Do you wonder what will happen to your credits when you transfer to another school? Maybe you are attending a community college and need to transfer to a senior university, or perhaps you simply want a change of scenery or major. If you are a transfer student within the University System of Georgia, I can help you stop wondering. I work as a transfer evaluator in the Registrar's Office at Clayton State University, a senior unit of the University System of Georgia.
The University System of Georgia has a common core curriculum. I do not use the word "common" to mean "identical." There are slight differentiations for each institution. The core curriculum consists of about 60 credit hours and is divided up into six sections, areas A-F. Generally, students spend their freshman and sophomore years satisfying core curriculum requirements.
According to the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, if students complete an area of the core curriculum at one USG school, they complete it at another even if the requirements are different. For example, if you complete area D at Gordon College by taking one course in biology, one course in chemistry, and one course in computer science, then you transfer to Clayton State where we require a two-course science sequence (biology I and II, chemistry I and II, etc.), you would not be required to take the second course in either subject.
This rule can be bent if your change your major after transferring. If you get an associate's degree in English, then you transfer to a senior university to pursue a chemistry major, chances are good you'll need to take some extra math and science classes to satisfy prerequisites for your new major. However, if your new major is not radically different from your first, such as switching from sociology to psychology, you may not have any deficiencies in your core.
My last advice is to use the catalog. Look at the course requirements for your major, be aware of prerequisites and policies, and be prepared to ask your advisor questions instead of simply allowing him/her to tell you what you need to take. In a perfect world, advisors are always right. In the real world, they may be inexperienced or unfamiliar with your particular program, so it is up to you to be informed enough to meet you desired graduation date.
Katherine Tippins
