In cases where the student has knowledge, but has not taken the appropriate course, the academic units, with approval from the Vice Provost for Graduate Programs or designee, may offer graduate courses for credit by examination. Total credit-by-examination applied to a student's degree program may not exceed nine (9) semester hours. The necessary form is available on the Graduate School web site..

The following regulations govern the granting of credit by examination:

A student enrolled in a degree program (full-time or part-time) who is in good academic standing may make application to take an examination for credit. The student must follow these steps to obtain credit by examination:

• Fill out the top of the form and obtain the signatures of the major advisor, department chair, and college director of graduate studies.
• Pay the fee and attach the receipt to the form.
• Take the form to the department chair, who will sign it after the exam has been taken and a satisfactory grade earned.
  • When the department chair returns the completed form to the Graduate School, the Vice Provost for Graduate Studies or designee will authorize the posting of the credit to the student's record.
  • The form of the examination, the method of administering it, and the time of examination are left to the discretion of colleges and academic units.
  • To receive credit, the student's examination grade should be equivalent to at least a "B" (3.0). Credit is indicated on the student's record as "S" but is not figured in the GPA.

The only remedy to an unsuccessful credit-by-examination grade is to enroll in and complete the course.

Maximum Combined Credit Hours to Fulfill Degree Requirements

For Master’s students, the maximum amount of combined hours of transfer credit, credit by examination, course validation and experiential learning that can be used to fulfill degree requirements is twelve hours or one-third the number of hours required for the degree, whichever is greater.

For doctoral students, the maximum amount of combined hours of transfer credit, credit-by-examination, course validation and experiential learning that can be used to fulfill degree requirements is one-third the number of hours required for the degree.

For additional information about credit by examination procedures, contact the Graduate School Academic Advisor at mstout@memphis.edu or the Graduate School Office (901) 678-2531.