A “carry-over course” is a graduate course taken at Boise State University in one of its graduate programs.

A frequent question is, “Can I use courses that I’ve already taken at Boise State University in a graduate program where I am newly enrolled?”

The answer is “Yes,” but there are a number of important points to remember (see below). The information here only applies to the Ed.S. and Ed.D. programs.

Graduate courses taken outside Boise State University (“Transfer Courses”) can be applied to either the Ed.S. or Ed.D. (pending program approval). For more information about such courses, see the Transfer Course policy. Unlike transfer course requests, a request for use of carry-over courses only has to be accompanied by a syllabus if taken outside the Department of Educational Technology. Carry-over courses appear on a student’s electronic Program Development Form and then eventually on the Application for Admission to Candidacy

General Carry-over Course Policies that apply to both Ed.S. and Ed.D. Programs

• Any course that a student wishes to apply as credit must be consistent with the program of study planned by the student and her/his advisor and supervisory committee. For example, graduate work in history will not be recommended for use, but it is possible for graduate work in history education to be used as an elective, depending on course content.
• No undergraduate course (even upper level) will be considered for either the Ed.S. or Ed.D. programs
• Any course requested for use must have a grade of B or better.
• Any course requested for use cannot have been a culminating activity or for experiential learning (ex., portfolio or thesis).
• Credits earned for post-graduate work, but which are not graduate courses (ex., professional development workshops) cannot be used for credit.
• Graduate credits earned either as part of a master’s degree, or taken as part of a graduate degree that was not completed, are eligible for transfer. Courses ineligible would be those restricted by other elements of the transfer course policy.
• A course eligible for carry-over should have been completed within 5 years of a student’s proposed graduation date from the Ed.S. or Ed.D. program. Adjustments can be made depending on the course and a student’s subsequent experience, but this is the purview of the Program Coordinator.

Carry-over Course Policy: Students in the Ed.S. Program

“EDTECH” courses taken at BSU can be applied to the Ed.S. program, with the understanding that:

• The culminating activity for the Ed.S. cannot be replaced by any course already taken in any other program
• At least 1/2 of the EdS credits must be earned after the student applies to it
• Credits earned as part of a *completed* master’s degree can only be applied to the EdS program on a case-by-case basis (EDTECH is seeking a program-specific exemption to this policy).
• At least 15 credit hours of all courses used toward the Ed.S. (not including the culminating activity) must be courses offered by the Department of Educational Technology (EDTECH)
• All regular course credits earned in the EdS program CAN be used toward the EdD program should a student be admitted to it (the only course that does not carry-over is the capstone course, EDTECH 680)

Carry-over Course Policy: Students in the Ed.D. Program

“EDTECH” courses taken at BSU can be applied to the Ed.D. program, with the understanding that:

• All students enrolling in the Ed.D. program will have to take EDTECH 601: Intro to Doctoral StudiesBoth cognate and elective courses can be replaced by previous EDTECH courses (or other approved courses taken at Boise State) that are in keeping with the general policies detailed below
• For the Ed.D. student seeking the Ed.S., we see two scenarios: 1) The student cannot complete the dissertation (for whatever reason), and her or his committee recommends the Ed.S. as a degree option. 2) The student wishes to earn the Ed.S. while earning the Ed.D.
  • In Scenario 1, the student has to formally apply to the Ed.S. program when asked to do so by the doctoral program coordination team. All credits taken toward the Ed.D. (except EDTECH 691 or EDTECH 693) can be applied to the Ed.S. The student must at least complete the Ed.S. capstone course before being awarded the degree. At the completion of the Ed.S., the student will not be admitted to a future Ed.D. cohort.
  • In Scenario 2, the student must apply to the Ed.S. program BEFORE the end of her or his first year of studies. The student should be on schedule to complete all Ed.S. cognate and elective courses by the end of his or her second year in the Ed.D. program. Finally, the student must complete the Ed.S. capstone course (which will not count toward the doctorate) in order to earn the Ed.S. In this scenario, the final Ed.S. project must be completed before a student attempts to complete the doctoral comprehensive examination (EDTECH 691)