There is an expectation that students who earn a degree from the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences will complete the bulk of their work in New Brunswick. There are, however, a variety of ways that students may apply credits earned elsewhere toward the degree requirements.
Students may be awarded credits through the combination of advanced placement examinations, International Baccalaureate, proficiency examinations, and transfer from other colleges or universities. Credits earned through these methods are not computed in the cumulative grade-point average. Undergraduate program directors determine if they are applicable to that curriculum's requirements.
- Advanced-Level Examinations
- Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations
- College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
- Courses Completed at Other Units of Rutgers University
- Credit for Courses in the Curriculum for Agricultural Science Education (CASE)
- Distance Learning Course Credit
- International Baccalaureate Examinations (IB)
- Prerequisites
- Proficiency Examinations
- Transfer of Credit Earned Outside Rutgers University
Advanced-Level Examinations
Degree credit may be awarded for grades of A, B, C, and D on Advanced-Level, Cambridge A-level, and EdExcel examinations. Credit is not given for Ordinary-level or Advanced-Subsidiary Level exams.
Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations
Students may receive advanced placement (AP) credit for coursework taken at the secondary school level. All requests for advanced placement credit should be forwarded to the Office of University Undergraduate Admissions and are reviewed by the faculty members of the department concerned. Grades of 4 or 5 on the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations receive both credit and placement as determined by the respective department. Credit earned for advanced placement is not included in the cumulative grade-point average.
Even though the AP credits may have been legitimately earned, some students may find that these high school-level courses did not provide the same foundational knowledge that is available through an introductory-level university course. Some students may, after consultation with an adviser, decide to waive the credits from the AP course to enable them to register for the introductory course in a particular academic discipline. A student's decision to waive AP credits for a particular subject must be in writing, and cannot be changed after the student has begun the corresponding course at Rutgers University.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
None of the programs of study at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences awards credits on the basis of College Level Entrance Program subject tests administered by the College Entrance Examination Board. CLEP subject tests may be reviewed by other university departments for course equivalency credit, though most of the Rutgers University–New Brunswick schools do not award degree credit for CLEP exams.
Courses Completed at Other Units of Rutgers University
The credits for approved courses taken at any division of Rutgers University while matriculating at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (including specific courses taken under the auspices of consortium agreements with other colleges and universities) are accepted by the school, and their grades are included in the cumulative grade-point average. However, if such courses do not fulfill any specific course requirement of the student's program at the school, they will be treated as unspecified electives. Depending on the student's major program of study, this could result in the student needing more than the minimum of 120 credits required for graduation. Students planning to take courses at Rutgers–Newark or Rutgers–Camden should complete the Transfer Preapproval process (PDF) prior to completing the course.
Distance Learning Course Credit
Rutgers University and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences have entered into partnerships with other colleges and universities to provide courses not available in New Brunswick. In some cases, students participate in the course(s) on the campus of the college offering the course. Other courses are offered online.
Courses offered in partnership with Rutgers and approved by the appropriate faculty bodies are considered Rutgers courses, with university numbers, credits, and grades. The grades for these courses are included in the student's cumulative grade-point average.
Other distance learning courses taken by the student are considered for approval according to the procedures followed for transfer credits.
Students should check with their undergraduate program director to determine the availability of these courses in their curriculum.
International Baccalaureate Examinations (IB)
Degree credit may be awarded for International Baccalaureate Higher Level scores of 7, 6, and 5. Credit is not given for grades of 4 or lower on HL exams or for any Subsidiary/Standard Level exams.
Prerequisites
Students are not permitted to take or repeat courses for degree credit that are prerequisites to courses in which they have already earned a passing grade. For example, a student may not take or repeat Precalculus after having passed Calculus I.
Proficiency Examinations
With the approval of the school's associate dean for academic programs, the student's academic advisor, and the department concerned, a student may pay a fee and take a proficiency examination in certain courses offered by the university. Degree credit is given when the department evaluating the examination indicates proficiency at a level comparable to passing the course. Proficiency examinations ordinarily are not allowed after failure in a course or in courses where the principal content is laboratory or creative work, since the primary value of these courses lies in the student's continuing and supervised participation.