How do I apply for transfer credits (for courses that I took before I came to Queen's)?
If you have taken courses at another university before you became a Queen's student, you can usually get some of those courses counted as Queen's courses. Some transfer credits have a general designation, such as "a half-course general elective" or "a math/science elective". Other transfer credits are designated as equivalent to a particular Queen's course.
Here is the procedure:
- Submit a transfer credit request through Queen's Undergraduate Admissions.
- The transfer information is sent to all affected departments. For example, a request for transfer credit for CISC 121 is sent to the School of Computing. A request for MATH-111 is sent to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
- The department decides whether and what type of credit to award. All Computing transfer-credit decisions are made by the Chair of Undergraduate Studies. Do not forward course descriptions directly to the Chair with a request for evaluation.
How do I apply to take a course elsewhere if I am already at Queen's?
If you are a Queen's student and you want to take a course from another university and have it count as a Queen's credit, you need to get a Letter of Permission from the Faculty of Arts and Science before you register or take the course. Please note:
- it takes the Faculty approximately 2-3 weeks to prepare a Letter of Permission;
- a grade of at least C must be obtained in each course (unless otherwise stated on your Letter of Permission) in order to receive the transfer credit; and
- you must have a C- in the prerequisites for the equivalent Queen's course before a Letter of Permission is allowed (you can't bypass Queen's standards in this manner).
Can you tell me all courses at University X that are equivalent to Queen's CISC courses?
No, the School of Computing will not tell you this for arbitrary X, but there is a table of equivalences for Athabasca University, which offers correspondence courses in Computer Science. You can also search ONTransfer for courses previously approved for transfer credit at Queen's University.
These may give you a starting point in finding an equivalent course. But if course descriptions change (either at Queen's or at University X), then the transfer credit may no longer be approved. We suggest that you use Google to reach the respective university websites and compare the course descriptions.
Is it possible to get transfer credits for courses at CEGEP?
Undergradute Admissions manages transfer credits for CEGEP and similar programs. Please visit their Transfer Credits page and look under the heading 'High school transfer credits'.
How many transfer credits can I get?
The Faculty of Arts and Science sets those limits based upon a number of factors. Please visit their C-1Transfer to Queen's page and expand the 'What credits and courses are eligible for credit transfer?' item.
Does the transfer-credit limit apply to Queen's courses I took for another degree program but didn't complete?
No, this limit does not apply. For example, a student in ECE who transfers to Computing does not have Queen's courses count towards the limit. If the student entered ECE at Queen's with transfer credits from another university, they are not penalized by changing to a Computing program.
Here is another example. Suppose a student transfers to Queen's after two years at UBC, receiving Y transfer credits for the courses taken there, and enters a degree program in English. After one year, the student decides to switch into a Computing degree. The Y transfer credits from UBC, plus the courses taken since arriving at Queen's, would all be eligible for inclusion in the Computing degree.
I have work experience related to Computing. Can I get transfer credit for this?
No. Queen's does not award transfer credit for work experience. However, you may be able to use this work experience in place of prerequisites for advanced courses. You need to obtain the permission of the course instructor, if you want to register in a course for which you lack prerequisites. Similarly, you may be able to obtain exemption from some required courses. However, you will be required to replace these with other CISC courses. These details must be worked out with the Chair of Undergraduate Studies.