Post-baccalaureate, Master’s, and Doctoral 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.
7000-level classes emphasize the precise explication of theory, research, and critical thinking above that of the 6000-level class; represent an advanced application of discipline-specific knowledge, and require the development of individual research interest. The course and program requirements provide evidence that the student learning outcomes for meeting the course standards are at the doctoral level.
8000-level classes comprise courses that typically require a higher level of discipline-specific knowledge, critical thinking, and research skills than the program 7000-level courses. The sequence of 8000-level courses concludes with a defense of a research project and the production of work that is publishable.