Transfer Credits

At least 60% of the coursework listed on a student’s Graduate Degree Plan or GPAS must be taken as a degree seeking University of Minnesota graduate student. Courses are considered transfer courses if they are taken at other institutions. If a student has taken courses in a program at the University of Minnesota that is not part of the Graduate School (e.g., School of Public Health), or courses were taken before being admitted to the PhD Program in the School of Nursing as non-degree seeking student, please consult with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to see if a petition is required.

School of Nursing Procedure: To use a course from another institution to fulfill program requirements for the PhD program:

  1. Access and complete the School of Nursing Course Equivalency Petition including:
    • Unofficial transcripts showing completion of the prior course
    • Course syllabi
    • If petitioning an elective course, use the comments section to describe how the course prepares you for or is relevant for your research.
  2. Meet with your advisor to discuss the request. The advisor(s) will indicate their decision and provide comments.
  3. Submit the Course Equivalency Petition and accompanying documents the Office of Student and Career Advancement Services.
  4. The petition will be provided to the DGS who will ask faculty teaching in the course or a closely related course to review the petition and make a recommendation about accepting the transfer course for the PhD program.
  5. The DGS will notify you via email of the final decision regarding the petition.


If a petitioned course is accepted as part of the PhD coursework, it is then listed as a course(s) on the Graduate Degree Plan form and a copy of the official transcript with the transfer course on it is submitted to the Graduate School. All transfer coursework must be at the graduate level. Talk to the DGS before you complete the petition if you have questions about what courses can be transferred into the program. Most University of Minnesota courses taken previously do not need to be approved through the Equivalency Petition procedure; talk with the DGS if you have questions.