Post-baccalaureate and Master’s Level Rigor
Undergraduate courses cannot be used for graduate credit.
Master’s-level courses provide a level of knowledge and demand a degree of expertise beyond the baccalaureate level. Master’s study prepares graduates for even more advanced study in the discipline and/or prepares them to be expert practitioners in their field. The fundamental concepts of the discipline should be mastered; the exposure to the literature of the discipline should demonstrate depth and scope beyond undergraduate education; and the level of theoretical understanding and its integration into a framework of practice should be pronounced. A student in the master’s program will be 1) a highly experienced practitioner, problem solver, and project or site manager; and/or 2 will be an active participant in the scholarship of the discipline and should conduct that research as having the potential for publication and/or presentation at professional meetings.
5000-level classes should include a comprehensive exposure to the foundations and definitions that distinguish the discipline; an exposure to the current literature and/or practices of the discipline; and the conceptual frameworks of the field.
6000-level classes should demonstrate a depth of scholarly exposure above the foundations of the 5000-level class. The emphasis on the precise explication of theory, research, and critical thinking should approximate the pre-requisites for doctoral study; and the course and program requirements should provide evidence that the student learning outcomes have a higher threshold for meeting the course standards than lower-level courses.