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Home > Guidelines

Guidelines for Credentials Evaluation of Transfer and Readmitted Students for General Studies (GS) Requirements

Table of Contents

Related General Studies Issues

Students' Rights to Appeal Negative Decisions

Correspondence Courses Offered Through the College of Extended Education at ASU

 

Premises

The credentials of three categories of students need to be evaluated:

  1. Students transferring into ASU from public community colleges in Arizona
  2. Students transferring into ASU from institutions other than public community colleges in Arizona.
  3. Students readmitted to ASU after a hiatus in their coursework.

College-designated faculty or professional academic advisors are responsible for determining which of a student's courses satisfies General Studies requirements. A student wishing to contest the evaluation must initiate an appeal. Appeal procedures are determined by the college of the student's major.


Transfer Students from Public Community Colleges in Arizona

The transfer value of a course, including the General Studies value, is governed by the Course Equivalency Guide (CEG) in effect at the time the course was completed. For Arizona Public Community Colleges, General Studies (GS) transfer credit is based on the GS designations indicated in the Course Equivalency Guide (CEG). To determine the GS designations of Arizona transfer courses click here: Transfer Courses that Satisfy General Studies Requirements

 

AGEC Courses

Community college courses taken as part of a completed AGEC satisfy lower division general studies requirements at ASU. ASU general studies designations are only relevant for students transferring couse by course.

 

The Course Equivalency Guide:

  • The CEG identifies Arizona public community college courses that satisfy ASU GS requirements by placing GS designation(s) next to or below the ASU equivalency. These courses that have a current direct (one-to-one) equivalency to an ASU course that carries general studies designation and automatically inherit the general studies designation(s) for the ASU course.

In this example, GEO 103 (Pima College) is accepted as equivalent to GCU102 (ASU) and satisfies [SB] and [HU] General Studies requirements.

Pima Community College (PCC) ASU
GEO103 (3)
Cultural Geography		 GCU102 also satisfies:Socail and Behavioral Sciences [SB] and Humanities of Fine Arts [HU].
  • The Course Equivalency Guide (CEG) also lists Arizona public community college courses which have a current equivalency of "E" or "DEC" and have been approved for General Studies credit even though they do not have a one-to-one equivalency with an ASU course.

For example, Maricopa Community College GBS 233 (General Business) transfers to ASU as "E", but fulfills [L] General Studies requirements at ASU.

MCCCD ASU
GBS233 (3)
Business Communication		 Literacy & Critical Inquiry [L]
  • Courses listed as (non-transferrable) in the CEG are not eligible for General Studies consideration.

Readmitted Students; Transfer Students from Non Arizona Public Community Colleges ; (including NAU, UA and Institutions articulated for DARS purposes); Courses Taught Pre-1987 at ASU or Elsewhere

(This section may also be used as guidelines for University and College Standards Committees.) Courses from colleges and universities not covered in the CEG, and proposed as meeting ASU General Studies requirements may be evaluated on an individual basis according to the guidelines below.

College evaluators may ask the student proposing the course to provide a full course description, copies of the table of contents of course texts, a syllabus, or some other documentation if necessary.

Awareness Areas

Cultural Diversity in the United States[C], Global Awareness [G], and Historical Awareness [H]

Evaluators may determine if the course meets stated criteria for any of the Awareness courses. Refer to the General Studies criteria check sheets for Cultural Diversity, Global Awareness and/or Historical Awareness.

Courses may be considered for awareness designation based on:

  • similarity of course title to satisfy awareness requirements.
  • course content as indicated by catalog desciption.
  • syllabus or additional documentation if necessary.

Core Areas

Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L]

[L]Rationale and Criteria Checklist The [L] requirement is one of the principal means we have of validating a transfer student's literacy skills. Both literacy and critical inquiry promote clear and effective thinking. Literacy involves the development of communicative competence in written and oral discourse. Critical inquiry involves the gathering, interpretation, and evaluation of evidence and arguments. Evaluators should find the following criteria a helpful supplement to the criteria check sheets for [L]:

  • The course should assume competency beyond the freshman English level.
  • Completion of at least one semester of First-Year Composition is required.

The following generalizations might be used to guide the evaluation of courses for [L] credit.

  • Courses Acceptable for [L]
    Courses with titles such as "Advanced Composition", "Argument", "Expository Writing", "Public Speaking", "Professional Writing", "Writing About Literature", and "Critical Thinking" are courses in which the course description clearly indicates extended writing or speaking tasks.
  • Courses Usually Not Acceptable for [L]
    Courses that stress communication theory rather than practice [Courses with titles such as, "Rhetorical Theory", "Small Group Communication", "Interpersonal Communication", "Intercultural Communication" often do not contain sustained writing or speaking tasks]. Courses with variants of the title "Creative Writing", e.g. "Poetry Writing", "Writing Fiction", "Screenplay Writing", etc. (ASU's creative writing courses do not count toward [L]). Literature courses in general, e.g. "Milton", "Introduction to Literature", "Survey of American Literature", etc.

