Good to Know Before You Begin
Academic Advising
Graduate students receive academic advising from their specific program advisor. For more information, please contact your academic department.
Transfer Credit
Appropriate transfer work may be accepted toward a master's degree. Students in doctoral programs should refer to those sections in the catalog for information regarding transfer units. A minimum of 30 units of the degree requirements must be taken in residence at APU. In addition, transfer units may not exceed 20 percent of the units required for a master's degree. To be transferable, a course must meet the following requirements:
- The course was completed at a regionally accredited institution.
- The grade earned was a B or better. (Neither Pass in a pass/fail, Credit in a credit/no-credit course, nor a B- is acceptable for transfer credit.)
- The course was completed subsequent to the awarding of the bachelor's degree.
- The course was taken within eight years of the time in which the student begins work in the degree program. (More recent work may be required in some programs.)
- The course must be applicable to a graduate degree at the institution where it was taken.
- The course must not be professional development or extension course work.
Courses for transfer must be approved by the student's department or school, as well as by the Office of the Graduate Registrar in the Graduate Center.
Students should not assume acceptance of transfer work until they receive written notification from the registrar.
Waivers
Some departments permit waivers of certain courses. Contact the appropriate department for details on specific waiver procedures. Unlike transfer credit, waivers fulfill course requirements only; no units are awarded. Students with waived courses must choose alternate elective courses to satisfy the unit requirements of their degree program.
Additional Master’s Degree or Concurrent Graduate Programs
A graduate student who already holds a master’s degree from Azusa Pacific University may complete another master’s degree by meeting all university and department admissions requirements and fulfilling all graduation requirements for that degree.
An applicant intending to pursue two graduate programs concurrently shall meet with program representatives of both graduate programs to plan the joint course of study. Concurrent graduate program students shall meet all university and department admissions requirements and fulfill the graduation requirements of both graduate programs.
The additional master’s or concurrent graduate program may not be an additional emphasis in the same degree. This policy does not apply to programs that are substantially different from the first degree program. When a second degree is taken in the same field, two-thirds of the required courses must be different from the first degree.
The student is required to submit an application form for the second program and be admitted to that program.
Distribution of Courses
A minimum of 18 semester units in the master’s degree program must be completed in courses at the 500-level or higher. Some programs have higher minimum numbers. Please review individual degree requirements carefully.
