Transfer Credits

NOTE: The following discusses credit for math courses taken at US institutions other than Duke, while a student is already enrolled at Duke. If you are interested in credit for a course that you took prior to enrolling at Duke, please see Duke Prematriculation Credit. If you are interested in receiving credit for a math course to be taken while you are on a Study Abroad program at a foreign institution, please see Taking Math While Studying Abroad.

Getting Approval of Courses to be Taken at Another School

Begin the process at least by the beginning of the semester before you plan to study elsewhere, if not earlier. There are two steps that you should take before you enroll at another four-year US school in a math course for which you want credit at Duke:

  1. Apply for approval from the Mathematics Department.
  2. Seek approval from your academic dean.

Below you will find a description of the process to do step (1), applying for approval of the course from the Mathematics Department; once such approval is granted, you still need to seek your dean's approval in step (2). For questions about Duke transfer credit in general, consult the following:

Notes on Transfer Credit

  • Start the process early, for example, not in late March/April for a summer course.
  • We get many requests for transfer credit approval; they are processed in the order received.
  • Transfer credit will not be approved for courses for which you do not satisfy the prerequisites.
  • Approval will be granted for courses that are deemed equivalent to Duke math courses, in both content and rigor. You can avoid wasted time by comparing syllabi and course descriptions yourself and choose a different course when you see obvious differences.
  • Once a decision has been made, you will be contacted via email.
  • In the case of math department approval, you will be asked to submit the Transfer Credit Approval Form found here: http://trinity.duke.edu/undergraduate/academic-policies/transfer-credit
  • Transfer credit decisions are handled only via the above described process. They are not discussed in person.
  • For math majors, MATH 401/501 and MATH 431/531 must be taken at Duke.
  • Some courses have a different code used for transfer. In particular, Calculus I taken elsewhere is coded as MATH 121, whereas Calculus II taken elsewhere is coded as MATH 122.
  • If you receive transfer credit for MATH 121, and intend to take Calculus II in the fall semester at Duke, you must enroll in MATH 122L.

Applying for Departmental Approval

  1. Fill out and submit the Math Transfer Credit Application.
  2. Send an email to transfers@math.duke.edu, with subject Transfer Credit - First Name, Last Name, which includes the following information:
    • A message indicating that you have submitted the Math Transfer Credit Application.
    • A detailed syllabus for the course you would like to take (this should be the syllabus for the section in which you intend to enroll, and can typically be obtained by emailing the professor). It should include the text that will be used as well as detailed schedule of topics to be covered.
    • Proof of satisfied prerequisites for the desired course. This can be achieved by attaching either a copy of your academic history (found in ACES), or a copy of your transcript. Make sure that this proof includes your name.
    • Sample midterms/final exams if available.