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Placement & Transfer Credits

Mathematics class at another institution in the US

I would like to take a mathematics class at another institution in the US. How do I get approval for the transfer credit?

For approval of transfer credits from domestic institutions contact Professor Dick Forrester (for statistics classes) or Professor David Richeson (for all other mathematics courses). It is best to obtain approval prior to taking the course. Please gather as much of the following information as possible, and send it to Professor Forrester or Professor Richeson.

  • Course title and description (a link to the appropriate course/program is very helpful)
  • The name of the institution that is offering the course
  • A syllabus for the course (if a current syllabus is unavailable, a past syllabus for the same course or a link to the course web page may suffice)
  • The name of the textbook and the sections to be covered
  • The name of the corresponding course at Dickinson College (if appropriate)

If they say that the course will transfer in to Dickinson, submit the course details through the online Enrollment in Another Institution form. (Here is some additional information about transfer credits on the registrar's web page.)

Comments

  • Students wanting to take a precalculus class. Dickinson College does not view precalculus as a college-level class. Thus we do not accept precalculus classes as transfer credits.
  • Students looking for a course that will transfer in as Math 151. Beware: Dickinson's Math 151 is a unique course—it is a blend of precalculus and calculus. It is difficult to find classes at other colleges that transfer in as Math 151.
  • Students looking for a course that will transfer in as Math 170. There are many varieties of calculus, all with different content and levels of rigor. Because of the linear nature of the calculus sequence it is important that the course matches up well with our calculus course. We recommend looking for a course with a title like "Calculus I." Courses with titles such as "Introduction to Calculus," "Applied Calculus," "Calculus for the Life [or Biological] Sciences," and "Business Calculus" typically do not transfer in as our Math 170.
  • Students looking for a course that will transfer in as Math 171. Students who have taken only Math 170 will likely not be able to take a class elsewhere that will transfer in as Math 171. At Dickinson we have swapped the traditional order of Calculus II (our Math 270) and Calculus III (our Math 171). We have carefully designed our courses so that this is possible. However, it would be very difficult for a student to go from our Math 170 to another school's Calculus III without having taken Calculus II.
  • Students looking for a course that will transfer in as an upper-level mathematics class. Mathematics majors who wish to take courses that count toward the major are strongly encouraged to take mathematics electives, not required courses.