Transfer Units and Course Waiver

School of Public Health Policy

Within specific guidelines, students in the School of Public Health degree programs may apply for transfer units for any graduate-level courses or waiver of a specific degree requirement based on coursework taken outside of the School of Public Health. The Transfer Units and Course Waiver policy applies to courses taken at other schools within Boston University and at external institutions, including the schools in the Boston Area Consortium.

All requests for transfer units will be considered on an individual basis. SPH students may transfer a maximum of eight (8) whole course units that meet specific criteria, as outlined in the following section. MPH dual degree and Online MPH students are not eligible for transfer units.

Units for a course may not be split; the course units are granted for whole courses. Grades assigned to transfer units will not be included in the calculation of the student’s grade point average (GPA) at the School of Public Health.

A completed Request for Transfer Units or Course Waiver Form must accompany each request, along with a course description, syllabus, reading list, official transcript, and any other materials requested by the department designee or the SPH Registrar. The Request for Transfer Units or Course Waiver Form may be obtained from the SPH Registrar’s office (Talbot 210 Central) or on the School of Public Health website. The SPH Registrar’s office staff will forward the request to the appropriate faculty member for review and approval of the content. The Registrar’s office staff is responsible for ensuring that the other criteria for transfer units or waiver are met.

There are a small number of courses that are preapproved for MPH transfer units; they are listed on the Transfer Units/Course Waiver Form. Students must submit a transfer units request for these classes but do not have to submit the additional documents (syllabus, reading list, transcript).

General Requirements for Transfer Units

Current MPH students must have all courses preapproved through the SPH Registrar’s office. Current students in other degree programs must have all courses preapproved through their program director on the SPH Transfer Units Form, and the completed forms should be submitted to the SPH Registrar’s office with the requested documentation. Students are advised that academic units for courses taken at other schools and colleges, including Boston Consortium schools, may not transfer at the same numeric value as they are offered at the host school.

As part of the preapproval process, students are informed of the number of units they may be awarded; therefore, it is vital that the student apply for preapproval.

All courses for anticipated transfer units must meet the following criteria:

• Courses must be officially documented as graduate-level courses.
• Transfer units are contingent upon completion of the course with a B (3.0) or better. Courses not graded with a letter grade (A, B, etc.) are not eligible for transfer units. Official transcripts documenting the final grade(s) must be sent to the SPH Office of the Registrar.
• Courses cannot have been used in the past or be used in the future toward another degree program.
• Courses must be taken at an accredited US institution or an institution accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
• Courses must have significant, direct public health content. For example, foreign language courses would not be considered for transfer units for the MPH degree, nor would an organic chemistry course.

Courses taken prior to matriculation must meet the above criteria, must have been taken, at a maximum, within the past five (5) years, and must not have been used toward the completion of another degree program. It is possible that completed courses may not be approved because the content in the field has changed.

Maximum Transfer Units Allowed

SPH students may petition to have a maximum of eight (8) whole course units transferred to meet degree requirements. MPH dual degree and Online MPH candidates may not apply for transfer units. Transfer units includes courses taken at Boston University schools or colleges that are not the home schools of the dual degree program.

Online and Hybrid Courses

Online or hybrid graduate-level courses at Boston University or at CEPH-accredited schools and programs may be considered for transfer units or waiver according to the general requirements stated above. Should those requirements be met, Boston University courses transfer in at their assigned value. Units for courses at other programs will be calculated as a percent of the total units for the SPH degree program at the home school. For example, an online course granted 3 units within a 55-unit MPH program would be 5 percent of the total program. Five percent of the MPH program at BU equates to 2 units; therefore, this class would be awarded 2 MPH units. There is no rounding up.

Students in other degree programs requesting waivers from degree requirements through online coursework should speak to their program director.

International students must comply with immigration regulations regarding applying online courses to their degree program.

General Requirements for Course Waiver

Current SPH students may petition to be waived from requirements based on previous coursework. OL MPH students are not eligible for waivers. There are no waivers granted for PH 717, PH 718, PH 719, and PH 720. Students seeking to waive degree requirements may be asked to demonstrate proficiency. The decision to grant a waiver is at the discretion of the faculty representative. Such waivers will not reduce the minimum number of course units to be taken in their School of Public Health degree program. Relevant courses must have been taken within the past five years. It is possible that completed courses taken within five years may not be approved because the content in the field has changed.

Students must have earned a grade of B (3.0) or better in the classes in question. Students must complete a Request for Transfer Units/Course Waiver Form and provide the requested documentation with the form to the SPH Office of the Registrar.

Students Who Completed SPH Units during Their Undergraduate Years

Students matriculating into the SPH who completed Boston University SPH graduate-level courses during their undergraduate years may seek to apply up to 8 units to the MPH degree requirements. Students who are not part of an approved dual degree program must obtain a letter from their undergraduate school or college verifying that the units were not counted toward the bachelor’s degree major or minor. The units may not be double counted toward the bachelor’s degree major or minor and the MPH degree.