Letters of Permission

A student may request a Letter of Permission from the Office of Graduate Studies in order to take a course or courses at another university (outside of Ontario) as a visiting student. The student must be in good standing, that is, having successfully completed a minimum of two graduate credits with a minimum overall B average. Brock credit will not be granted to students who Challenge for Credit, on Letter of Permission, at the host institution.

The student must indicate the specific course(s) he/she wishes to take and provide the Office of Graduate Studies with the course description(s) from the calendar of the host university. Course(s) requested should be relevant to a student's degree program and must be approved by both the student's academic department/program and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Approval shall be at the discretion of the department/program and Dean, who shall base the decision on the applicant's overall academic record, the appropriateness of the particular course to the applicant's program and on any other factors deemed relevant.

If a letter of permission is granted to a currently registered student, it will be provisional pending successful completion of the progression requirements for that session.

On return to the Office of Graduate Studies of the approved application, the Office of Graduate Studies will forward a Letter of Permission to the host university. Students should contact the host university to determine any course access limitations imposed on visiting students.

Students must formally request that the host university forward an official transcript to Brock. The transcript must be received within eight weeks of the course end date as specified on the application for the Letter of Permission. Failure to provide an official transcript will result in the automatic assignment of a failing (F) grade in each course attempted on the Letter of Permission.

Not more than one credit (two half credit courses) may be taken at other universities on a Letter of Permission to fulfil graduation requirements for any graduate program at Brock.

Courses taken on a Letter of Permission will not be included in the calculation of the graduate student’s Brock University average.

Credit will be granted only when the course is completed successfully with a minimum grade of “B” or 70% at the host institution. Course credit will be granted equal in value to the course weight assigned by the host institution. Any course attempted under a letter of permission shall be recorded on the Brock University transcript as a Pass/Fail grade. The exact name and title of the course(s) taken, the name of the host institution, and the grade assigned by the host institution, will appear as a notation on the Brock University transcript.

If the selected course is dropped after the commencement of classes, notification in writing, and an official transcript or statement, must be submitted immediately by the student to the Office of Graduate Studies at Brock University.

Students granted permission to take the final course(s) of their program on a Letter of Permission must ensure that grades, in the form of an official transcript, are received by the Office of Graduates Studies by May 15 for those wanting to graduate at Spring Convocation and October 1 for those wanting to graduate at Fall Convocation.

Letter of Permission Forms are available from the Office of Graduate Studies or the Graduate Studies website www.brocku.ca/gradstudies/forms.