The registrar evaluates prior college coursework and credit earned through alternative methods for applicability to degree requirements at Hood College. Credit is generally awarded for courses that are clearly applicable to a baccalaureate degree and for which the student earned a grade of C- or above. Courses that are clearly vocational or occupational in nature will not be accepted as credit towards the baccalaureate degree. A maximum of 62 credits may be awarded for freshman/sophomore (100-200 level) work completed elsewhere. Although there is no limit for junior/senior (300-400 level) coursework, students will be awarded no more than a total of 94 credits for all college-level work completed.
Courses taken on a quarter credit system will be converted to semester hours of credit by multiplying the number of quarter hours by 0.67 to determine the semester hour equivalent.
The transferability of credits from an institution that is not accredited by a regional accreditation agency may be considered upon receipt of documentation that demonstrates equivalency regarding course information, equivalencies, and learning outcomes. It is the student’s responsibility to provide this documentation.
The final 30 hours of the degree must be taken on the Hood campus (see Undergraduate Degree Requirements). In addition, the College requires transfer students to take a minimum of 12 credits of classroom instruction in the major discipline at Hood, regardless of the number accepted in transfer. Transfer students should submit their transcripts to the Office of Admission or Office of the Registrar prior to enrollment. Timely submission of these documents will ensure accuracy of degree progression and remaining requirements for the Hood degree.
All grades earned at Hood and those completed at other institutions, including repeated courses, are calculated in the composite grade point average, regardless of whether the course credit was accepted for transfer. The composite average is used to determine eligibility for various honor societies as well as determining Commencement honors.
Hood College has agreed to grant college credits to students completing certain courses at a Frederick County high school. To be eligible, students must be admitted to Hood, have earned a grade of “B” or higher in the course, and have submitted an official high school transcript. The student must initiate the request for credit within two years of graduation from high school.
Hood participates in the ARTSYS articulation program, which allows students and advisors to determine the transferability of each community college course. The ARTSYS program also outlines the recommended transfer courses for specific programs of study. In addition, Hood recognizes the associate of arts, associate of arts in teaching, and associate of science degrees of every community college in Maryland. Hood has established enrollment agreements with specific community and junior colleges, identifying particular benefits offered to students who transfer from those institutions.
Students may receive credit for coursework completed at another accredited institution during the academic year or the summer with prior approval of the department and the registrar.
• Students must complete the Transfer Course Permission form to take a course from another college and receive transfer credit at Hood. Forms are available in the Office of the Registrar and online and must be submitted prior to the start of the course. Students who do not submit permission forms in advance of taking the course are not guaranteed approval.
• Transfer credit may be awarded for courses completed with a grade of C- or above. Official transcripts must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar upon completion of the course.
• The course may not be offered at Hood during the same academic semester/session.
• A maximum of 12 credits can be taken each summer.
• The final 30 credits of the degree must be taken at Hood College (see section on Undergraduate Degree Requirements).
• Petitions for exceptions to these policies must be made to the committee on Academic Standards and Policies. Petition forms are available in the Office of the Registrar and online.
Students who take and fail, or earn less than the minimum required grade in, a course at Hood are encouraged to retake that course at Hood rather than at another institution; this allows students to benefit from the Course Repeat Policy, which states the highest grade earned at Hood will be computed in the cumulative Grade Point Average.
Full-time Hood students may take one course each semester at Carroll Community College (CCC) or Hagerstown Community College (HCC) without charge, provided that the course chosen is not offered at Hood during the academic year. CCC also offers the exchange to Hood students during their summer sessions. To register, students obtain the consent of their advisers and the Hood registrar. The registrar will provide a statement of enrollment for registration at CCC or HCC.
Transfer of Non-Traditional Credit
Hood awards up to 30 credits for prior learning through Advanced Placement exams (AP), College-Level Examination Program exams (CLEP), Defense Activity for Nontraditional Education Support (DANTES) exams, departmental challenge exams, International Baccalaureate (IB), GCE/General Certificate of Education A-Level and AS exams, and military training and noncollegiate programs approved by the American Council on Education. These alternative modes of learning are evaluated separately from transcripts of traditional transfer credit from other accredited schools. If accepted, a grade of "CR" is awarded for non-traditional credit which is excluded from calculation in the composite and cumulative GPAs.
Limits/Restrictions:
- Credit for prior learning is awarded only to students admitted as degree candidates.
- A maximum of 30 hours of credit may be earned through any combination of prior learning credits and Hood courses elected on the Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory basis.
- Students may not receive credit by examination for any course that they have previously audited, failed, received credit, or from which they have withdrawn.
- Credit through examination may not be attempted during the final 15 hours of credit.
- Credit through examination may not count in the minimum of 30 Hood credits required for the degree.
- The requirement of 12 credits of coursework at Hood in the major cannot be fulfilled through credit by examination.
