GRS Academic Progress

Incomplete grades and grades that were not appropriately recorded during the grading period can be adjusted via a Grade Change form. Incomplete grades become permanent unless the coursework is completed within a period of one year from the end of the semester that the original grade is recorded. The Grade Change form should be completed with all of the necessary information including signatures from the appropriate faculty. This form should be forwarded to the GRS Records office for further processing.

Grade Change Forms can also be used to add or delete courses after the enrollment period, in addition to changing credits of courses. In these circumstances, please contact the GRS Records office directly for the appropriate information.

Grade Change requests can be emailed to grsrec@bu.edu by the instructor for processing. Please include the following information in the email: Student’s name, BU ID, Program, Semester, Course/Section Number, old grade and new grade.

Students who decide to leave their PhD degree program with a terminal Master’s degree, should complete the Master’s Intent to Graduate form and indicate their intent to leave the PhD program. GRS Records will contact the department for further information. A Program Change initiated by the department is no longer necessary in these cases.

For students changing specializations within a department, withdrawing from one school of a dual-degree program, or adjusting their program enrollment in some other way, the department should complete the Program Change form including all of the necessary signatures. This form should be sent to GRS Records for processing.

For specifics regarding the number of credits a student may transfer, please see the GRS Bulletin.

Any student may request a transfer credits from a previous institution. To do so, students complete the online Transfer of Credit Request Form with the appropriate information. The GRS Records office reviews the request for compliance with the GRS policy and requests transcripts or documentation directly from the student, as necessary. GRS Records then forwards the request to the DGS (copying the department administrator) via email for the department’s review. The department sends the result of their review back to GRS records via email. GRS Records are responsible for recording any approved transfer credits.

Transfer credits will never be processed without the department’s approval.

Students can request to have appropriate course credits transferred to count towards the overall number of credits earned, or students can request to have specific degree course requirements met through the completion of previous classes. The department must verify if specific degree requirements have been be met through prior coursework.

Departments report the result of an examination that is a degree requirement such as a language exam, comprehensive exam, or qualifying exam, using the Report of Examination form or the Final Oral Examination Report form (sent via email to dissertation committee chair). Include all necessary department signatures and send the form to the GRS Records office for processing.