Transfer Units

Return to: Graduate School  

Students may request to apply graduate units earned at another accredited institution toward an advanced degree at the University of Nevada, Reno by filing a Credit Transfer Evaluation Request Form, available online. The request must be approved by the student’s director of graduate studies and the Graduate Dean. Program approval to transfer units does not guarantee that all courses requested will be transferred, or applicable toward satisfying program course degree requirements. The student will receive the evaluation results by email. The evaluation results are distributed to the student, advisor, and graduate school for reference in graduate program planning. Only courses with a grade of “C” or better may be transferred to a graduate certificate or master’s program; only courses with a grade of “B” or better may be transferred to a doctoral program

For master’s degree programs, transferred units must be post-baccalaureate and conform to the time limitation on master’s work requiring completion within six (6) calendar years immediately preceding the granting of the degree. Additionally, no more than twelve (12) units completed either prior to admission to a graduate program or transferred from another institution may be applied to a master’s degree.

For doctoral programs, a maximum of twenty-four (24) units from a previously completed master’s program or other post-baccalaureate degree program may be applied. Doctoral students who have completed a master’s degree in an appropriate discipline from an accredited institution may, with the approval of their graduate director, transfer up to twenty-four (24) units toward a Ph.D. degree. The twenty-four (24) unit limit does not apply to students earning a master’s degree en route to a doctoral degree at the University of Nevada, Reno. For students who have taken post-baccalaureate courses but no degree was conferred, the maximum number of units is twelve (12). Students pursuing a Ph.D. in Education may transfer twenty-four (24) units from a master’s program plus an additional sixteen (16) units of post-master’s degree units. Please see College of Education and Human Development for more information. Students must list each course for which they wish to receive transfer units on the Credit Transfer Evaluation Request Form. All units used to satisfy degree requirements for the master’s degree, except thesis units, may be acceptable for transfer. Units from a completed master’s degree are exempt from the eight (8) year time limit on course work for a doctoral degree. In cases in which appropriate graduate courses were taken but no graduate degree was conferred, no more than twelve (12) units can be transferred to a doctoral program. 

Return to: Graduate School