Transfer of Credit Policy

Purpose

Some students of the Master in Sciences in Medical Science (MSMS) complete all graduation requirements but are unable to fulfill the minimum 3.0 GPA required for graduation.  This is the result of a high credit load in several of the MSMS courses and a “C” in a major course may result in non-compliance with the required GPA.  These students have to repeat courses to obtain higher grades so that their GPA increases to the required levels.  However, some of them are accepted to continue post-graduate higher education training, such as medical education, and are unable to repeat courses in our institution.

The purpose of this policy is to establish a mechanism so that these students complete their MSMS degree while enrolled in another postgraduate higher education program.

Policy

MSMS students that comply with all graduation requirements, except the minimum 3.0 GPA, and are accepted in a medical education program or another doctoral program within two years after completion of the courses of the MSMS program may be eligible to get credit towards the MSMS degree from courses taken at another higher education institution. 

The procedure to achieve this is the following:

1. The student must submit the MSMS Transfer of Credits Request Form to the Registrar’s Office after completion of the courses of medical education or doctoral training within the established time. 
2. The student must be enrolled in an LCME accredited medical school, a foreign medical school that has been appropriately accredited according to ECFMG [1] standards, or a doctoral program in an institution of higher education with regional accreditation (such as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education).
3. After the student completes the course/s for which transfer credit is requested, the student must request that an official transcript be sent to Ponce Health Science University Registrar’s Office. 
4. The Associate Dean for Medical Education and the Assistant Dean for MSMS Program will evaluate the courses and grades in the transcript.  A special analysis needs to be done for those students in medical schools where they have an “integrated” or “system-based” curriculum.
5. Only courses with A’s and B’s may be cross transferred to substitute former courses with a C. If the GPA increases to or above 3.0, the student will be certified as eligible for the MSMS degree.
6. The Student Promotion Committee will evaluate the results and confirm to the Registrar if the student is a candidate for graduation.
7. Students admitted to the MSMS prior to the creation of this policy are eligible and will be notified about this policy.
8. The PHSU Registrar may establish an administrative fee for the time and efforts this entails.
9. The policy is effective May 5, 2016, and will be in effect for two years, after which it will be revised by the Executive and Policy Committee.