Transfer credit

Transfer credit is graduate coursework accepted from another institution toward this MBA, reducing credits you must take here. AACSB Standard 6 says that, absent a collaborative provision, the school awarding the degree normally delivers the majority of business-discipline learning. Transfer of business work is therefore usually less than half the program (AACSB 2020 standards, 2025 update; Boston College Carroll).

Can I transfer a full MBA in?+

No. You would be asking School B to put its name on School A’s degree. Schools cap incoming credits, often 6–12, and keep a residency minimum. Indiana’s bulletin example: students from another MBA still take at least a 30-credit core, with at most 6 credits transferred. Foundation waivers are a different lever.

Transfer vs waiver vs advanced standing

Device	Credits drop?	Typical cap	Source / date
Transfer credit	Yes, incoming courses post to the transcript	Minority of the degree; AACSB majority-earned-here	AACSB Std 6
Advanced standing	Yes, requirement shrinks	School cap (BC part-time: 15 credits)	BC Carroll
Equivalency / waiver	No; replace with electives	Core only	BC Carroll
Collaborative provision	Shared degree or twinning	Treated separately in AACSB	AACSB Std 6

Boston College’s part-time MBA: advanced standing (credits drop) up to 15, grade B or better, within ten years, from an accredited institution. Equivalency waives a core but you replace it. Transfer of work taken after you enroll is a different approval and often limited to other AACSB schools.

Example: 12 credits of MBA core from an AACSB school, grades A−, four years ago. School B allows 9 transfer credits and a 36-credit MBA. You take 27 here. Same file at a school with waiver-only policy: you skip two cores, take two extra electives, still sit 36.

Common errors

• Assuming all graduate business credit moves
• Treating a waiver as a shorter degree
• Transferring more than half the MBA and expecting AACSB to be silent
• Counting undergrad courses as graduate transfer

FAQ

Does the other school have to be AACSB?+

Often, for business courses. AACSB’s majority-here rule does not name AACSB as the only acceptable source, but school policies frequently do. Non-business electives may have a different rule. Read the registrar page, not the chat.

Will my employer’s tuition policy pay for transferred credits?+

It pays the school you attend, for the term you attend. Credits already on another transcript are usually outside this employer’s current-term reimbursement. Do not double-bill.

Do transfer credits appear on the MBA transcript?+

If they are true transfer, yes, as incoming credit. Waived courses may not appear. That distinction matters if a licensing board or doctoral program later audits hours.