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Recognition of Transfer Credit

• Purpose
• Policy Statement
• Limitations
• Documentation Requirement
• Types of Transfer
• Responsibility for Reviewing Transfer Credit Requests
• Currency

Purpose

This policy explains how Douglas College will be a receiving institution to recognize credits earned by students at other post-secondary institutions.

Policy Statement

Douglas College recognizes transfer of credit from other post-secondary institutions. This occurs where the substance of courses offered in different post-secondary environments is essentially equivalent in terms of content and rigor, even though other aspects of the learning experience for students may differ across institutions. In its capacity as a receiving institution, Douglas College is guided by the following principles:

1. The primary purpose of transfer is to increase student accessibility to post-secondary education by facilitating mobility between other institutions and Douglas College.
2. The academic integrity of Douglas College's courses and programs must be protected and preserved.
3. Douglas College will provide sending institutions with adequate notice and lead time before altering transfer agreements.
4. Where Douglas College has requested and received assigned transfer credit for its courses at another institution, then reciprocal agreements will be made at Douglas College for equivalent courses from that institution.
5. As much as possible, acceptance of transfer will allow for the maximum recognition of previous learning in university/college level courses.
6. Where institutions are denied transfer credit, they may request a rationale from Douglas College.
7. Transfer credit will not be unreasonably withheld.

Limitations

This policy applies only to credit transferred from public institutions within the province of British Columbia. Credit transferred from private post-secondary institutions in British Columbia and post-secondary institutions outside the province will be dealt with on an institution-to-institution basis. Further, this policy applies only to the formal articulation of courses submitted to Douglas College by other institutions in British Columbia.

Documentation Requirement

An institution seeking transfer credit articulation with Douglas College will provide institutional documents that have been approved by its appropriate governing body (e.g., Education Council or Senate). These articulation documents should contain (where applicable) the following information: course name, course number, length of instructional period, hours per week (lecture, lab, seminar), prerequisites, objectives or learning outcomes, course content, texts and required readings, methods of instruction, and forms of evaluation.

Types of Transfer

Transfer credit can be recognized in several different ways, as follows:

1. Direct assigned credit (for courses that are deemed equivalent to Douglas College course).
2. Unassigned credit in a department (for courses that are related in content to curriculum taught within the discipline but for which there is no equivalent Douglas College course).
3. Unassigned credit in a Faculty (for courses in a discipline that is associated with a given Faculty, but for which there is no equivalent discipline represented at Douglas College).
4. Unassigned credit for courses not identifiable with any Douglas College department but evaluated as being appropriate for general academic credit.
5. Block transfer credit for credentials for program-specific clusters of courses*. (Credit granted may be different from the amount of credit available on a course-by-course basis).
6. Block transfer Associate Degree credit (for students awarded an Associate Degree credential from another institution; 60 credits will be awarded*).

Note
*Students receiving block-transfer may still be required to complete additional bridging courses to satisfy lower level degree requirements or to satisfy prerequisites for upper level course requirements or to satisfy a residency requirement.

Responsibility for Reviewing Transfer Credit Requests

1. Department Chairs/Co-ordinators are responsible for determining equivalency and transfer credit for individual courses taken within their departments at other post-secondary institutions (re: 1 and 2, above).
2. Deans will identify and consult with appropriate/relevant department Chairs/Co-ordinators to determine equivalency and transfer credit for courses taken in dpeartments at other post-secondary institutions for which there are no equivalent departments at Douglas College. Deans are responsible for completing these requests (re: 3 and 4, above).
3. Deans are responsible for determining 'block transfer program credit' (re: 5, above).
4. The Registrar's Office is responsible for granting block transfer of Associate Degree credit (re: 6, above).

Currency

Transfer requests for courses taken seven or more years in the past will be processed on an individual basis. The Registrar may request a review from the appropriate Dean. Douglas College will also follow the policy guidelines of the British Columbia Council on Admissions and Transfer regarding currency of requests.

This policy was last revised December, 2010.