Any student accepted into a graduate degree program may be required to take preliminary courses necessary to develop graduate level competency in certain areas. Courses are assigned at the admission review on the basis of the student’s prior educational experience, level of achievement and the desired program of study. Students must complete each required preliminary course with a grade of 3.0 or better and pass a faculty review. Required preliminary courses may be taken concurrently with graduate courses upon approval of the student’s faculty adviser.

Students who seek to be exempted from any assigned preliminary course must petition to do so and must provide documentation supporting the petition. In the case that a preliminary course may be exempted, students do not receive credit for the exempted course, but it may be eliminated from the student’s preliminary course requirements.