Academic Catalog
Transfer and Test Credits
Transfer Credit
Undergraduate Transfer Credit
To meet the requirements of your particular degree plan, you may be able to use transfer credit that you earned at another institution. Transfer evaluators in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions & Orientation review your transfer transcript to determine your total number of transfer units and how those units will count toward satisfying Northern Arizona University's Liberal Studies requirements; academic departments evaluate your transfer work to determine how any transfer courses may count toward your major and minor requirements.
We accept credit from regionally accredited four-year institutions on a credit-unit-for-credit-unit basis (adjusted for semester/quarter terms) for college-level courses with grades of "P" (credit awarded), "C," 2.0, or better. Course equivalencies are established based on alignment of learning outcomes.
Northern Arizona University accepts only transfer credits, no grade point averages. The university accepts up to 64 transfer credits from accredited two-year colleges. These credits must carry grades of "P" (credit awarded), "C," 2.0, or better. You may transfer courses from a two-year college as equivalent courses but only at the lower-division credit level.
If you transfer from an Arizona public college or university, you may follow the degree requirements in effect at the time you began your college work, provided your attendance has been continuous (as explained under Catalog to Use for Degree Requirements). Please review the requirements of the department in which you plan to enroll for additional information about transferring credits.
If you transfer from an Arizona public or tribal Community College under Northern Arizona University's 1995-97 or other undergraduate catalogs up to and through 2004-2005, and your transcript certifies that you completed the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC), you have satisfied the Liberal Studies Distribution Blocks and Foundation requirements. You will still need to satisfy the US Ethnic and Global Diversity, Junior Writing, and Senior Capstone requirements as part of your undergraduate degree.
Students pursuing a Bachelor's Degree at Northern Arizona University who have completed an AGEC from an Arizona public or tribal Community College and are subject to a 2005-2006 or subsequent undergraduate catalog are considered to have also met the US Ethnic and Global Diversity requirements.
If you have completed the California IGETC, you have satisfied the Liberal Studies distribution blocks and foundation requirements. You will still need to satisfy the US Ethnic and Global Diversity, Junior Writing, and Senior Capstone requirements as part of your undergraduate degree.
The Course Equivalency Guide (CEG), which is part of the AzTransfer.com System, indicates how the three public universities accept transfer course work (numbered 100 or above) from Arizona public and tribal community colleges. The CEG is available on the web at aztransfer.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Admin_CEG.
We may accept credit from nationally accredited four-year or two-year institutions and from non-accredited institutions. Petitions for acceptance of credit from these institutions are to be sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions & Orientation.
Graduate Transfer Credit
If you have been admitted to a graduate program at Northern Arizona University and have earned resident graduate credit at another institution, you can petition the Graduate College to apply such credit toward your graduate degree.
Transferring credits to a graduate degree program is not routinely done. A petition to transfer credit is, by definition, a request for an exception to the rule that all graduate courses are taken at Northern Arizona University. Transfer credit is not guaranteed in advance. Three levels of approvals (advisor, department, and Graduate College) are required on the petition indicating that denial is possible at three levels. Petitions to transfer credit should be submitted early in your program to avoid the risk of delayed graduation if the petition is not approved.
To be considered for transfer credit, your courses must:
- have been earned at a regionally accredited institution
- have been earned with a grade of "A" or "B;" (We will accept a "Pass" grade if the course is graded only on a pass-fail basis.)
- have been earned within the six-year period required for completing your degree at Northern Arizona University (Master's Degree only)
- be applicable to a graduate degree at the institution where the credit was earned
- meet the Arizona Board of Regents' requirement for credit which is a minimum of 45 hours of work required for each unit of credit and ordinarily, a course must cover a one-week period for every unit of credit given; (Note: An hour of work is equivalent to 50 minutes of class time, often called a "contact hour," or 60 minutes of independent study work. We require at least 45 contact hours for each 3-unit course, and we assume at least 90 hours of student homework for that course.)
- the number of units you transfer from other institutions cannot exceed twenty-five percent of the total minimum units of credit required for your Master's Degree or graduate certificate. A student in the M.Ed. in Secondary Education plan may transfer 12 units in the content area.
