Students who, because of prior study and/or experience, believe
that they possess the competencies covered in a course may request to
be excused from taking the course. The student should make the request
to the course coordinator and should be prepared to discuss his or her
knowledge and skills related to the course content with that faculty
member. The course coordinator may ask the student to take an
assessment examination. If the student's request is based on prior
coursework, the coordinator may ask for a copy of the course
description and also should consult the student's official transcript.
If the course coordinator agrees to the waiver, the coordinator places
a note to that effect in the student's file and gives a copy of the
note to the student. If the coordinator does not agree to a waiver and
the student wishes to appeal that decision, he or she should make such
appeal to the chair, who will put the issue to other instructors
of the course. The majority view prevails. A list of course coordinators is available from the Student Services Office or department chair.
Waiver of a course
does not reduce the number of credits required for the master of information (M.I.) degree. It allows a student to take advanced classes that list the waived class as a prerequisite.
