AP Courses

There are several avenues of credit acquisition available that do not entail enrolling in college courses. Credit is granted based on performance in various placement exams offered to students prior to enrolling in the University.

Advanced Placement (AP) Exams - With appropriate scores, advanced placement scores may apply as general credit, credit for a particular course, or may allow you to advance to the next in a series of courses. For detailed information on AP credit acquisition, visit the Undergraduate Admission's Advanced Placement Exam Web site.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams - Penn State will award transfer credit for exams taken at the Higher Level and graded 5 or above. For more information on IB exam credit acquisition, visit the Undergraduate Admission's International Baccalaureate (IB) Exam Web site.

College-Level Exam Program (CLEP) Exams - Score must be equivalent to the American Council on Education (ACE) recommended score to receive credit as indicated in the schedule below. For more information on CLEP exam credit acquisition, visit the Undergraduate Admission's College-Level Exam Program (CLEP) Exam Web site.

Credits with Pass/Fail Grades Do Not Count

The Smeal College of Business does not accept credits with pass/fail grades. Students enrolled at Smeal must enroll in all courses for a letter grade; credits taken on a pass/fail basis may not be counted towards degree completion.

Courses That Do Not Count Toward a Smeal Degree

Business courses numbered 150 through 199 may not be used to satisfy Smeal or departmental baccalaureate degree requirements. Other business courses not acceptable for meeting the requirements of the bachelor of science degree include: FIN 100, FIN 108, MGMT 100, MGMT 100W, MKTG 221, R EST 100, and SCM 310.

Per Smeal entrance to major requirements, MGMT 301, ACCTG 211, MKTG 301 and FIN 301 must be taken at a Penn State campus and cannot be transferred in from other institutions, even if the course is designated a direct equivalent using the Penn State transfer credit tool.

Courses Requiring a Grade of "C" or Higher

To be graduated, a candidate must earn at least a "C" grade in each course designated by the major as a C-required course (University Senate Policy 82-44). The set of C-required courses for each major is chosen by the faculty of the department offering the major.