Master's students must complete the Petition for Transfer Credit form. For Doctoral students, the transfer credit should be noted on the plan of study. The Graduate College will finalize the transfer credit at the time of admission to candidacy.
Credit-by-Exam
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You may be able to use the credit-by-exam option to gain credit for college courses in which you have already acquired proficiency.
You can only use credit-by-exam for courses that your college or department has approved for this option. (Some colleges and departments do not permit credit-by-exam, and those that do may limit the availability of courses to be challenged by exam.)
Where exams for credit are allowed, they are governed by the general requirements that follow and by the policies of your college or department.
General Requirements
The following requirements apply to all exams for credit.
- You may earn up to 60 units by exam, whether these units are earned at Northern Arizona University or transferred from another accredited institution. Credit-by-exam earned at another institution is re-evaluated using Northern Arizona University standards.
- You may not repeat a particular exam within a year of your first attempt. Under no circumstances will you be permitted to take an exam for the same course more than twice.
- Credit earned through an exam must not duplicate credit you have already earned for the same course.
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You may not earn credit-by-exam in a course that is equivalent to, more elementary than, or substantially overlaps another course in which you have already obtained credit.
Courses in Progress: If you are currently enrolled in a language course other than English and want credit for a more introductory course(s), you must take the exam for that course before the midterm of the course in which you are currently enrolled.
- Credit earned by exam becomes part of your academic record.
The credit-by-exam program includes four categories of exams, which are discussed in the sections that follow:
Advanced Placement
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If you took a College Entrance Exam Board Advanced Placement course in your secondary school and received a score of 5 or 4 on it, you receive credit as well as advanced placement. For some exams, you can receive credit with a score of 3.
The following table shows how much credit we give for specific advanced placement exams.
Credit for Advanced Placement Exams
| AP Exam and Scores | Northern Arizona University Course(s) Credited |
Units of Credit Granted |
|---|---|---|
| American/US History | ||
| 4-5 | HIS 291 and 292 | 6 |
| Art History | ||
| 3 | ARH 141 | 3 |
| 3 | ARH 142 | 3 |
| 4-5 | ARH 141 and 142 | 6 |
| Biology | ||
| 4-5 | BIO 181-181L and 182 | 8 |
| 3 | BIO 100 and 100L | 4 |
| Chemistry | ||
| 4-5 | CHM 151(4) and 151L(1). | 5 |
| 3 | No credit | |
| Chinese | ||
| 4-5 | CHI 101, 102, 201, 202 | 16 |
| 3 | CHI 101, 102 | 8 |
| Computer Science A | ||
| 4-5 | CS 126 | 3 |
| Computer Science AB | ||
| 4-5 | CS 126 and 136 | 6 |
| Economics | ||
| 4-5- Micro | ECO 284 | 3 |
| 4-5 - Macro | ECO 285 | 3 |
| English—Language and Composition | ||
| 5 | ENG 105 | 4 |
| 4 | composition credit | 2 |
| English—Literature and Composition | ||
| 5 | ENG 105 | 4 |
| 4 | composition credit | 2 |
| (If you score a 4 on both the Language and Composition and the Literature and Composition exams, you will be granted credit 2 units of composition credit and 2 units of elective credit.) | ||
| Environmental Science | ||
| 4-5 | ENV 101 and 101L | 4 |
| European History | ||
| 4-5 | HIS 240 and 241 | 6 |
| Human Geography | ||
| 4-5 | GSP 100TR | 3 Departmental elective credit |
| Italian | ||
| 4-5 | ITA 101, 102, 201, 202 | 16 |
| 3 | ITA 101, 102 | 8 |
| Japanese | ||
| 5 | JPN 101, 102, 201, 202 | 16 |
| 4 | JPN 101, 102, and 201 | 12 |
| 3 | JPN 101 and 102 | 8 |
| Latin—Virgil | ||
| 5 | LAT 101, 102, 201, and 202 | 16 |
| 4 | LAT 101, 102, and 201 | 12 |
| 3 | LAT 101 and 102 | 8 |
| Latin—Literature | ||
