Transfer Courses
Course work successfully completed at other colleges and universities that are recognized by the six regional accrediting associations will be considered for transfer credit. To be eligible for review:
- The grade received in the course must be equivalent to a “C” (2.0) or higher at Penn State. A grade of "C-" will not transfer to Penn State.
- Penn State must have a similar program or course offering and the course should be useful in the student’s program of study at Penn State.
- College level course work completed at colleges or universities that are licensed by state boards of education to award associate degrees (or higher) but that are not members of one of the six regional accrediting associations may be eligible for credit by validation.
To see if specific courses from other colleges and/or universities will transfer to Penn State, please visit the Undergraduate Admission's Transfer Course Evaluation Guide.
Spring 2020 Credit Acquisition Policy
*Note this policy is only for credits obtained during the Spring 2020 semester.*
Due to the unprecedented situation, Penn State University and the Smeal College of Business have approved credit acquisition with satisfactory/unsatisfactory (SA/UN) grades). Instead of receiving a letter grades for courses taken in the Spring 2020 semester only, students will have the OPTION of replacing that letter grade with an alternative grade that will not be included in your GPA calculation. The alternative grades are:
-
SAT (Satisfactory): This grade will be available if you earn a C or better in a course. A course with a SAT grade can be used to meet all C or better requirements, including entrance to major and prerequisites.
-
V (Pass): This grade will available if you earn a D in a course and will be considered a passing grade. You will earn credits for the course, and a V grade can be used to meet degree requirements for which D is an acceptable grade.
-
Z (No Grade): This grade will be available if you earn an F in a course. Z can be used to replace an F grade and will be treated similar to a Late Drop (LD).
More information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.
Credits with Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory or Pass/Fail Grades Do Not Count
The Smeal College of Business does not accept credits with satisfactory/unsatisfactory (SA/UN) grades or pass/fail grades. Students enrolled at Smeal must enroll in all courses for a letter grade and may never enroll in courses for satisfactory/unsatisfactory grades. Credits taken on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis are automatically disqualified on the student's degree audit and not counted towards degree completion. http://www.senate.psu.edu/policies/47-00.html#49-60
Courses That Do Not Count Toward a Smeal Degree
Business courses numbered 100 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:
ACCTG 151, ACCTG 152, BA 195, BA 199, BA 241, BA 242, BA 243, BA 301, BA 302, BA 303, BA 304, BLAW 243, ECON 14, FIN 100, FIN 108, IB 199, MGMT 100, MGMT 100W, MIS 103 and MKTG 221.
Additionally, in order to promote student academic success, the Smeal faculty has designated the successful completion of specific "entrance-to-major" courses prior to the beginning of “major field” course work. In order to ensure all students are equally prepared for success, the Smeal College of Business requires that the following “entrance-to-major” courses must be completed at a Penn State campus: ACCTG 211, MGMT 301, MKTG 301, and FIN 301. Therefore, transfer courses or those designated as direct equivalent courses for the four courses listed above will not be credited toward Smeal entrance-to-major progress.
General transfer credits may not be used for any entrance-to-major courses. Courses taken at other institutions must transfer as equivalent to the entrance-to-major courses for which transfer credit is accepted (see preceding paragraph). Furthermore, any transfer credits for entrance-to-major courses must appear on the student’s Penn State record prior to the student being able to apply for a Smeal major in LionPath.
Courses Requiring a Grade of "C" or Higher
To graduate, 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.
Transfer credits for graduating seniors
In order to be included on the Smeal College graduation list and program, all credits from courses taken at institutions other than Penn State (transfer credits) must be taken prior to the semester of graduation. In addition, the credits must appear on the student’s Penn State record prior to the 1st day of the month preceding the month of graduation. For Spring graduation, transfer credits must post to the student’s record by no later than April 1st. The deadline is July 1st for summer graduation and November 1st for Fall graduation. Note that many courses transfer in to Penn State as “general credits” and require additional approval to be counted towards a student’s non-major field degree requirements. It is important for students who plan to fulfill degree requirements using transfer credits to meet with their academic adviser well in advance of graduation to discuss their plans.