Senior Permission for Graduate Credit

Op3.04-51 Undergraduate Students Taking Graduate Credit

Undergraduate students have three options for taking graduate credit prior to completion of a bachelor’s degree:

Mixed Credit (Accelerated Graduate Programs): Students admitted into an approved accelerated graduate degree program may have a limited number of graduate (600-level or higher) courses counted toward both an undergraduate and graduate degree. Before enrolling in a course to be counted as both undergraduate and graduate credit (mixed credit), the undergraduate student must be accepted into the accelerated graduate program and receive prior approval from: 1) the Graduate Program Director, 2) the Academic Unit Leader of the undergraduate program, and 3) the Dean of the Graduate College. All approvals must be completed prior to the end of the Change of Schedule Period for the course(s). Although the university allows a maximum of 40% of the total hours required for the graduate degree to be taken as Mixed Credit, many programs have lower limits. See the mixed credit allowances for individual accelerated programs in the Graduate Catalog.

Mixed Credit (General): Undergraduate students who have completed 90 or more credit hours with a minimum cumulative or last 60-hour GPA of 3.00 may receive permission to take up to six (6) hours of mixed (undergraduate and graduate) credit without first being admitted to a specific accelerated graduate program. Qualified students must receive prior approval from the Graduate Program Director of the program in which the graduate course is taken and the Academic Unit Leader of the undergraduate major to which the mixed credit will be applied. It should be noted that permission of the Graduate Program Director of one program does not guarantee that those approved mixed credit courses can be used in a different graduate program.

Senior Permission: Undergraduate students who have accumulated at least 90 hours from Missouri State or another accredited institution may be permitted to take a maximum of 12 credits of 600-level or higher courses for graduate credit. Students who desire to participate in this program must receive the recommendation of the Academic Unit Leader where the graduate course(s) are offered. To be eligible, students must have a minimum cumulative or last 60-hour GPA of 3.00 in their undergraduate coursework. Courses completed for graduate credit under Senior Permission cannot be applied toward the undergraduate degree. Graduate credit earned under Senior Permission may be applied toward a graduate degree or certificate program contingent upon admission to a graduate program or graduate certificate and approval of the Graduate Program Director.