| 5 | LAT 101, 102, 201, and 202 | 16 |
| 4 | LAT 101, 102, and 201 | 12 |
| 3 | LAT 101 and 102 | 8 |
| Mathematics—Calculus AB | ||
| 3-5 | MAT 136 | 4 |
| Mathematics—Calculus BC | ||
| 4-5 | MAT 136 and 137 | 8 |
| 3 | MAT 136 | 4 |
| 1-2 with AB subscore of 3-5 | MAT 136 | 4 |
| Students who take the Calculus BC exam, and receive a score or 1 or 2, may still get credit for MAT 136 if the AB subscore is 3 or higher. | ||
| Music Listening and Literature | ||
| 4-5 | MUS 100 and 293 | 6 |
| 3 | MUS 100 | 3 |
| Music Theory | ||
| 4-5 | MUS 100 and 293 | 6 |
| 3 | MUS 100 | 3 |
| Physics B | ||
| 4 | PHY 111 | 4 |
| 5 | PHY 111 and 112 | 8 |
| Physics C—Mechanics | ||
| 3-5 | PHY 111 | 4 |
| Physics C—Electricity and Magnetism | ||
| 3-5 | PHY 112 | 4 |
| Political Science—U.S. Government and Politics | ||
| 4-5 | POS 110 | 3 |
| Political Science—Comparative Government and Politics | ||
| 4-5 | POS 201 | 3 |
| Psychology | ||
| 4-5 | PSY 101 | 3 |
| Spanish, French, or German Language | ||
| 3 | 201 and 202 | 8 |
| 4 | 201, 202 and 303 | 11 |
| 5 | 201, 202, 303 and 304W | 14 |
| Spanish, French, or German Literature | ||
| 4-5* | 304W and 321 | 6 |
| Spanish ONLY - 3 | 321 | 3 |
| (*Additional credit may be given by the department for a score of 5.) | ||
| Statistics | ||
| 3-5 | STA 270 | 3 |
| Studio Art - Drawing | ||
| 4-5 | ART 135 | 3 |
| Studio Art - 2D | ||
| 4-5 | ART 150 | 3 |
| Studio Art - 3D | ||
| 4-5 | ART 151 | 3 |
| World History | ||
| 4-5 | HIS 100 and HIS 102 | 6 |
College Level Exam Program (CLEP)
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You may also earn credit by successfully completing CLEP general and subject exams. (CLEP scores are reported directly to you and to Northern Arizona University's Office of Undergraduate Admissions, if you request.) CLEP scores are not transferred to Northern Arizona University from another school's transcript. Your CLEP score must be sent directly to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, where it is entered on your Northern Arizona University transcript. Please be aware the CLEP credits awarded by Northern Arizona University do not count toward Northern Arizona University's 30-unit residency requirement.
CLEP General Exams
You can earn liberal studies credit from CLEP general exams. To determine how much credit you can earn, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions considers the courses in which you are currently enrolled and those in which you have previously earned credit. You must consult with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to determine how much credit you can potentially earn from each CLEP general exam and how it will count toward satisfying Northern Arizona University's liberal studies requirements. For more information about liberal studies credit, see Liberal Studies Course List.
You can meet the English foundation requirement in liberal studies by successfully completing the CLEP exam in English Composition with Essay. To obtain credit for ENG 105, you must achieve a score in the 91st percentile or above.
You can obtain credit in the other liberal studies areas by scoring at the 50th percentile or higher on the CLEP general exams in natural sciences, social science, history, and humanities, as shown in the table that follows. (Northern Arizona University requires college algebra; therefore, the general exam in mathematics is not appropriate.)
| CLEP General Exam and Scores | Northern Arizona University Course(s) Credited | Units of Credit Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities 49-80 |
HUMCLEP 100TS | 3 units in aesthetic and humanistic inquiry |
| Natural Science 50-80 |
NSCICLEP 100TS | 3 units in science and applied science |
| Social Science–History 50-80 |
SSHCLEP 100TS | 3 units in social and political worlds |
CLEP Subject Exams
Just as Northern Arizona University evaluates CLEP general exams for liberal studies credit, we evaluate CLEP subject exams for specific course equivalency credit in consultation with your department or college. For more information about liberal studies credit, see the Liberal Studies Course List.
