Veterinary School Course Reverse Transfer

Transcription

1 Veterinary School Course Reverse Transfer Background While pre-veterinary students are strongly encouraged to complete a Bachelor s degree before enrolling in a College of Veterinary Medicine, a Bachelor s degree is not required for admission to most of the 33 accredited Veterinary Schools in the United States, including regional schools (OSU, WSU, CSU, and WIMU). For these programs, applicants must only complete the specified prerequisite courses at a regionally accredited college or university to fulfill the academic requirements for applying. Thus, some MSU students go on to veterinary school every year without completing their MSU bachelor s degrees. This can be detrimental to such students for several reasons. First, bachelor s degrees are necessary for graduation from some veterinary schools. In addition, bachelor s degrees are usually required for entrance to graduate schools, so if the student wanted to pursue a graduate degree after completing veterinary school, the lack of a bachelor s degree would be prohibitive. Finally, certain scholarships or fellowships require the applicant to have an undergraduate degree. Thus, providing a defined process for completing their degrees represents a distinct and competitive benefit for our students. There is currently not a well-defined process for allowing students entering veterinary school before completing their Bachelor s degree to complete their degrees after leaving MSU. The result is that MSU loses credit for training these students, and the lack of a degree can also negatively impact these students, as described above. In some cases, students in veterinary school have been able to transfer back course credits to complete their Bachelor s degrees in abstentia. However, this process is cumbersome, relies on an uncertain GARC decision, and is not consistent for all students. In fact, some students don t even try because the process is so cumbersome, and other student s petitions have been denied by GARC. The proposed procedure would be a standardized process whereby veterinary students who have not completed their MSU Bachelor s degrees would be able to use up to 15 veterinary school course credits for reverse-transfer back to MSU to complete their Bachelor s degrees. Each reverse-transferred course may be used towards fulfillment of a single requirement (i.e., doublecounting is not allowed). Reverse-transfer courses are graduate (veterinary school) courses transferred back to MSU to complete a bachelor s degree at MSU. This process may be used by veterinary school students from any department that has adopted the process and has the appropriate paperwork on file in the Office of the Registrar. Note that it is the student s responsibility to complete the required procedures and all paperwork according to the specified deadlines. At this time, the following programs have adopted this process: Biotech-Animal Systems Option Microbiology-Prevet Track Animal Science-Science Option Qualifications MSU students desiring to follow this plan must meet the following qualifications: 1. The student must have a minimum of 105 undergraduate credits posted to their MSU transcript prior to reverse transfer of Veterinary School credits. Of those 105 credits: a. All general education requirements (e.g., Core 2.0) must be complete. b. No more than 15 other upper-division credits may be substituted by reversetransferred courses. c. Grades in courses counting toward degree requirements must meet established grade requirements, typically C- or better, or P for Veterinary School courses if they are only offered as Pass/Marginal/Fail or Pass/Fail. d. All department-specified required courses (as applicable) for each degree must be completed. 1

2 e. Reverse-transfer courses can substitute for up to 15 department-specified courses to fulfill degree requirements. All courses selected to be eligible for fulfillment by reverse-transfer courses must be preapproved by the department and will be maintained on file at the Registrar s Office and in the departmental office. Procedure 2. Prior to their last date of course enrollment at MSU, students must submit a Petition to Reserve Veterinary School Courses for Reverse-Transfer that indicats the student s intent to use Veterinary School courses to complete their MSU baccalaureate degree requirements. The petition will identify the department-preapproved courses for which reverse-transfer courses will be substituted. The petition must be approved by the advisor, Department Certifying Officer, College Dean s Office, and Registrar. Petitions should be submitted at the time of application to Veterinary School. 3. The student can apply for completion of their undergraduate degree requirements (using reverse-transfer courses) only after the first year of veterinary school has been completed. This would most commonly occur during the next fall semester but may occur later as well. The following steps are required: a. File an Intent to Register Form, making sure to declare the degree specified above in the reverse-transfer petition (see item 2), with the Registrar s Office by the established deadline in the semester prior to the intended term of graduation (October 1 st for graduation in spring, March 1 st for graduation in summer or fall). b. Complete an Application for Baccalaureate Degree and submit this application with the graduation fee required of all graduating students. The deadlines for graduation application are the same as those for the Intent to Register (October 1 st for graduation in spring, March 1 st for graduation in summer or fall). c. Register for credit in absentia (prior to the 10 th day of class of the intended graduation term). d. Have an official copy of their veterinary school transcript submitted to Montana State University - Office of the Registrar once the required courses have been completed. Policy Considerations This reverse-transfer policy may be used as an exception to the following standards when appropriate: 1. The residency requirement that 23 of a student s last 30 credits be completed through MSU. Note: These students have generally completed numerous semesters at MSU, and are leaving MSU to obtain an advanced degree. The Registrar has approved waiving this requirement. 2. The 9-credit limit on reservation-of-credit when using graduate-level courses for an undergraduate degree. Note: These students will use more than 9 credits of graduate coursework (from veterinary school) to complete their undergraduate programs. The allowed substitutions have been approved by MSU faculty. 3. The 12-credit limit as to applicability of Pass/Fail courses used toward undergraduate degree requirements. 2

