Transfer Course Evaluations

1. Current Penn State Students Who Would Like to Register For A Course At a Non-PSU Institution Within the U.S.

   If you are currently a student at Penn State, and want to take a life science course at another institution, we STRONGLY encourage you to follow these guidelines PRIOR to registration at the host institution.

   1. Check with the Admissions Office (201 Shields Bldg.) to see if Penn State will accept the course(s) from the host institution of your choice.

   2. Obtain as much information as you can about the course(s) you are interested in taking. At a minimum, such information consists of a course catalog, but a copy of the syllabus (either hardcopy or Web address) would be most helpful.

   3. Schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Biology Undergraduate Advising Office by calling (814) 865-2329 or stopping by 329 Whitmore Lab. At this meeting, you and the advisor will reach a binding agreement as to how a specific course will transfer. This agreement will be made in writing and you should take a copy of this with you; do not loose this agreement! If you are majoring in a field other than Biology and would like the Biology Department to notify your academic department of our decision, be sure to provide us with the name and campus location (or email address) of the person who should receive this notification.

      Upon your return to Penn State:

   4. Submit an official copy of your transcript from the host institution to Penn State's Admissions Office (201 Shields Bldg.; The Pennsylvania State University; University Park, PA 16802).

   5. If you are Biology major, submit a copy of the above-mentioned agreement along with supporting documents (i.e., the syllabus that was used in the course and/or exams, lab notebooks, etc) to 329 Whitmore Lab so that the course can be processed on your degree audit.

      Note: If you would like to have a course evaluated from another institution and you did not see an advisor before you took the course, shame on you. We will still evaluate your course, but we make no guarantee on how long it will take us to make this evaluation! To process your request, you should submit a copy of the course syllabus (and/or exams, lab notebooks, etc) to 329 Whitmore Lab. In addition, you should submit a petition (forms are available in 329 Whitmore Lab or from the form center) in which you clearly state the Penn State biology course that you feel most closely fits the description of each course you want evaluated. (A complete listing of all Biology courses offered at Penn State can be found in the Baccalaureate Degree Program Bulletin or on the worldwide web at List of Courses.) In cases where there may be more than one biology course that can be considered, you should list both.

2. Current Penn State Students Who Would Like To Participate In One of Penn State's Study Abroad Programs

   If you are currently a student at Penn State, and would like to participate in a Study Abroad Program offered through Penn State's Office of International Education Programs and Studies, we STRONGLY encourage you to follow these guidelines.

   1. Choose a program from Penn State's list of International Education Programs and Studies (IEPS) (http://www.international.psu.edu/about_office/ieps.htm) and consult with the International Programs Advisor responsible for your desired program in 410 Boucke Bldg.

   2. Obtain as much information as you can about the course(s) you are interested in taking at the host institution. At a minimum, such information would consist of a course catalog, but a copy of the syllabus (either hardcopy or Web address) would be most helpful.

   3. Schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Biology Undergraduate Advising Office by calling (814) 865-2329 or stopping by 329 Whitmore Lab to request the best evaluation for the courses that you are planning to take. This is important, because certain courses can be considered equivalent to a Biology course OR a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology course, but only the Biology course might be used to fulfill a specific graduation requirement. At the advising meeting, you and the advisor will reach a binding agreement as to how each specific course will transfer. This agreement will be made in writing and you should take a copy of this with you; do not loose this agreement!

      As soon as possible after you begin your classes:

   4. Mail copies of your syllabi and one attached course accreditation form per syllabus to IEPS, 410 Boucke Bldg., The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, in care of your program advisor. (Course accreditation forms are available from the web by going to the specific program on the Course Authorization List ( http://www.international.psu.edu/about_office/ieps.htm) and clicking on the "Print Course Accreditation Form for this Program" button directly under the name and location of your host institution.) Upon receipt of these papers, your International Programs advisor will forward the forms to the Records Manager who will send them to the Biology Department for official assignment of course numbers.

      Upon your return to Penn State:

   5. Submit a copy of the agreement, which you originally received from the Biology advisor along with supporting documents (i.e., the syllabus that was used in the course and/or exams, lab notebooks, etc) to 329 Whitmore Lab so that the course can be processed on your degree audit. If you feel that more credits should be awarded for the overseas course than you have received or than are listed in the Baccalaureate Degree Program Bulletin for the Penn State equivalent course, please provide a clear explanation on a petition to support this request and supply the host institution's course accreditation scheme.

      ATTENTION SENIORS: If you are planning to graduate immediately after returning from your study abroad program, it is imperative that you fax copies of your syllabi to IEPS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE after you have REGISTERED at the host institution. All forms must be received by BOTH IEPS and the Biology Department NO LATER THAN 6 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE COMMENCEMENT DATE!!! NO EXCEPTIONS WILL BE MADE! SORRY!!

3. Current Penn State Students Who Would Like To Participate In A Study Abroad Program Offered Through A Non-PSU Institution

   If you are currently a student at Penn State, and want to take a life science course at another institution, we STRONGLY encourage you to follow these guidelines PRIOR to registration at the host institution.

