The Daily Bulletin

At its November 10, 2017, meeting, the College Senate voted to recommend to the president the following amendments to the DOPS policies on Transfer Students and Collegewide Degree Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees as indicated in the following resolution:

DOPS Revisions: Transfer Students
Introduced at the October 13, 2017, College Senate meeting by the Standards for Students Committee
Presented for vote at the November 10, 2017, College Senate meeting.

WHEREAS, New York State has recently implemented the Excelsior Scholarship, which requires students to take 30 credits per year toward degree completion for scholarship eligibility; and 

WHEREAS, the current transfer credit limit from a baccalaureate degree-granting institution is 88 credits, per the Transfer Students DOPS policy (1:01:05), which renders students who transfer to Buffalo State ineligible for the Excelsior Scholarship, as they would need to have obtained 90 credits (30 credits per year) for eligibility; and

WHEREAS, multiple SUNY comprehensive colleges accept 90 credits or more from a baccalaureate degree-granting institution (Brockport, Geneseo, Oswego, New Paltz); and

WHEREAS, a change in the transfer credit limit would also result in a necessary change in the Collegewide Degree Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees (1:04:00) to reduce the minimum number of credits to be completed at the college from 32 to 30 credits,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Buffalo State amend its DOPS policies on Transfer Students and Collegewide Degree Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees as revised in this document to enhance transfer student eligibility for the Excelsior Scholarship.

AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the college catalog and college website be updated to ensure that DOPS language is consistently reflected in the catalog and on the website for these policies.

DOPS Policy Number: I:01:05  (sections noted with recommended changes)
Subject: Transfer Students
Admission is based on academic performance in college and on space availability. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 out of 4.0 is necessary for consideration, although some programs are very competitive and will require a higher minimum cumulative GPA for admission. Transfer students with more than 45 credit hours are encouraged to apply for and be admitted to specific programs. Those with less than 60 credit hours may be undeclared. No student who is on academic probation at another institution or who has been academically dismissed in the past year will be accepted.

Previously earned credit will be evaluated for all transfer students after acceptance, and accepted students will be apprised regarding transferable credit. A maximum of 90 credit hours may be transferred from a regionally accredited baccalaureate degree-granting institution with no more than 66 credit hours from a regionally accredited associate degree-granting institution.

The State University of New York (SUNY) Board of Trustees in 1998 adopted a resolution that established a general education requirement for all baccalaureate degree candidates at the university’s state-operated campuses. The requirement was instituted with student who entered the SUNY system as first-time freshmen in fall 2000. Community colleges have been working closely with their transfer students to ensure that these students complete most, if not all, of the general education requirements at the community college.

Students transferring to Buffalo State with an A.A. or A.S. degree must complete the remaining hours of the trustees’ general education requirements at Buffalo State College but are not obligated to take additional Buffalo State general education courses (now referred to as Intellectual Foundations courses) beyond those mandated by SUNY.

This continues the policy established in fall 1996 that waives the Buffalo State College Intellectual Foundations requirements for students who enter with an A.A. or A.S. degree.

Transfer students should understand that only credit is transferable. Credit is granted only from institutions listed on the application for admission. Grades, quality points, and cumulative averages do not transfer. Credit hours previously earned will be evaluated for all transfer students upon admission to college. Most credit hours earned at other institutions will be accepted, although the college cannot guarantee how credit hours earned at two-year institutions will relate to bachelor’s degree requirements. The most common cases in which transfer credit hours are not accepted are as follows:

1. Developmental courses in mathematics, English, and learning skills

2. Courses in theology or religion with sectarian emphasis

3. Courses in programs that do not exist at Buffalo State

The evaluation of transfer credit hours is recorded in Degree Works, the audit system located at http://registrar.buffalostate.edu/degree-works. The system records the major and general college requirements that have already been fulfilled, and those that remain.

Departments reserve the right to refuse to accept transfer credit hours in fulfillment of their own major requirements. Whether or not a course fulfills a major requirement may be open to discussion with the department chair or academic adviser, and it is useful to have a copy of the catalog from the previous institution.

DOPS Policy Number: I:04:00 (sections noted with recommended changes)
Subject: Collegewide Degree Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree

Additional Degree Requirements
In addition to the liberal education coursework described on the following pages, all undergraduate degree candidates must meet the following collegewide graduation requirements:

• Successful completion of required coursework in the declared major.
• Successful completion of at least 120 credit hours, of which at least 45 must be upper division. At least 30 credits must be taken at Buffalo State College, including the last 15 credits.
• Final minimum overall cumulative GPA of 2.0.
• Final minimum major GPA or 2.0.
• Successful clearing of all I, N, or X grades.

Graduation Requirements
The Application for Undergraduate Degree for undergraduate graduation can be obtained at http://registrar.buffalostate.edu/graduation-preparation-0. All students expecting to qualify for a degree must fulfill the following requirements:

1. File Application for Undergraduate Degree with the Registrar’s Office by the specified date. Failure to make application before the date may eliminate the student from the commencement program and delay the granting of the degree.
2. Students must meet all financial obligations to the college and return all college property.
3. Students must meet all curricular requirements. They must have completed the prescribed curriculum for their major. If requirements have changed since they were admitted to a program, they may choose to graduate under the old or new requirements.
   
   a. Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 for all coursework taken at the college. The minimum cumulative GPA for the courses taken in the major field must also be 2.0.
   b. Students must complete the 39–66 credit hours of Intellectual Foundations requirements. c. All candidates must have completed a minimum of 45 credit hours of upper-division coursework, courses generally considered advanced and numbered 300–499.
   d. A minimum of 30 credit hours, including the last 15, must be completed at the college.
   e. A minimum of 120 academic credit hours must be completed.
   f. Students are required to successfully complete two “writing intensive” courses indicated by the designation “W” following the course number.
    
4. Education majors leading to certification for teaching in the early childhood and upper-elementary grades must fulfill a drug-education requirement and should file a certification application with the Teacher Certification Office.
5. No students will be cleared for graduation until all grades of I, N, or X have been replaced with an appropriate letter grade.

I hereby accept the recommendation of the College Senate regarding amendments to the DOPS policies on Transfer Students and Collegewide Degree Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees. I charge the provost with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of this policy change, ensuring that all appropriate documents are updated, and communicating the change to the campus and broader community.