Completing and Submitting Petition

The petition process is used for various reasons. The most common reason is to request an exemption from a course (either prerequisite or program-specific) because of previous coursework or experience. Certain policies such as application deadlines or admission criteria are non-negotiable and a petition is not appropriate.

A separate petition form shoud be used for each petition request. Allow at least 4 weeks for processing and review. During the summer months, it may take longer for a petition to be reviewed. We will notify you of the decision via the email address provided on the petition form.

Completing the Petition

All requests must:

• Clearly state your reason/explanation for the petition.
• If the petition relates to previous coursework, list the course you are petitioning, the course you wish to use as a substitute, the number of credits, and the institution where the class was (or will be) taken.
• Attach a transcript showing the course and grade as well as supporting documentation (syllabus and/or full bulletin course description).

Current School of Nursing Students:

If you are a current School of Nursing student petitioning coursework, you must obtain instructor/advisor approval. Submit your completed petition to your advisor rather than to the Office of Student & Career Advancement Services (OSCAS). The procedure for current students is as follows:

1. Submit the completed petition with supporting documentation (see above) to your advisor.
2. Your advisor will review the materials. If they are the instructor for the course you are petitioning, they will determine the equivalency of the course you plan to substitute. If they do not teach the course, they will forward the petition on to the appropriate instructor for evaluation.
3. Once your advisor receives input from the course instructor, they will submit the petition form and materials along with their recommendation to OSCAS who will log the petition request and forward the materials to the Director of Graduate Studies and/or Program Director for final decision.

**This process may take several weeks, so please plan accordingly.**

Note: the petition form located on the Graduate School web site is used only in rare circumstances. Please see the student handbook or speak with your advisor for more information as to when that petition would be appropriate.

BSN current students please note: do not use the School of Nursing petition for course exemption for the University of Minnesota Liberal Education core and theme requirements. These policicies are governed centrally for every college and undergraduate major a the University of Minnesota. There is a spearate process regarding exceptions to the Liberal Education requirements. Contact Paula Brugge at brugg005@umn.edu for more information.

The Petition Form

The petition is available online. (Note: You will need Acrobat Reader to view the petition form. You can download a free copy of this software by clicking here.)

You are able to complete the form from within your web browser and print it.

• You may use either the Tab key or the mouse to move from field to field.
• You must complete and print the entire document before logging out of Adobe Acrobat. Depending on the type of browser you use, you may not be able to save an incomplete form. If you log out before the form is completed, you may lose your work.
• To print the form, be sure that the cursor has been clicked outside the text boxes. The information you've entered on the form may not print if the cursor is activated inside any text box.

Submitting the Petition

Current School of Nursing students: submit your completed petition to your advisor (see above).

Prospective students/applicants: submit your completed petition to:

U of MN School of Nursing - OSCAS
5-160 Weaver-Densford Hall
308 Harvard Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Questions?

Contact the Office of Student & Career Advancement Services at 612.625.7980 or SoNstudentinfo@umn.edu.