Course Waiver Policy

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. Waiver of a course does not reduce the number of credits required for the master of information degree. It allows a student to take advanced classes that list the waived class as a prerequisite.