Transfer of Credit Policy and Procedures
Credit Transfer is available for the General Program and all specializations within the Ph.D. in Education and for the M.S. in Education.

For students in the Ph D program, starting before March 1, 2003

For Ph.D. students (all specializations) beginning on or after March 1, 2003

 

For students in the Ph.D. program, starting before March 1, 2003

Program/Specialization	Other Transfer Credit Available	Maximum Transfer Credit Available	KAM Transfer Credit Available
Ph.D. General Program	None	14 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Self-Designed Spec.	None	14 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Ed. Technology	42 quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Adult Ed. Leadership	42 quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Special Education	20 quarter credit hours	34 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Early Childhood Ed.	20 quarter credit hours	34 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. K-12 Ed. Leadership	20 quarter credit hours	34 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Higher Education	20 quarter credit hours	34 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Knowledge Management	20 quarter credit hours	34 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Learning Management	20 quarter credit hours	34 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours

For Ph.D. students (all specializations) beginning on or after March 1, 2003

 

The maximum number of credits accepted for transfer in KAM and KAM and course-based (mixed model) doctoral programs is 56; 42 in any combination of KAMs and courses, and 14 for the Foundation Research Seminars (SBSF 8417, EDUC 8427, EDUC 8437).

Transfer credit for KAMs must be for whole KAMs (14 quarter-credit blocks), and not for individual components of KAMs (Breadth, Depth, or Application).  For instance, a set of courses awarded a minimum of 14quarter credit hours that matches the content of one of the KAMs in the student’s program, will be considered for transfer for that KAM.  However, a set of courses of equal credit value cannot be applied to components of a number of different KAMs, because KAMs are designed to explore an area of inquiry from theory through research to practice as an integral whole.

Transfer of credit to KAMs is permitted only if a minimum of three KAMs remains. This means that in the mixed model programs, i.e., programs with KAM and course requirements (K-12 Educational Leadership, Educational Technology, Adult Education, and Knowledge or Learning Management specializations which have only three KAMs), transfer of credit can be requested for courses, but not for KAMs.

The table below indicates the maximum credit available in each of the specializations in the Ph.D. degree program in the School of Education. 

 

Program/Specialization	Other Transfer Credit Available	Maximum Transfer Credit Available	KAM Transfer Credit Available
Ph.D. General Program*	56 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours for Foundation Research Sequence	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Self-Designed Specialization*	56 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours for Foundation Research Sequence	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Ed. Technology	No quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Adult Ed. Leadership	No quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Special Education*	56 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours for Foundation Research Sequence	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Early Childhood Ed.*	56 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours for Foundation Research Sequence	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. K-12 Ed. Leadership, without Practicum*	14 quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. K-12 Ed. Leadership, with Practicum	No quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Higher Education*	56 quarter credit hours	14 quarter credit hours for Foundation Research Sequence	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Knowledge Management	No quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours
Ph.D. Learning Management	No quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours	56 quarter credit hours

 

* Note: the maximum transfer credit cannot be taken for both KAMs and courses while keeping within the total transfer credit limit for the program.

 

Standards for Credit Transfer

1. To be considered for acceptance in transfer from a US institution, credits must meet the following criteria.
1. Credits must have been earned within ten years, or in the case of the Ph.D. specialization in Educational Technology, within five years prior to matriculating in the Walden University program or earned after matriculation and within the time limit for earning the Ph.D. degree.
2. Credits must have been transcripted as graduate credits on an official graduate transcript.
3. Credits must have been earned from a regionally accredited institution (regionally accredited at the time the credits were earned).
4. Credits must have been earned in courses posting earned grades of B or higher (on a 4.0 grading scale).
1. Courses accepted in transfer to the Ph.D. in Education program may be applied to the Foundation Research Seminar sequence in all specializations and the General program including the Self-Designed specialization.
2. For the Ph.D. specializations in Educational Technology, Adult Education Leadership, and Knowledge or Learning Management, transfer credit will not be accepted for KAMs.
3. For the Ph.D. specialization in K-12 Educational Leadership, transfer credit will be accepted for one KAM as long as KAM VII is taken as an alternative to the Practicum in Educational Leadership.
5. Credits must have been approved in advance of the student taking the course for those courses completed after matriculating as a Walden student.
2. To be considered for acceptance in transfer, graduate credits or other units from foreign institutions must satisfy the criteria above and have been earned from an internationally recognized university.

Process for Transfer of Credit

 

1.  Students may not apply for credit transfer prior to matriculation in a Walden University program.

2.  For Ph.D. students, application for credit transfer should be completed within the first quarter of study and before the Plan of Study (POS) is submitted. 

Requests must include (a) completed Transfer Credit Application form and (b) photocopies of catalog descriptions for the courses the student wishes to transfer into their Walden University program. The Faculty Chair reserves the right to require copies of course syllabi in cases where catalog descriptions are not sufficient as a means to assess course content.  Applications for transfer of credit should be mailed to School of Education, Walden University, 155 Fifth Ave So, Minneapolis, MIN  55401.

3.  Requests for transfer of credits to be earned after matriculation must be submitted and approved in advance (i.e., prior to enrolling in the course that will be transferred).  Providing that the course is approved for transfer, the actual awarding of credit will be made after Walden University receives the official transcript showing that the student earned a grade of B or better.

4.  Students requesting transfer of credits earned in foreign institutions may be required to submit the relevant materials to an external credit evaluation service prior to Walden University making a judgment on the transfer credit request. 

5. Credit transfer requests are reviewed and evaluated by the Faculty Chair and other University administrators.  Once a decision is reached, the Office of the Registrar notifies the student and the SBSF 8001 instructor.  The decision is recorded in the student’s file.

Appeals Process

 

Students may appeal a credit transfer decision by forwarding a written request to the Office of the Registrar within thirty days of receipt of the decision.  Written requests should explicitly identify the credit hour or course transfer decision being appealed.  Recognizing that credit transfer requests may be denied for a number of reasons including, for example, lack of equivalency between transfer course content and Walden University course content, transfer credit earned from a non-accredited institution, etc., written appeals should explain in detail the facts or circumstances which cause the student to feel that a decision has been made in error.

Transfer credit appeals will be reviewed by a three person appeals committee.  Following review of the appeal, a decision either affirming or denying the appeal will be made and the Office of the Registrar will inform the student, the Dean, the Faculty Chair and SBSF 8001 instructor in writing.  The Office of the Registrar also notes the decision in the student’s file.

All decisions on transfer credit appeals rendered by the Appeals Committee are final.

Questions relating specifically to School of Education programs and their unique requirements may be directed to the Faculty Chair:

Dr. Iris Yob
Ph.D. in Education Faculty Chair
(iyob@waldenu.edu)