Leadership and Instructional Practice 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 (Ed.S. is not considered a full degree program at UTC)
• Credits must be approved by the Program Director/Advisor

Transfer Credit Policy

• Any transfer credits cannot exceed 24 graduate hours (8 courses) and are limited to elective credit
• Previous transfer credits should 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... , Concepts in...., 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 LEAD 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).