Previous UMCP Credits

Approved courses taken at the University of Maryland, College Park before the student enters the Ph.D. program may generally be counted towards the Ph.D. plan of study. Also, courses taken while the student is enrolled in the Ph.D. program but that were used towards the M.S. degree can be counted for the Ph.D., provided that the credits have not been used for another Ph.D. degree and that all the rules specified above are satisfied.

Credit Reduction Option: Previous M.S. Degree from U.S. Institution

Optionally, for students who have obtained an M.S. degree in Electrical or Electrical and Computer Engineering from a U.S. institution, the course work requirement is reduced to 21 credits. When this option is selected, all other rules above apply except for item 3 – only 12 credits of ENEE lecture courses need be included.

Students selecting this option, however, are not allowed any additional credit transfer.

Transfer of Credit

A maximum of 15 credits can be transferred. The following conditions must be met:

• Any course to be transferred must be equivalent to a graduate-level (600-level or above) lecture course available at the University of Maryland, College Park. Also, if a course is transferred, the equivalent UMCP course may not be included in the plan of study;
• At least a B (or equivalent) must have been obtained in each course transferred; and
• The courses must have been taken for graduate credit at the original institution, but may not have been used towards another Ph.D. degree.

Credit transfer is approved only in the context of a specific proposed plan of study. When applying for credit transfer, the student must produce an official transcript, as well as evidence that the course is indeed equivalent to a course offered at the University of Maryland, College Park. Documented evidence should include a course description, as well as a syllabus showing what material was covered in the specific offering the student took, and what text was used. Additionally, the PhD Request For Transfer of Graduate Credit form should be submitted. Transfer requests must be submitted within the first semester of enrollment.