3 Note: Some graduate schools use Pass/Fail grading. As graduate programs, the requirements for the award of a Pass grade exceed the C- required for undergraduate programs. 4. The use of Pass/Fail courses for degree requirements. Note: Because some graduate schools use only Pass/Fail grading, these students have no option but to use Pass/Fail grades to meet their undergraduate program requirements. The need for these exceptions varies depending upon the given veterinary school and their imbedded grading policies. 3

4 Animal Science-Science (A maximum of 15 credits total may be used for reverse-transfer. Approved course/requirement substitutions are listed below.) Possible Animal Science-Science Courses/Requirements that can be Completed by Reverse Transfer with Veterinary School Courses 12 credits of Upper Division course work to substitute in the Restricted Electives Block 15 credits of electives (any course) to meet 120 credit degree requirement and/or 42 credits of upper division course work Reverse-transfer VM Courses from WSU or WIMU (upon prior approval, comparable courses from other veterinary schools may be substituted) Up to 12 credits from any of the following courses: VM 500 (Animals, Society and the Veterinarian)-1 credit VM 510 (Veterinary Microscopic Anatomy)-4 credits VM 511 (Veterinary Anatomy I)-5 credits VM 513 (Veterinary Cell Physiology)-4 credits VM 512 (Veterinary Anatomy II)-4 credits VM 520 (Veterinary Physiology)-4 credits VM 521 (Introduction to Veterinary Neurology)-3 credits VM 545 (General Pathology)-4 credits VM 580 (Basic Nutrition)-1 credit Up to 15 credits from any VM courses

5 Biotechnology-Animal Systems (A maximum of 15 credits total may be used for reverse-transfer. Approved course/requirement substitutions are listed below.) Possible Biotechnology-Animal Systems Courses/Requirements that can be Completed by Reverse Transfer with Veterinary School Courses 13 credits of Upper Division Science Electives: chosen from any of the following: ANSC or BCH or BIOB or BIOH or BIOL or BIOM or BIOO or CHMY or IMID or MB or ANSC 265/ANSC 266 (Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals & Lab)-4 credits Reverse-transfer VM Courses from WSU or WIMU (upon prior approval, comparable courses from other veterinary schools may be substituted) Up to 13 credits from any of the following courses: VM 500 (Animals, Society and the Veterinarian)-1 credit VM 510 (Veterinary Microscopic Anatomy)-4 credits VM 511 (Veterinary Anatomy I)-5 credits VM 513 (Veterinary Cell Physiology)-4 credits VM 512 (Veterinary Anatomy II)-4 credits VM 520 (Veterinary Physiology)-4 credits VM 521 (Introduction to Veterinary Neurology)-3 credits VM 545 (General Pathology)-4 credits VM 580 (Basic Nutrition)-1 credit VM 511 (Veterinary Anatomy I)-5 credits or VM 512 (Veterinary Anatomy II)-4 credits 10 credits of electives (any course) Up to 10 credits from any VM courses

6 Microbiology-Prevet Track (A maximum of 15 credits total may be used for reverse-transfer. Approved course/requirement substitutions are listed below.) Possible Microbiology-Prevet Track Courses/Requirements that can be Completed by Reverse Transfer with Veterinary School Courses 6 credits of Upper Division Science Electives chosen from any of the following: ANSC 3@ or 4@, BIOB 3@ or 4@, BIOH 3@ or 4@, BIOM 3@ or 4@, BIOO 3@ or 4@, EQUS 3@ or 4@, IMID 3@ or 4@, MB 3@ or 4@ ANSC 265/ANSC 266 (Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals & Lab)-4 credits BIOB 410 (Immunology)-3 credits BIOM 435 (Virology)-3 credits BIOM 431/432 (Medical Bacteriology & Lab)- 5 credits BIOM 425 (Toxicology)-3 credits BIOM 427 (Parasitology)-3 credits Reverse-transfer VM Courses from WSU or WIMU (upon prior approval, comparable courses from other veterinary schools may be substituted) Up to 6 credits from any of the following courses: VM 500 (Animals, Society and the Veterinarian)-1 credit VM 510 (Veterinary Microscopic Anatomy)-4 credits VM 511 (Veterinary Anatomy I)-5 credits VM 513 (Veterinary Cell Physiology)-4 credits VM 512 (Veterinary Anatomy II)-4 credits VM 520 (Veterinary Physiology)-4 credits VM 521 (Introduction to Veterinary Neurology)-3 credits VM 545 (General Pathology)-4 credits VM 580 (Basic Nutrition)-1 credit VM 511 (Veterinary Anatomy I)-5 credits or VM 512 (Veterinary Anatomy II)-4 credits VM 535 (Virology)-3 credits VM 536 (Bacteriology)-4 credits VM 523 (Veterinary Toxicology)-3 credits VM 537 (General Parasitology)-4 credits