A student may propose to transfer credit into a RIT graduate program of at least 45 quarter credit hours. The courses must be at the graduate level and be taken at an accredited university within the past 5 years with a grade of "B" or better. The student submits a written proposal thataddresses the relevance of the courses to the student's RIT MS program. The Graduate Program Coordinator will evaluate these proposals and award credit as appropriate for the student's program of study.

If supported by the plan of study of an IT graduate program, an IT student may propose to take up to 3 courses from another department at RIT to form a concentration or as electives. The courses must be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator prior to being taken. The courses must be at the graduate level (700 or greater). A written proposal is required that addresses the relevance of the courses to the student's MS program. The Graduate Program Coordinator will evaluate these proposals and award credit as appropriate for the student's plan of study.

The 7-year rule at RIT requires that all courses used towards a graduate program or certificate be completed within seven (7) years of the time that the first course was taken in a program of study. The purpose of the rule is to ensure that graduate students have current knowledge in their fields of study when certified by RIT.

For example, if the first course towards a graduate degree is taken in the fall of the 2008-2009 (quarter 20081), then the student must complete all program requirements - including the MS capstone - by the end of fall 2015-2016 (quarter 20151). Prerequisites courses are excluded from this rule.

If a student does not complete all program requirements within the seven-year time period, course(s) more than seven years old can no longer be counted towards the requirements of the program of study. If this occurs, the student must complete additional course(s) to replace the credit that has expired. If extenuating circumstances prevent a student from completing within the 7-year timeframe, the student may appeal to RIT's Graduate Council, a committee of RIT senior faculty, for permission to complete the degree while retaining the expired course(s). An appeal is only possible in cases of verifiable extenuating circumstances such as extended illness, injury, military service, etc. To retain credit, the student must be able to demonstrate "currency" in all expired courses at the 'B' grade level or better, as the course(s) is currently taught. Appeals must be made before the 7-year deadline expires and before any additional coursework is completed towards the degree. Please note that appeals may not be based simply on the loss of corporate educationa funding or a very busy work schedule.

If you anticipate that you will exceed the 7-year deadline, contact the IT Graduate Program Coordinator immediately.