Transfers, Cross-Registrations, and Course Substitutions

Transfers from and Cross-Registrations with Other Institutions

Click here for information about cross-registration at affiliated universities (CMU, Duquesne, etc.). There is no preset limit on the number of cross-registration credits that can be counted toward a Ph.D. degree. For other institutions, a maximum of 24 transfer credits may be counted toward a Ph.D. degree. Up to 6 credits may be counted toward the M.S. degree for work completed at another institution or for work previously completed at the University of Pittsburgh.

However, the explicit approval of the student's advisor and of the ISP Director are required. To apply, the student should submit the following information to the ISP Director: (1) institution, (2) whether the class is a graduate or undergraduate class, (3) exactly which requirement(s) the course is meant to satisfy (see below), (4) an indication of approval by the student's advisor, (5) what grade the student received in the class (for completed courses), (6) justification, if the class was not taken prior to entering the ISP program, and (7) sufficient information about the course syllabus for the Director to judge whether the transfer or cross-registration is appropriate.

For (3): the student should specify whether the course is meant to count only toward the 72 (Ph.D.)/ 24 (M.S.) hours required for graduation, or whether it is also meant to satisfy a requirement in the ISP curriculum. If the latter, please clearly identify which requirement.

Substituting other Courses at the University of Pittsburgh

Similarly to the above, course substitutions require approval of the student's advisor and the ISP Director. To apply for a course substitution, students should first obtain the approval of his or her advisor. Then, the student should submit the following information to the ISP Director: (1) whether the class is a graduate or undergraduate class, (2) exactly which requirement the course is meant to satisfy, (3) an indication of approval by the student's advisor, (4) justification for the substitution, and (7) sufficient information about the course syllabus for the Director to judge whether the substitution would be appropriate.