How to Transfer Credits
Graduate students at Colorado School of Mines may transfer a limited number of credits from other universities and or a Colorado School of Mines undergraduate transcript. We do not transfer credits upon admission. To transfer credits, students need to:
- Read the transfer limits and determine how many credits may transfer
- Meet with advisor and committee to get transfer coursework approved.
- Transfer credit must be graduate-level coursework on a graduate-level transcript.
- You may not transfer research credits unless you are a PhD transferring a master’s thesis degree from another university.
- Send your official transcripts to Colorado School of Mines.
- Complete the Degree Audit form and list all transfer credits in the appropriate section (see below).
- Submit the Degree Audit form to the Office of Graduate Studies.
Degree Audit Form Sections for Transfer Credits
- Transfer credit from another university (any university other than Mines) must be listed in the transfer section, unless you are using credits towards a minor.
- Transfer credits from a Mines undergraduate transcript must be listed in Section A. Credits transferred from a Mines undergraduate transcript may not have been used towards a Mines bachelor’s degree, unless the student is a BS-MS combined student and is a graduate degree that allows students to double count credits.
- Transfer credit to use towards a minor regardless of whether it is from another university or a Mines undergraduate transcript must be listed in the minor section. If you are transferring credits towards a minor, you must note that these are transfer credits.
- The total number of transfer credits to use towards a minor is less than half of the required credits.
- The total number of transfer credits for both the major and the minor cannot exceed the maximum number of transfer credits. In addition, you cannot use the same transfer credits towards both the major and the minor.
PhD Students
- If you are transferring a thesis-based master’s degree, you will list the transfer course as “Thesis-Based Master’s Degree” and the credits as “36”. In the semester column, enter the semester you graduated. Leave the course prefix and number blank.
- If you are transferring a non-thesis-based master’s degree or any individual graduate-level courses, you will list each course individually (maximum of 24 credit hours). List the course prefix, number and title as it shows on your transcripts, not Mines equivalents. You may not transfer research credits.
- If you have earned a master’s degree from Mines, those courses are not transfer credits and should not be listed in the transfer section. Instead, these courses need to be listed in Section A. Mines research credits will be listed in the research section. You may use, with departmental approval an unlimited number of Mines graduate courses from your MInes master’s degree towards your Mines PhD. Exception: graduate credits may be used towards only 2 graduate degrees, not 3. For example, if you earned 2 master’s degrees and used courses in common towards both master’s degrees, then you cannot use any of the credits that you used towards 2 master’s degrees towards the PhD.
Credit Conversions
Credits at Mines are semester hours. Any transfer credit that is not in semester hours will be adjusted accordingly. For example, 3 quarter hours will be worth 2 semester hours and 4 ECT (European Hours) will be worth 2 semester hours.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION about taking transfer credits your final semester.
Due to time constraints, students taking transfer credit at another institution, including credits through the Reciprocal Agreement during the final semester at Mines may not be able to graduate that semester.
To ensure that your degree is awarded, official transcripts with transfer credit must be on file at Mines and/or grades for students using the Reciprocal Agreement must be entered in the system by the Registrar’s Office by no later than 5 business day after commencement.
In the event that we do not have either the official transcripts or the grades have not been entered by the Registrar, your degree may not be awarded until the following semester.