If you have taken a CLEP subject exam and scored at the 50th percentile or higher, we apply the earned credit to the appropriate course as determined by your advisor and the chair of the department in which you are seeking credit. Please note that for language exams, credit is not awarded for 101-202 in the primary language of the high school you attended.
College-Level Exam Program
| CLEP Exam and Scores | Northern Arizona University Course(s) Credited | Units of Credit Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Algebra, College | ||
| 50 or above | MAT 110 | 3 |
| American History—Early Colonial to 1877 | ||
| 50-80 | HIS 291 | 3 |
| American History—1865 to Present | ||
| 50-80 | HIS 292 | 3 |
| American Government | ||
| 50-80 | POS 110 | 3 |
| American Literature | ||
| 55-80 | ENGCLEP 100TS | 3 units in aesthetic and humanistic inquiry |
| Analyzing & Interpreting Literature | ||
| 50-80 | ENGCLEP 100TS | 3 units in aesthetic and humanistic inquiry |
| Biology | ||
| 50-80 | BIO 100 | 3 |
| Calculus | ||
| 50-80 | MAT 136 | 4 |
| English Composition with Essay | ||
| 60-80 | ENG 105 | 4 |
| English Literature | ||
| 55-80 | ENGCLEP 100TS | 3 units in aesthetic and humanistic inquiry |
| Financial Accounting | ||
| 50-80 | ACCCLEP 100TS | 3 units of elective |
| French Language | ||
| 66-80 | FRE 101, 102, 201, 202 | 16 |
| 62-65 | FRE 101, 102, 201 | 12 |
| 55-61 | FRE 101, 102 | 8 |
| 50-54 | FRE 101 | 4 |
| German Language | ||
| 60-80 | GER 101, 102, 201, 202 | 16 |
| 51-59 | GER 101, 102, 201 | 12 |
| 46-50 | GER 101, 102 | 8 |
| 39-45 | GER 101 | 4 |
| Human Growth and Development | ||
| 50-80 | PSY 240 | 3 |
| Introductory Business Law | ||
| 50-80 | ACC 205 | 3 |
| Macroeconomics, Principles | ||
| 50-80 | ECO 285 | 3 |
| Microeconomics, Principles | ||
| 50-80 | ECO 284 | 3 |
| Precalculus | ||
| 50 and above | MAT 125 | 4 |
| Psychology, Introduction | ||
| 50-80 | PSY 101 | 3 |
| Sociology, Introduction | ||
| 50-80 | SOC 101 | 3 |
| Spanish Language | ||
| 68-80 | SPA 101, 102, 201, 202 | 16 |
| 66-67 | SPA 101, 102, 201 | 12 |
| 55-65 | SPA 101, 102 | 8 |
| 50-54 | SPA 101 | 4 |
| Western Civ—Ancient East to 1648 | ||
| 50-80 | HIS 240 | 3 |
| Western Civ—1648 to Present | ||
| 50-80 | HIS 241 | 3 |
DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
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DSST Exams
Credit for DSST (formerly known as the DANTES Subject Standardized Tests) exams is based on the same criteria as the CLEP general and subject exams. At this time, Northern Arizona University accepts only those DSST Exams and Scores listed in the first box below.
| DSST Exam and Scores | Northern Arizona University Course(s) Credited | Units of Credit Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Business, Introduction to | ||
| 46 | No credit | |
| Geology, Physical | ||
| 46 | GLGDSST 100TS | 3 units of Science distribution |
NAU Does NOT accept:
- Fundamentals of College Algebra
- Principles of Statistics
Challenge & Supplemental Exams
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College and Departmental Challenge Exams
Individual colleges and departments offer challenge exams for some of the courses described in this catalog. If you feel you have knowledge about a particular subject area and wish to take an exam to demonstrate that knowledge rather than enrolling in the course, you may take a challenge exam and potentially receive credit that way, instead.
