Reduced Credit Hour Degrees

Kansas Board of Regents policy defines 30 hours as the minimum for master's degrees at KU. Departments may petition for a reduced hour degree master's degree for individual students. A reduction in hours is distinct from a transfer of credit and is reserved for those students especially well-prepared to complete a graduate-level degree and able to maintain a superior grade point average. If approved, you could be allowed to complete your degree by enrolling in up to 6 fewer hours of graduate credit than is typically required for that degree. No coursework is transferred and no modifications to the transcript are made. 

To find out more about reduced hour degrees, please contact your department directly. Departments can submit reduced credit hour degree petitions on behalf of their students through the Miscellaneous Functions Progress to Degree (PTD) form. The department must support the petition and COGA must approve it before the reduced degree requirements will be granted. 

For Master's programs that require more than 30 graduate hours, a reduced credit hour degree petition need only be approved by COGA if the reduction brings the student's total graduate hours below 30. 

For doctoral degrees departments may take prior graduate work into consideration in setting up your programs of study and may reduce or substitute requirements accordingly. Such decisions are left to the discretion of the department; approval from the College or COGA is not required.