12/05/2025
By Kerry Patenaude
Faculty Senate Call for Comment #7
A proposal to clarify the university-level policy on graduate student transfer credit was presented to Faculty Senate for Initial Discussion on Monday, Dec. 1, 2025.
Overview of the Policy Proposal
Proposal to Clarify the Policy on Graduate Student Transfer Credit
UMass Lowell currently maintains two related policies governing graduate credit applied toward doctoral programs:
- Graduate Student Transfer Credit policy – This applies when individual graduate courses are transferred into a program
- Acceptance of Master’s Degree Toward Doctoral Requirements policy – This applies when a student’s entire earned master’s degree is accepted toward a doctoral program.
Because the Graduate Student Transfer Credit policy is more likely to appear first in online searches for “graduate transfer policy,” and because it contains additional restrictions on timing and eligible institutions, students and graduate coordinators have sometimes been uncertain about which of the two policies applies in specific cases. To reduce this confusion, GPAC recommends adding a brief clarifying statement at the beginning of the Transfer Credit policy.
Invitation for Open Comment
The Faculty Senate voted on Dec. 1, 2025 to move the proposal into the 2-month review cycle for university-level policies. During this time, we invite the UML community to review the proposal and provide comment at the upcoming meetings listed below, which are open to the public. You are also welcome to send comments or questions by email to: faculty_senate@uml.edu.
- Start Date: Friday, Dec. 5, 2025
- End Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2026
To view the full proposal and supporting documents, and read the comments, please log into Curriculog, our campus curriculum management system. All faculty, administrators and staff can access Curriculog with their email credentials. If you need assistance, email curriculog@uml.edu.
The proposal will be on the following Committee and Senate agendas:
- UPC Meeting
• Date: Monday, Feb. 9, 2026
• Time: 3:30-5 p.m.
• Location: Alumni Hall 102 - GPAC Meeting
• Date: Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026
• Time: 3:30-5 p.m.
• Location: Alumni Hall 102 - Faculty Senate 2025-2026 Meeting #7
• Date: Monday, March 2, 2026
• Time: 3:30-5 p.m.
• Location: Moloney Ballroom (UCC-260)
The Faculty Senate is committed to transparent governance and effective communication, and we hope this invitation for comment from the campus community will help us meet those goals. Thank you for your attention to this proposed change to this policy.
• Kevin Petersen, Faculty Senate President
• Kerry Patenaude, Associate Director of Faculty Senate Operations and Curriculum Management
View all Faculty Senate Calls for Comment