Policies, Procedures and Guidelines | SUNY Empire State College

Graduate Subsequent Programs of the Same Credential Type Policy

Sponsor:	School for Graduate Studies and School of Nursing and Allied Health
Contact:	Director of Graduate Student and Academic Services
Category:	Graduate Studies
Number:	800.012
Effective Date:	09/06/2022
Implementation History:	Approved September 2019, Revised and Senate approve June 2022.
Keywords:	Graduate; Second; Secondary; Subsequent; Course-sharing; Course Sharing
Background Information:

Purpose

Defines and details the percentage of graduate credits a graduate student must complete at Empire State University to earn a subsequent graduate-level degree or certificate of the same credential type as a previously earned credential.

Definitions

Degree Program: Academic program in which the end result is a graduate degree. This definition applies to degrees at the doctoral and master’s level.

Advanced Certificate: A post-baccalaureate certificate composed of graduate level coursework. Advanced certificate study is separate from that of study in preparation for a degree in that a student must apply separately for degree program study.

Certificates of Advanced Study: Post-master’s certificate that permits students to further their knowledge through detailed study.

Statements

Students who have completed a degree program, advanced certificate, or certificate of advanced study and are accepted into a subsequent graduate program of the same credential type (e.g., master's degree/master's degree or advanced certificate/advanced certificate) must follow the requirements below:

Students can only be active in one program at the same credential type at a time. The completion of a subsequent program at the same type must be done sequentially, not concurrently.
No more than 50% of the credits toward a subsequent program at the same credential type may have been used to fulfill the requirements of the first program at the same credential type. Schools and individual programs may set lower limits. See the graduate catalog for individual program limits.
Students cannot use credits older than 6 years in the subsequent program. The age of the credit is determined by the term of enrollment.
Evaluated credit earned in the any prior program may not be used in any subsequent programs.
Transfer credit used in the any prior program may not be used in any subsequent programs.

Students may appeal any decision made about the use of credit in a subsequent graduate program in accordance with the Student Academic Appeals Policy and Procedure.

See the Graduate Transfer, Cross-Registration, and Evaluated Credit Policy for specific rules on the use of transfer, cross-registration, and evaluated credit to meet advanced certificate, degree program, and certificate of advanced study requirements.