   1. Obtain as much information as you can about your desired program and the course(s), which you are interested in taking. At a minimum, such information would consist of a course DETAILED course description, but a copy of the syllabus (either hardcopy or Web address) would be most helpful.

   2. Call (814) 865-5471 to schedule an appointment with an international counselor from the Admissions Office (201 Shields Bldg.) to find out if Penn State will accept courses from your desired program. Be aware of the fact that not every program abroad is acceptable! Moreover, you must realize that if you receive financial aid at PSU, you cannot take it with you on a no-PSU study abroad program.

   3. If the Admissions Office confirms that PSU will accept credits from your desired study abroad program, schedule an appointment with an academic advisor in the Biology Undergraduate Advising Office by calling (814) 865-2329 or stopping by 329 Whitmore Lab. Be sure to bring all course information to the meeting with this advisor. At this meeting, you and the advisor will reach a binding agreement as to how a specific course will transfer. This agreement will be made in writing and you should take a copy of this with you; do not loose this agreement! If you are majoring in a field other than Biology and would like the Biology Department to notify your academic department of our decision, be sure to provide us with the name and campus location (or email address) of the person who should receive this notification.

   4. If you are planning to study abroad during either the fall or spring semester, be sure to file a LEAVE OF ABSENCE in the appropriate Dean's Office of your college PRIOR to the last working day before classes start in the semester the leave will begin. For students in the Eberly College of Science, a LEAVE OF ABSENCE must be filed in 428 Thomas Bldg.

      Upon finishing your study abroad program:

   5. Ask the host institution to send a final, official transcript to Penn State's Undergraduate Admissions Office (201 Shields Bldg.; The Pennsylvania State University; University Park, PA 16802). Upon receipt, the Admissions Office will add the appropriate credits to your transcript for a fee of $5.00. Note: You must have earned grades of at least a "C" at the host institution in order for your courses to transfer.

      Upon your return to Penn State:

   6. If you are a student majoring in Biology, submit a copy of the above-mentioned agreement along with supporting documents (i.e., the syllabus that was used in the course and/or exams, lab notebooks, etc) to 329 Whitmore Lab so that the course can be processed on your degree audit.

      Note: If you would like to have a course evaluated from another institution and against our advice, you did not see an advisor before you took the course, shame on you. We will still evaluate your course, but we make no guarantee on how long it will take us to make this evaluation! To process your request, you should submit a copy of the course syllabus (and/or exams, lab notebooks, etc) to 329 Whitmore Lab. In addition, you should submit a petition (forms are available in 329 Whitmore Lab or from the form center) in which you clearly state the Penn State biology course that you feel most closely fits the description of each course you want evaluated. (A complete listing of all Biology courses offered at Penn State can be found in the Baccalaureate Degree Program Bulletin or on the worldwide web at List of Courses.) In cases where there may be more than one biology course that can be considered, you should list both.

4. Penn State Students

   If you took life science courses at another institution prior to registering at Penn State, then this section is for you. First, welcome and we want you to know that we would like to give you the maximum credit for work done elsewhere. In general, it is often best to meet with an advisor to be sure that you are taking the correct courses for your intended major here at Penn State and that you request the best evaluation for courses that you took elsewhere. This is important, because certain courses can be considered equivalent to a Biology course OR a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology course, but only the Biology course might be used to fulfill a specific graduation requirement. A meeting with an advisor will insure that your courses are evaluated in the most efficient way possible. To schedule an appointment with a Biology advisor, please call (814) 865-2329 or stop by 329 Whitmore Lab.

   To request evaluation, you will need to:

   1. Submit material from the non-Penn State course (e.g., the syllabus, exams, lab notebooks, etc) to 329 Whitmore Lab. If you no longer have the syllabus, contact the instructor (or check the school's course website) to obtain a copy. It is very difficult to evaluate a course from a catalog description only.

   2. If you cannot meet with a biology advisor, you must also submit a petition along with all course materials. In this petition, you need to state clearly the Penn State biology course that most closely matches the description of the course you took elsewhere. (A complete listing of all Biology courses offered at Penn State can be found in the Baccalaureate Degree Program Bulletin or on the worldwide web at List of Courses.) In some cases, it may be difficult for you to decide which Penn State course most closely corresponds to the course you took elsewhere. In such cases, feel free to indicate more than one Penn State biology course that appears equivalent. Moreover, if you have more than one course to be evaluated, be sure to fill out a separate petition for each course and to clearly indicate which course you are referring to by including the course title of the non-Penn State course on your petition.

   3. If you are majoring in a field other than Biology and would like the Biology Department to notify your academic department as to how your transfer courses have been evaluated, be sure to provide us with the name and campus location (or email address) of the person who should receive this notification.

      Note: If you take a look at your Penn State transcript, you will note that your biology course(s) to be evaluated is/are designated as “Gen”. Even after the Biology Department has evaluated your course(s), this designation will remain on your transcript. However, your academic department will make sure that your computer degree audit indicates that you have fulfilled the specific course requirement that we evaluate. Once a decision has been made, it typically takes a few weeks for this audit page to be changed; if after this time it is not, you should contact your major department and make an inquiry.

For all students: There is a new tool on the Undergraduate Admissions website that can help you with your transfer credits! Click here for more information!