Waiver Exam Application

Residency Requirement
Regardless of advanced standing, PEMBA students must fulfill the Boston University residency requirement. PEMBA students who started in fall 2016 or later must complete 32 graduate-level credits at the Boston University Questrom School of Business.  All PEMBA students who started prior to fall 2016 must complete 40 graduate-level credits at the Boston University Questrom School of Business.

Candidates who are granted advanced standing will receive academic credit, will not have to take the waived course, and will receive a notation on their transcript indicating that they waived out of the corresponding core course by examination. Waived course credits do not count towards the residency requirement. PEMBA students (including those who are taking a full-time course load) who are granted an advanced standing waiver will be awarded 3 credits.

Candidates who do not demonstrate sufficient advanced knowledge and proficiency will not be granted a waiver. They will not be afforded a second opportunity to sit for the waiver exam and will have to take the core course in question. Waiver exam results may not be appealed. Waiver exams will not be returned and decisions cannot be appealed.

Students who meet all of the following criteria will be eligible to take a waiver exam:

• Only students who have met the prerequisites listed on this form (below) will be permitted to take a waiver exam.
• All prior courses used to meet waiver exam pre-requisites must have been completed with a grade of B- or better.
• Transcripts must be submitted with each application form unless they are already on file in the Grad Center.
• Regardless of the number of credits transferred or waived, MBA students are required to meet the residency requirement at Questrom in order to have the MBA degree conferred. Please note that waived course credits do not count towards the residency requirement.  Therefore, if a dual degree student waives out of a course, he/she may need to take another course in its place in order to meet the residency requirement.
• Students may request permission from the department chairperson to take a waiver exam if the student has unique credentials.
• If students are enrolled in a core class for which a waiver exam is offered and they decide to take the waiver exam for the course, they must drop the class within the University’s published add/drop period for that semester in order to be eligible to take the waiver exam in any subsequent semester.
• Students must bring picture identification to the exam.

Please note that waiver exam applications must be submitted at least two business days prior to the exam.