Information on Transfer Credit for Math Courses

Getting Approval of Courses to be Taken at Another School.

1. Get Departmental approval for the course.
2. Get approval from your academic dean for the course.

• Requests for transfer of summer courses must be made prior to the end of the spring semester.

• Courses cannot be transferred from a junior college.

• A course taken at a school on the quarter system cannot be transferred for a semester credit at Duke. To receive a full course credit at Duke a student would have to take two quarter courses.

• Math majors and minors who want to receive transfer credit for advanced courses in the major should refer to the Handbook for Math Majors and Minors for information on transferring advanced math courses.

• Tranferred math credits do not satisfy a "QID" requirement in the old Curriculum 2000. (Note that there is no "QID" mode of inquiry in the current curriculum.)

1. Find the web address of the other school's descriptions of their math courses. If the other school does not have the descriptions on the web, then you must obtain the printed catalog (or at least a copy of the pages containing descriptions of the math courses) from the other school. All undergraduate math courses should be included, so we can see how the course that you want fits into the whole set of math courses. Summer catalogs seldom contain enough information. Some catalogs (web or printed) are not detailed enough, and in such a case, you'll need to bring a syllabus or other official written description of the contents of the course.

2. Determine whether the school is on the semester system or the quarter system. If it's on the quarter system, you'll need to take two courses there to get one credit at Duke.

3. For summer courses you should determine how many days the class meets and how long each period is. There must be 35 contact hours before Duke will consider transfer credit.

4. Some schools offer different versions of the same course, especially for introductory calculus. If this is the case at the school you are considering, then the one most likely to match our course will probably have a label like "calculus for science majors", "calculus for engineers" or simply "Calculus I (or II)". Labels like "topics in calculus" or "calculus for social science or business majors" often mean that it will not transfer as Math 31 or Math 32. One way we check to see if the course is the right one is to follow the "prerequisite trail." For example, for a course to eligible for transfer as Duke's Math 32, in addition to meeting other requirements, it should have as a prerequisite a calculus course equivalent to Duke's Math 31 and must also serve as a prerequisite for higher-level math courses, including multivariable calculus.

5. There are usually a few specific topics that are strong indicators of comparability with Duke courses. We make no attempt to provide a complete list of such topics, but a few are indicated below by course. If the course you are considering doesn't include these topices, then it will probably not be transferable.

           Math 31:  limits, derivatives, maxima and minima, the definite integral,
   		        the Fundamental Theorem of calculus.
   			
   	Math 31L: maxima and minima, exponential and logarithmic 
          		        functions, modeling with differential equations, 
   		        the Fundamental Theorem of Calculus, calculator
                           or computer labs.
   
           Math 32:  techniques of integration, differentiation and
   		        integration of exp(x) and ln(x) (or "transcendental" 
   		        functions), Taylor Polynomials, sequences, series.
   
   	Math 32L: applications of the definite integral, Taylor 
   		        Polynomials, infinite series, convergence theorems, 
   		        calculator or computer labs.
   	
           Math 103: multiple integrals, vector calculus, Green's Theorem,
   		        Stokes' Theorem.
   
           Math 104: vector spaces, matrix algebra, systems of equations,
   		        eigenvalues and eigenvectors, Gram-Schmidt Theorem.
   

6. Our precalculus course, Math 19, and our Functons and Calculus courses, Math 25L/26L are so different from traditional courses at other schools that there is almost no chance of getting transfer credit for those courses.

7. After you have checked to see that your course qualifies under all the criteria above, then to obtain Departmental approval you must contact one of the following people in the Mathematics Department:
   • For courses numbered 103 and below contact the Supervisor of First-year Instruction, Lewis Blake.

   • For courses numbered above 103, if the course is at a school in the United States, contact the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies, Dr. Clark Bray.

   • For courses numbered above 103, if the course is to be taken in a Study Abroad program, contact the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Math Department.

   In your first email to the proper contact person above, you should send the following information:

   • The name of the other school.
   • A statement about whether the other school is on the semester system or the quarter system.
   • The number of the Duke math course for which you want credit, and the number of the course at the other school which you think is equivalent to it.
   • The web address of the math course descriptions for the other school. The web address should link to the complete listing of the other school's math courses--not just summer school courses.

   If the person you need to contact is away, the one of the others may be able to help you. If you need to set up an appointment with one of the people above, you can call 660-2800 or you can send a message to the Undergraduate Secretary.

8. If your course is approved by the Math Department, then you will need to have your transfer request approved by your academic dean.

Placement for students with Transfer Credit

In general students with transfer credit for a course should enroll in the next higher math course; however, our experience has shown that students have a much higher success rate in the advanced courses if they also meet minimum SAT and Achievement score recommendations.

• Students who have transfer credit for Math 31 and who have an SAT math score of at least 680 and an Achievement (I or II) score of least 660, should enroll in Math 32 or Math 32L.
• Students with transfer credit for Math 31 and Math 32 should enroll in Math 103.

Common Questions About Transfer Credit

• I have requested transfer credit for a math course, but the transfer credit has not been officially approved yet. Now I must register for the next semester. For what math course should I register?
       -- Send an email message to the Supervisor of First-year Instruction at sfi@math.duke.edu and provide him with the information on your previous course and your placement wishes. He can advise you on the likelihood of getting approval for the previous course and on your registration for the next semester.

• Does a course for which I have received transfer credit satisfy an "Area of Knowledge" requirement?
       -- Yes, it does satisfy a "Quantitative Studies" requrement.

• Does a course for which I have transfer credit affect my Grade Point Average?
       -- No, Duke does not include the grade you make at another school as part of your official transcript. (But, of course, one of the requirements for getting the credit is that you make a grade of C or better in the course.)

• If the course for which I receive transfer credit is a requirement for the major or minor in another department, will the transfer credit satisfy that requirement?
       -- Yes.

Other Questions

• If you have other questions about transfer credit for lower-level math courses, you can send an email message to the Supervisor of First-Year Instruction, Lewis Blake, at sfi@math.duke.edu.

• If you have a question about a course numbered above Math 103, then you should send a message to the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in Mathematics.

• Math Majors who intend to study abroad should consult the relevant section of the Handbook for Math Majors and Minors .

• General questions about University policy with respect to transfer credit should be addressed to Mr. Harry Nelson. His office is in room 103 of the Allen Building, and he is the one to whom the required approval forms and transcripts are sent.

Other Addresses

• Back to Information for First-Year Students
• Placement