Mathematical Studies [MA/CS]

This core area has two categories: (1) Mathematics [MA] is the acquisition of essential skill in basic mathematics and requires the student to complete a course in college mathematics or precalculus or to demonstrate a higher level of skill by completing a course for which college algebra is a prerequisite; and (2) computer/statistics/quantitative applications [CS] requirement, which ensures skill in real world problem solving and analysis requires the student to complete a course that uses some combination of computers, statistics, and mathematics.

Mathematics (MA)

[MA] Rationale and Criteria Checklist
Transfer courses may be considered for [MA] designation based on course content as indicated by the catalog description. (College Mathematics, Precalculus, or higher)

Computer/Statistics/Quantitative applications (CS)

[CS] Rationale and Criteria Checklist
Transfer courses may be considered for [CS] based on catalog course description and by meeting [CS] criteria.

Courses not acceptable for [CS] are those that:

  • are restricted to word processing or report preparation skills. are limited to learning a computer language or software package.
  • study the societal impact of computers.

Humanities and Fine Arts (HU)

[HU] Rationale and Criteria Checklist Transfer courses may be considered for [HU] designation based on:

  • similarity of course title to ASU courses that satisfy [HU] requirements AND
  • course content as indicated by catalog description.
  • syllabus or additional documentation if necessary.

Courses not acceptable for [HU] are those devoted primarily to:

  • developing skill in the use of a language, teaching skills, Fine Arts performance or studio classes,
  • or the acquisition of quantitative or experimental methods.

Social and Behavioral Sciences [SB]

[SB] Rationale and Criteria Checklist Transfer courses may be considered for [SB] designation based on:

  • similarity of course title to ASU courses that satisfy [SB] requirements AND
  • by course content as indicated by catalog description.
  • syllabus or additional documentation if necessary.

Courses not acceptable for [SB] are those courses:

  • with primarily fine arts, humanities, literary or philosophical content. with primarily natural or physical science content. with predominantly applied orientation for professional skills or training purposes.
  • with primary emphasis on oral, quantitative, or written skills.

Natural Sciences [SQ, SG]

[SQ, SG] Rationale and Criteria Checklist The SQ requirement is satisfied mainly by Astronomy, Biology, Geology, Chemistry or Physics courses that have labs. Other courses will require proper documentation to show clear evidence of substantive coverage or treatment of energy and matter. Refer to SQ criteria.

The SG requirement may be satisfied by transfer courses (with labs) whose titles are similar to ASU courses that satisfy SG requirements and/or by meeting SG criteria.

Courses not acceptable for SQ and/or SG are those that:

  • present a qualitative survey of a discipline, focus on the impact of science on social, economic, or environmental issues,
  • or focus on a specific or limiting but in-depth theme suitable for upper-division majors.

RELATED GENERAL STUDIES ISSUES

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

  • General Studies requirements in Natural Science SQ/SG are NOT satisfied by CLEP credits.
    Note: Laboratory work cannot be tested on CLEP. . General Studies requirements in Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L] are not satisfied by CLEP credits.
    Note: A student's performance on CLEP writing tests does not demonstrate mastery of the competencies the [L] requirements are intended to engender.
  • Besides the aforementioned exceptions, there is no limit to the number of CLEP credits that can be used to fulfill the General Studies requirement.

Advanced Placement (AP)

Academic departments designate courses for which students receive credit if they achieve satisfactory scores on AP tests. There is no limit to the number of AP credits that can be used to meet General Studies requirements, including the requirements in Natural Sciences [SQ/SG] and Literacy and Critical Inquiry [L].

Transfer Credits from Quarter System Institutions

For transfer purposes, quarter-system courses that are equivalent to ASU courses which carry general studies designation(s) will automatically inherit the same designation(s). This policy assumes that transfer courses are evaluated by faculty or faculty designated evaluators.

Courses taken by international students in their own country

Courses taken by international students in their own country may satisfy Global Awareness requirements upon transfer to ASU as long as these courses address cultural issues related to that country.

Restrictions

  • Courses devoted primarily to Fine Arts performance or studio classes are to be disallowed. Placement exams in English, Foreign Languages, or Mathematics do not satisfy [L], [HU], or [MA] credit requirements.
  • Graduate-level courses do not qualify for GS credit, even if cross-listed with undergraduate courses that satisfy GS requirements.

Cross-Listed Courses

If a course that is cross-listed with another course is approved by the GSC for GS, the course(s) with which it is cross-listed is also approved for the same GS area(s). This does not apply to graduate-level courses.

STUDENTS' RIGHT TO APPEAL NEGATIVE DECISIONS

Students have the right to submit appeals to the pertinent Standard Committee if the decision made on a transfer course does not appear to be justifiable according to General Studies criteria.

CORRESPONDENCE COURSES OFFERED THROUGH THE
COLLEGE OF EXTENDED EDUCATION AT ASU

General Studies credit applies to courses offered by the College of Extended Education if so noted in the General Catalog at the time the course was taken.