If you wish to take a challenge exam, contact your college or department for information about eligibility, course syllabi, and application forms. For Academic Year 2011-12, the cost begins at $30 per unit to take a Challenge Exam. Departments and colleges may set limits on the number of units that may be earned through Challenge Exams.
Supplemental Exams
Certain departments offer supplemental exams in specified courses to students who wish to improve their grade after earning grades of "B" or "C" in the prior term. Contact your department to learn about the availability of supplemental exams.
International Baccalaureate Diploma and Certificate Credit
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If you present an International Baccalaureate Diploma and Certificate, you may qualify for transfer credit, depending on the level of the exam and the grade you received. We grant credit for higher-level courses only.
A grade of "5" qualifies you to receive credit for up to two introductory courses; a grade of "4" qualifies you to receive credit for one introductory course.
We award credit according to the table that follows. (Please note that we do not award credit for the English-as-a-Second-Language exam.)
| IB Exam and Scores | Northern Arizona University Course(s) Credited | Units of Credit Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Biology | ||
| 4 | BIO 100 | 3 |
| 5-7 | BIO 181, 181L and 182 | 8 |
| Business & Management | ||
| 5 or higher | Elective | 3 |
| Chemistry | ||
| 4 | CHM 151 | 4 |
| 5-7 | CHM 151/151L and 152/152L | 9 |
| Computer Science | ||
| 5-7 | CS 126 | 3 |
| Design Technology | ||
| 5-7 | EGR 186 | 3 |
| Economics | ||
| 5-7 Standard | ECO 285 | 3 |
| 5-7 High | ECO 284 & 285 | 6 |
| English A | ||
| 4 | ENGCRD | 2 units of English composition foundation credit |
| 5-7 | ENG 105 | 4 |
| English B | ||
| 5-7 | ENGIB 100TS | 3 units of electives |
| Environmental Systems | ||
| 5-7 | ENV 101 | 3 |
| Geography | ||
| 4-7 | GGRIB 100TS | 3 units of social and political worlds liberal studies |
| History, American | ||
| 4 | HIS 291 | 3 |
| 5-7 | HIS 291 and 292 | 6 |
| History, European | ||
| 4 | HIS 240 | 3 |
| 5-7 | HIS 240 and 241 | 6 |
| History, East, Southeast, and Oceana | ||
| 5-7 | HISIB 100TS | 3 units of electives |
| History, Islamic | ||
| 5-7 | HIS 230 & 231 | 6 |
| Information Technology in a Global Society | ||
| 5 or higher | No credit | |
| Language—Latin, Spanish | ||
| 4 | LAT 101 SPA 101 |
4 |
| 5-7 | LAT 101 & 102 SPA 101 & 102 |
8 |
| Language—French, German | ||
| 4 | FRE 101, 102 GER 101, 102 |
8 |
| 5 | FRE 101, 102, 201, 202 GER 101, 102, 201, 202 |
16 |
| 6 | FRE 101, 102, 201, 202, 303 GER 101, 102, 201, 202, 303 |
19 |
| 7 | FRE 101, 102, 201, 202, 303, 304W GER 101, 102, 201, 202, 303, 304W |
22 |
| Language—A & B | ||
| 4 | LANIB 100TS | 4 units of electives |
| 5-7 | LANIB 100TS | 8 units of electives |
| Mathematics High-Level | ||
| 5-7 | MAT 136 | 4 |
| Music | ||
| 4 | MUS 100 | 3 |
| 5-7 | MUS 100 and 293 | 6 |
| Philosophy | ||
| 5-7 | PHIIB 100TS | 3 units of electives |
| Physics | ||
| 5 | PHY 111 | 4 |
| 6-7 | PHY 111 and 112 | 8 |
| Psychology | ||
| 5-7 | PSY 101 | 3 |
| Social and Cultural Anthropology | ||
| 4-7 | ANTIB 100TS | 3 units of cultural understanding liberal studies |
| Theatre | ||
| 5-7 | TH 101 | 3 |
| Visual Arts | ||
| 4-7 | ARTIB 100TS | 3 units of electives |