Elective Credit Policy

The participant, with Program Director/Advisor approval, will identify and successfully complete coursework in subject matter related to his/her professional practice. All elective courses (LEAD and non-LEAD) must meet minimum eligibility requirements and must be approved by the Program Director/Advisor. The majority of participants begin elective coursework once the core program of study has been completed.

Minimum Elective Course Requirements:

• Credits must be taken for graduate credit (5000-level or above) from a regionally accredited institution
• Credits must have documented objectives or outcomes that are consistent with graduate level learning (higher order thinking skills)
• Credits must be academic in nature (not internship, practicum, continuing education, etc.)
• Credits must be assigned a letter grade of "B" or higher
• Credits cannot have been used for a previously conferred degree
• Credits must be approved by the Program Director/Advisor

Transfer Credit Policy:

• Any transfer credits cannot exceed 15 graduate hours (5 courses) and are limited to elective credit
• Previous transfer credits must have been taken within 5 years of entrance into the program.
• Any transfer credit requests for previous course work should be submitted to the Program Office during the initial Spring semester (by March 1), along with course syllabus(i) from the semester the course was taken, for review by the Program Director/Advisor. Any approved transfer credits will be documented as part of the Program of Study, which is typically filed during the third semester of core course enrollment.
• Any additional transfer credit must be approved in advance and requests must be accompanied by a course syllabus (the most recent version available, no more than one year old) and an official transcript must be submitted upon completion of approved courses

The following types of courses will not be accepted as elective credit toward the doctoral program:

• Courses designed as bridging or leveling work for Master's programs (Foundations of Accounting, Concepts in Economics, etc.)
• Courses that are very similar in scope to core coursework (Principles of Instructional Design, Organizational Effectiveness, etc.)
• Courses offered at the undergraduate level (4000) with a graduate (5000) option

To Request Elective Credit for Prior Coursework

1. Review the LEAD elective credit policy above. An official updated transcript must be on file for any non-UTC coursework.

   
   Transcript Mailing Address:
    UTC Graduate School
    Attn: Mark Fairchild
    615 McCallie Avenue
    103 Race Hall, Dept. 5305 
    Chattanooga, TN 37403

    Transcript Email Address:
    [email protected] or [email protected]
    

2. Review your academic transcripts (post-Master’s coursework only; credits used for a previously conferred degree cannot be transferred).
    
3. Review the syllabus(i) from the semester the course(s) was/were taken for applicability to the Learning and Leadership elective credit policy criteria.
    
4. Submit course syllabus(i) from the semester the course(s) was/were taken to the Program Office at [email protected] during the initial Spring semester (by March 1). The syllabi will be forwarded to the Program Director/Advisor for review.
    
5. If the elective course(s) is approved by the Program Director/Advisor, the LEAD Program Office will facilitate the addition of the course to your doctoral Program of Study, which is typically filed during the third semester of core coursework. An official updated transcript must be on file for any non-UTC coursework.
   
   Information regarding the elective review/approval process during coursework is available in the Course Registration Process section (link: Course Registration Process).

Proposing an Individual Studies Elective Course (LEAD 7997R)       

1.  The participant will contact the LEAD Program Office to schedule a meeting with the Program Advisor to discuss a potential individual studies elective course at least 14 days prior to the start of the upcoming term/semester. During the meeting, the Program Director/Advisor and participant will determine an appropriate graduate faculty member(s) to facilitate the LEAD 7997R project.  
    
2. The participant will complete the LEAD 7997R Individual Studies Syllabus Form (link: Individual Studies Syllabus Form) and should include the following information: 
   -Term & Year
   -Unique Course Title: Must include reference to the participant’s degree/major (examples: learning, leadership, instructional/professional practice, decision-making, etc.) 
   -Number of graduate credit hours: 3 (unless otherwise pre-approved by the Program Advisor) 
   -Student Name & UTC ID
   -Instructor(s) Name & Email Address(es)  
   -Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs): Outcomes should connect to the participant's degree/major (examples: learning, leadership, instructional/professional practice, decision-making, etc.) and should be consistent with graduate level learning (higher order thinking skills – Bloom’s Taxonomy)
   -Required Readings: Texts, articles, etc. 
   -Deliverables: Minimum of 3 deliverables, plus a required Bi-Weekly Update Discussion Course
   -Schedule/Calendar: Assigned weekly readings and due dates for each deliverable 
    
3. The participant will submit the completed LEAD 7997R Individual Studies Syllabus Form to the Instructor(s) for feedback. A meeting with the Instructor(s) may be requested if assistance completing the Syllabus Form is needed. 
    
4. Once approved, the Instructor(s) will forward the LEAD 7997R Individual Studies Syllabus Form to the LEAD Program Office ([email protected]) for review by the Program Director/Advisor. The LEAD Program Office will request the CRN for the course.
    
5. Registration via the standard MyMocsNet portal process is not permitted due to the LEAD 7997R contract requirement. The LEAD Program Office will provide the participant with step-by-step instructions to register for the LEAD 7997R Individual Studies project. Once the Individual Studies Contract is electronically approved by all parties via electronic workflow, the participant will receive an email from the Registrar’s Office ([email protected]) confirming the registration process has been completed.

Note: All LEAD 7997R Individual Studies courses will employ the UTC Learn LEAD course shell framework, including course syllabus, deliverables, course materials, and discussions for consistent and regular progress reporting.