Graduate Courses

Undergraduates may take graduate-level courses (beyond those specific graduate courses which may be required for the degree), although graduate courses at the Simon Business School are normally not available to undergraduates.

Qualifying

To qualify for graduate courses, the student must have the academic prerequisites for the course and must show that they are capable of handling graduate-level work.

Registering

To register for a graduate-level (400-level) course, students must have the approval of the instructor teaching the course, and the approval of the student’s advisor on a drop/add form. (Online registration for graduate courses is not permitted.)

Approval is not granted if the course is available at the undergraduate level unless the instructor submits a separate request stating that the student is required to complete additional work. The instructor's documentation should be submitted by email with the drop/add form.

Course Credit and Grades

As of fall 2020, undergraduates receive credit for courses outside of AS&E equivalent to the credits listed for the course in the other school. This practice is consistent with the official accounting of contact hours across schools within the University.

AS&E and Eastman undergraduate students enrolling in certain SMD 400-level courses will earn four credits in those cases where the instructor has added enriched content for the course related to the College’s “fourth hour.” These courses are listed with a “U” or “W” suffix (e.g. PM414U). In all other SMD courses, undergraduates will receive three credits for a graduate course carrying three credits, or six credits for a graduate seminar carrying six credits.

AS&E and Eastman undergraduate students enrolling in Warner School 400-level courses will earn three credits for a graduate course carrying three credits.

Students taking graduate courses for the purpose of applying this coursework toward a graduate program at the University of Rochester, should be aware of the differences in grading schemes between undergraduate and graduate programs.  For example, a grade of “C” in a graduate course, while satisfactory at the undergraduate level, may not be satisfactory for a graduate program. Students should also be aware of relevant transfer credit policies impacting graduate coursework taken prior to matriculation in a graduate program at the University of Rochester.

Undergraduates may select the S/F option for a graduate course.  (Graduate students, including those with NG classifications, have no S/F option.)