, based upon undergraduate coursework.

Graduate and Professional Course Work

  • Part-time MBA students who have a prior graduate degree in a relevant field or have completed graduate management courses at other AACSB-accredited institutions may receive Advanced Standing Credit for a maximum of five courses (15 credits).
  • Students may receive Advanced Standing Credit for core courses and elective courses, based upon graduate coursework.

Full-Time MBA Program

Students accepted to the full-time MBA program may apply to waive core courses based upon prior course work. If a full-time MBA student is deemed eligible to waive a course, they will receive Equivalency. Equivalency requires the student to replace the waived course with an elective; therefore, it does not decrease the credit requirement for the degree. Full-time MBA students who wish to be evaluated for course waiver eligibility should contact their academic advisor. Students may be required to provide official transcripts and other relevant course information necessary to facilitate the review of their academic record. Students enrolled in the full-time MBA program must maintain their full-time status for four continuous semesters (with the exception of students enrolled in approved dual degree programs outside of the Carroll School of Management).

  • Full-time MBA students may receive Equivalency for up to three core courses. Equivalency will only be granted for courses in which the student has earned a grade of “B” or better, at an accredited institution, within the ten years prior to enrolling in the Boston College full-time MBA program.
  • The total number of credits taken outside the Carroll School of Management may never exceed 1/3 of the course requirements for the degree. 
  • Students who have recognized professional certifications (i.e., CPA, CFA) may receive Equivalency. A copy of the exam results is required.
  • Once an accepted student has been notified of eligibility to waive a course(s) and receive Equivalency, they must respond, in writing, their intent to accept the Equivalency no later than the Drop/Add Deadline of the enrolling semester.
  • Students may contest waiver decisions within 30 days of the date of the initial decision. Course waivers will not be granted after this date.
  • Once a student has accepted Equivalency for a course, they may not take the course and receive credit.
  • Professional experience alone will not make a student eligible to waive a course.

Undergraduate Course Work

  • Full-Time MBA students who have demonstrated mastery in a core subject may be eligible for equivalency.
  • Mastery typically entails either an undergraduate major in a core course area or at least two intermediate to advanced undergraduate courses with grades of B or higher.
  • Students may only receive Equivalency for core courses, based upon undergraduate coursework.

Graduate and Professional Course Work

  • Students who have a prior graduate degree in a relevant field or have completed graduate management courses at other AACSB-accredited institutions may be eligible for equivalency.
  • The CPA and CFA certifications will make a student eligible for equivalency.
  • Professional experience alone will not make a student eligible to waive a course.

MSF Program

Incoming students who took an MSF core course as an undergraduate may be eligible to waive the course, and to replace it with an elective, by passing a waiver exam. Waiver exams must be completed no later than the deadline of August 1. Incoming students requesting a course waiver must submit requests to the MSF Program Faculty Advisor, Professor Michael Barry. Students will be notified of the results of their waiver exam prior to the start of the Fall semester.

MSF students who received an undergraduate degree from Boston College and who achieved a minimum grade of B+ in an MSF core course taken at Boston College will be allowed to replace that course with an elective, provided they have taken the course within the past five years. Students who received a grade of B or lower or who took the course more than five years prior to starting the MSF program may take a waiver exam or they may retake the course with a professor other than the one who taught their undergraduate course.

MSA Program

Undergraduate Course Work

  • MSA students who have completed coursework in a prerequisite subject area will receive credit for having completed such. Most students who have an undergraduate degree in accounting meet all of the prerequisite requirements.
  • Students with degrees in other areas of study are generally required to complete additional courses in accounting and/or business. For these students, the additional courses are often taken as part of the degree requirements. 

Graduate Course Work

  • Students who have completed graduate management courses at AACSB accredited institutions may receive advanced standing credit for a maximum of six semester credit hours. Students must have a minimum grade of B in all completed coursework.
  • All students accepted into the MSA program will be evaluated to determine their eligibility for advanced standing credit. If not included in their application materials, students may be required to provide official transcripts and other relevant course information necessary to facilitate the review of their academic record.

All MSA students with questions about course waivers should contact the Graduate Programs Office at 617-552-3773 or gsomstsv@bc.edu.

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