Course Transfer Policy and Procedure

FNU students are eligible to transfer a maximum of 12 credits into their program of study if the credits were earned at a regionally accredited institution of higher learning and nursing courses earned in an ACEN or CCNE accredited program that was accredited at the time the courses were completed and meet the following criteria:

• Only didactic MSN, PGC, and DNP courses may be transferred. Clinical, and DNP project courses may not be transferred.
• Transferred courses must meet comparable course objectives, essentials, and competencies as are included in the FNU course (example: if AACN DNP Essentials are included in the FNU course, they must also be present in the transferred course). Courses submitted for credit for advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, or advanced physical assessment must be offered as part of a nurse practitioner or nurse-midwifery program.
• Courses will be eligible for consideration of transfer credit if the student has completed a course with a B or better with equivalent content in a prior academic graduate program.
• Courses must total the number of workload credits of the FNU course, e.g. if the intended FNU course awards 3 semester credits, the total number of credits from the transferred course(s) must equal 3 semester credits. The conversion of quarter credits to semester credits will be done by dividing the number of quarter credits by 1.5.
• Coursework completed on a pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis will not be considered for transfer unless the course was only offered to students on a pass/fail or satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis and it is clear from the transcript that a pass or satisfactory grade is equivalent to a B or better.
• Graduate level courses applied to undergraduate degrees are not eligible for transfer.
• Variables that influence course transfer include the age of the course and the student’s certification and clinical practice experience. To be considered for transfer, courses (1) must be part of a previously completed graduate degree OR (2) be less than or equal to two years old at the time of admission. Approved transfer credit that was not part of a previously completed graduate degree will affect the maximum allowable date for degree completion. Approved transfer credit that was not part of a previously completed graduate degree must be no older than five years at the point of completing the FNU degree. The latest date for degree completion will be communicated by the Department Chair or Program Director who is approving the transfer credit.

Students may submit one to two previous courses to transfer for a single FNU course, e.g. submitting a biostatistics course syllabus and an epidemiology course syllabus to transfer for the FNU Epi & Biostatistics course. More than two previous courses intended to transfer for a single FNU course will not be considered for transfer credit. Students with a content background in a particular subject but who do not have a specific course to transfer, e.g. a degree in nursing education wishing to obtain credit for FNU’s Nurse as Educator course, should consider the Challenge Policy for Academic Courses.

Grades from transferred courses do not factor into the FNU GPA. The course transfer fee for review of materials is assessed, whether or not a course is accepted for transfer credits. Transfer credits are to be calculated in determining Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Students are strongly encouraged to submit all transfer course requests prior to attending Bound orientation. Students should not register for a course for which they intend to request transfer credits until the transfer course review has been completed by the Department Chair or Program Director. There is no appeal process for declined transfer credit; the decision of the Department Chair or Program Director is final.

If a student registers for a course and subsequently requests transfer credit for the same course, the student will be responsible for meeting all university deadlines regarding course registration and payment, including the course add/drop deadline, course withdrawal deadline, grading policies, and tuition refund policies. If a student receives a final grade of F in an FNU course, requests for transfer credit review for previously completed coursework to replace the failed course will not be considered.

Courses that are eligible for consideration of transfer credit for the MSN, PGC, and DNP include:
PC701 Principles of Health Promotion
PC702 Epidemiology and Biostatistics*
PC705 Advanced Pathophysiology
PC707 Advanced Pharmacology Across the Lifespan
PC711 Nurse as Educator
PC716 Advanced Physical Assessment, Clinical Reasoning, and Documentation^
PC718 Evidence Based Practice*
PC719 Psych Concepts for APRNs
PC727 Ethics and Health Policy
PC728 Leadership and Organizational Dynamics
NM700 Role of the Nurse-Midwife
NM701 Gynecologic Health
NM703 Primary Care of Women
NP700 Role of the Nurse Practitioner
NP703 Gynecologic Health and Childbearing
NP704 Primary Care Pediatrics
MH705 Psychiatric-Mental Health Roles and Modalities of Care
MH707 Psychiatric Mental Health Assessment Across the Lifespan
MH708 Principles of Psychotherapy Across the Lifespan
*Indicated courses satisfy degree requirements in both the FNU MSN and DNP. As such, the course must meet the DNP Essentials indicated in the FNU Course Description to be eligible for transfer.
^PC716 is four semester credits. Students with extensive background in advanced physical assessment across the lifespan seeking credit for PC716 who do not have a documented graduate-level course equivalent to four semester credits should consult the Challenge Policy for Academic Courses.

NOTE that graduate level Pathophysiology, Pharmacology and Physical Assessment are requirements for PGC students and do not count toward the 12 credit hour limit for transfer credit.

The Department Chair or Program Director may perform a gap analysis for any student that they deem appropriate. For example, a gap analysis may be initiated by the Department Chair or Program Director for a student with an earned doctorate. When the Department Chair or Program Director conducts a gap analysis and finds sufficient evidence for modifying the student’s program of study, the approved courses will be noted on the transcript. Courses approved via the gap analysis process will not carry any credit hours or GPA points and will not be calculated in determining Satisfactory Academic Progress.

Clinical and DNP project courses are not eligible for transfer.

Procedure

1. The student reviews the FNU Course Descriptions and FNU syllabi prior to applying for transfer. Course descriptions can be found in the FNU Catalog and the most recent FNU syllabi can be accessed via the FNU Portal.
2. The student notes any course(s) that are similar in content and credits to graduate level courses previously completed in a graduate level program that meets all of the criteria listed in the policy above.
3. For each course that is to be reviewed for transfer, the student submits a completed Course Transfer Form, Official Transcript (if not already submitted at the point of Admission to FNU), Course Description and Course Syllabus to the Registrar for the course being considered. If the course syllabus does not indicate the topics covered, the student must submit appropriate supplemental documentation.
4. The student remits the transfer review fee.
5. The Department Chair or Program Director reviews the submitted materials and confers with the student if needed. The Department Chair or Program Director will notify the student, Registrar and the appropriate Advisor of the decision. There is no appeal process for declined transfer credit; the decision of the Department Chair or Program Director is final.

Transferability of Frontier Credit to Other Institutions

Frontier Nursing University develops the curriculum based on a policy which assigns workload for a credit hour. This definition of a credit hour at FNU is found in this catalog under Assignment of Credit. This standard along with the institutional accreditation of FNU provides an increased possibility that credits would be able to be transferred to another institution. That said, students should be aware that transfer of credit is always the responsibility of the receiving institution. Any student interested in transferring credit hours should check with the receiving institution directly to determine to what extent, if any, credit hours can be transferred.