Challenging Courses

A student may earn up to 12 units of credit by challenging courses offered by the University provided the student has not previously taken or audited the course. Not all courses can be challenged. Students should check with the Registrar's Office to determine if a particular course can be challenged. A petition including the course title, the date on which the challenge examination (or other required activity) will be completed, and the signatures of the student, the Chair of the Department, and the Dean of the School must be filed in the Registrar’s Office by the end of the third week of the semester in which the examination will be taken. A challenged course must be completed before the student’s final semester. An administrative fee is charged per unit challenged. Appropriate units will be granted upon successful completion of the challenge and will be considered a part of the 30-unit residency requirement. Students may not petition or receive partial course credit for challenged courses. Up to a 12-unit maximum of challenged coursework may apply toward residency. Exceptions to the 12 units maximum may be made in the case of students with majors with unusually large numbers of skills-based units.