Certificate of Equivalency (COE)

During a term in which the minimum number of credits for a desired enrollment status is not maintained, certain “equivalent” activities that are directly related to a student’s academic (degree, certificate, or certification) graduate program may be considered. The acceptable activities are supervised research/study for the master’s degree or practicum/internship/field work (the student must be currently registered in a course defined as such). Other activities must be an integral part of the student’s academic program and must be proved by the academic program director and the Office of the Registrar. Students who have graduated and are not admitted to a second graduate degree, certificate, or certification program and students not enrolled in a graduate degree, certificate or certification program are not eligible.

The properly completed COE form, certified by the student’s academic program director, must be filed with the Office of the Registrar, where it will be subject to final approval. The burden of proof and the responsibility of the academic program lie with the student’s academic program.

COE forms can only be accepted for degree, certificate, or certification students who are registered in some form, and only during the current term. COE forms must be filed with the Office of the Registrar as soon as possible after registration and are due no later than the close of the drop/add period. The number of hours spent doing approved academic work for which the student is registered in the academic term (fall, spring, winter or summer) is converted to credit equivalents at the rate of 1 credit equivalent for every 37.5 hours in excess of the amount of hours spent doing work for which the student is receiving course credit (for each course credit, a student is expected to spend 37.5 hours per term doing in-class and outside-of-class work). The credit equivalents are then added to the number of credits for which a student is registered to determine the final equivalent status.