Transfer Policies

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If possible, please e-mail or fax a copy of your academic record to an advisor in advance of your meeting. This will allow us to prepare an evaluation of the college credits you have already earned.

In this appointment, students also are encouraged to discuss their academic goals with the advisor.

Browse our programs and complete an online application for the undergraduate program or certificate program.

• Transferring Institution: In deciding whether to accept credit from another institution, CAPS considers such factors as:  
  • The institution’s status as a fully accredited institution of higher education, either according to US Department of Education standards or by the national ministry of education for non-US institutions;  
  •  The accreditation’s type and nature; and  
  • The information found in institutional bulletins and guides.  
• Courses to be transferred: CAPS will also determine for all credit accepted whether the credits are appropriate to CAPS degree programs. These additional transfer credit policies also apply to each course to be transferred: 
  • Maximum of 66 units from a community college may be transferred to the bachelor’s degree.
  • Maximum of 84 units overall may be transferred to the bachelor’s degree.
  • Maximum of 24 transfer units may be transferred to the associate’s degree.
  • Courses numbered as undergraduate level, according to transcript key, may be eligible for transfer credit.
  • Where a relevant division or department exists, credit will be granted in that division or department. Otherwise, general elective credit will be granted.
  • Transfer credit is awarded toward all categories of course work in CAPS—General Education, Major, Advanced, and Elective, subject to policies stated here. Please see notes below and speak with an advisor for more information.
  • Courses with grades of C- or higher are eligible for transfer credit  to undergraduate degrees.
  • Transfer credit is not awarded for internships, independent study, courses associated with vocational and technical training, or study for trade certification. Other courses may not be eligible for transfer.
•  A combined maximum of 30 units may be awarded for prior learning. CAPS accepts:
  • College Level Examination Program (CLEP),
  • DANTES Subject Standardization Tests (DSST),
  • Advanced Placement,
  • International Baccalaureate examination scores, and
  • Credit for prior learning evaluated by ACE via the National Guide or the Military Guide and recommended at the baccalaureate level.
• International records must be evaluated for transfer credit by an accredited transcript evaluation agency.
• Certain courses, including physical education and English Language courses, may be limited to 6 transfer credits.
• The School of Continuing & Professional Studies does not have any articulation agreements with other institutions
• Graduate students: normally, up to six units of relevant graduate-level study with a grade of B or higher may be transferred to a master’s degree program. Authorized P/F credit from graduate-level course work in the Olin School of Business may apply if the work was completed prior to the student’s admission to a CAPS program of study and the student received a course grade of Pass or High Pass.

• Analytical Writing (U11 111)*
• Critical and Researched Writing (U11 203)*
• One additional 3-unit advanced writing course, chosen from U11 304, U11 3120, U11 324, U11 331, or Rhetoric.*
• One 3-unit course in numerical applications with a minimum grade of C-, which may be applied to the relevant distribution area as noted below. To meet the numerical application requirement you must take one of the following:  Any U20 Math course, U74 117 Quantitative Reasoning, or U09 300 Psychological Statistics.
• One course in moral reasoning, which may be applied to the relevant distribution requirements noted below.
• One 3-unit course in cultural diversity, which may be applied to the relevant distribution requirement as noted below. Courses that satisfy the cultural diversity requirement explore issues of global human diversity and the interactions among cultures.

*Students who receive a grade lower than a C- in U11 111 Analytical Writing taken at CAPS must repeat the course. Students who receive a grade lower than a C- in U11 203 Critical and Researched Writing taken at CAPS must, in consultation with the Department of English and CAPS, choose between two options to satisfy the requirement: 1) repeat the course; or 2) complete a 3-unit composition tutorial with a grade of C or higher. Students who have completed English Composition courses at another college or university should be well prepared for the required writing courses at CAPS and transfer credit will be awarded for this work according to our regular transfer credit policies. However, new students will begin with U11 111 at CAPS. Students who feel they have a strong writing background may petition to take a placement test to demonstrate the skills needed to begin with U11 203 Critical and Researched Writing instead. All students will complete U11 203 and a 300-level writing course at CAPS. If you have any questions about the writing evaluation process or requirements, please contact your advisor.

These requirements effective as of Summer 2019. Students admitted to CAPS programs prior to Summer 2019 are expected to fulfill the requirements in place at the time of their admission.  

36 units, 9 units in each area noted below. Major courses also may fulfill basic and distribution requirements, however, each distribution area must include course work from at least two disciplines.

• Humanities: Courses from African and African American Studies, Art History, Classics, Creative Writing, Drama, Film Studies, History, Literature, Music, Philosophy, Speech, and Religious Studies.
• Social Sciences: Courses from: Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
• Natural Sciences and Mathematics: Courses from Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Physics, and Science.