Advanced Placement
Unless otherwise noted, Hood College awards credit upon receipt of the official AP Grade Report for AP scores of 4 or 5 for the following tests:
Art:
Art History, 3 credits for ART 220 and exemption for ART 221
Studio Art-Drawing, 3 credits for ARTS 123 (score of 3 is acceptable)
Studio Art-2D or 3D, 3 credits for ARTS 101 (score of 3 is acceptable)
Biology:
Biology, 4 credits for BIOL 110-129 with a score of 4 or 5
Chemistry:
Chemistry, 4 credits for CHEM 101 with a score of 4; 8 credits for CHEM 101 and CHEM 102 with a score of 5
Computer Science:
Computer Science Test A, 3 credits for CS 201
Computer Science Principles, 3 credits, no Hood equivalent
Economics:
Macroeconomics, 3 credits for ECON 205
Microeconomics, 3 credits for ECON 206
English:
English Language/Composition, 3 credits for ENGL 100
English Literature/Composition, 3 credits for ENGL 221
Environmental Science and Policy:
Environmental Science, 3 credits for ENSP 101 for score of 4
Environmental Science, 3 credits for ENSP 101 and 1 credit for ENSP 102 for score of 5
Foreign Languages:
Chinese Language and Culture, 3 credits, No Hood equivalency
French Language and Culture, 3 credits, No Hood equivalency
German Language and Culture, 3 credits, No Hood equivalency
Italian Language and Culture, 3 credits, No Hood equivalency
Japanese Language and Culture, 3 credits, No Hood equivalency
Latin, 3 credits, No Hood equivalency
Spanish Language and Culture, 3 credits, No Hood equivalency
Geography:
Human Geography, 3 credits for GEOG 101
History:
European History, 3 credits, no Hood equivalent
United States History, 3 credits for HIST 218
World History: Modern, 3 credits for HIST 266
Mathematics:
Calculus AB, 4 credits for MATH 201
Calculus BC, 4 credits each for MATH 201, MATH 202
Calculus BC/AB Subscore of 4 or 5, 4 credits for MATH 201
Statistics, 4 credits for MATH 213
Music:
Music Theory, 3 credits for MUSC 101
Physics:
Physics 1, 4 credits for PHYS 101 with score of 4
Physics 2, 4 credits for PHYS 102 with a score of 4
Physics C-Mechanics, 4 credits for PHYS 203 with a score of 4
Physics C-Electricity/Magnetism, 4 credits for PHYS 204 with a score of 4
Political Science:
Comparative Government and Politics, 3 credits for PSCI 210
United States Government and Politics, 3 credits for PSCI 203
Psychology:
Psychology, 3 credits for PSY 101
CLEP
Unless otherwise noted, Hood College awards credit for scores of 50 on the following CLEP examinations:
Biology:
Biology, 4 credits for BIOL 110-139 for score of 52
Business Administration:
Principles of Management, 3 credits for MGMT 205
Principles of Accounting, 6 credits for MGMT 281 and MGMT 284
Economics:
Principles of Macroeconomics, 3 credits for ECON 205
Principles of Microeconomics, 3 credits for ECON 206
Education:
Human Growth and Development, 3 credits for EDUC 223 for score of 52. Students who transfer credit for a similar human growth and development course must take the departmental test to qualify for courses for which EDUC 223 is a prerequisite. No additional credit is earned for this test.
English:
American Literature, 3 credits for ENGL 223
English Literature, 3 credits for ENGL 222
History:
History of the United States I, 3 credits for HIST 217
History of the United States II, 3 credits for HIST 218
Mathematics:
Calculus, 6 credits, No Hood equivalency
Precalculus, 3 credits for MATH 120
Political Science:
American Government, 3 credits for PSCI 203
Psychology:
Human Growth and Development, 3 credits for PSY 239 for a score of 52. Students who transfer credit for a similar human growth and development course must take the departmental test to qualify for course for which PSY 239 is a prerequisite. No additional credit is earned for this test.
Introductory Psychology, 3 credits for PSY 101
Sociology:
Introductory Sociology, 3 credits for SOC 101 with a score of 52
DANTES
Hood awards credit for the following DANTES examinations:
Geography 101
History - No Hood course equivalency
History 234
Mathematics 112
Religion - No Hood course equivalency
Departmental Examinations
$200 per test for Hood students; administered through The Josephine Steiner Student Success Center, 301-696-3569.
Departmental examinations may not be repeated. Credit is awarded for grades of A, B, or C on the following departmental examinations:
CHEM 101 – 3 lecture credits; may be used to fulfill Non-laboratory area of the Core
CHEM 102 – 3 lecture credits; may be used to fulfill Non-laboratory area of the Core
IT 180 – 3 credits
MATH 120 – 3 credits
MATH 201 – 3 credits if Level III has been earned on the BSI
MATH 202 –3 credits (test available only to students who have earned credit for or completed MATH 201)
MATH 207 – 3 credits if Level III has been earned on the BSI
MATH 253 – 3 credits
MUSC 103 – 3 elective credits
PHIL 207 – 3 credits
PE 225 – 3 credits
PHYS 101, PHYS 102 –3 lecture credits each; may be used to fulfill Non-laboratory area of the Core
PHYS 203, PHYS 204 –3 lecture credits each; may be used to fulfill Non-laboratory area of the Core
Foreign Language Placement Examinations:
Additional credit is awarded at the end of the first semester with grades of A, B, or C earned for the following placements:
3 credits – Placement in and completion of a 201-level French, German, or Spanish course during first semester at Hood; no credit for students awarded credit for AP/Foreign Language
6 credits – Placement in and completion of 203 or civilization course in French, German, or Spanish during first semester at Hood; 3 credits for students awarded credit for AP/Foreign Language
9 credits – Placement in and completion of 207 or a 300-level French, German, or Spanish course during first semester at Hood; 6 credits for students awarded credit for AP/Foreign Language
GCE General Certificate of Education ALevel
Upon receipt of the official Edexcel transcript, Hood will award 6 to 8 credits for each passing score on an Advanced Level examination and 3 to 4 credits for each passing score on an Advanced Subsidiary examination.
International Baccalaureate
Credit is awarded only upon receipt of the official IB transcript. Students who have received an IB diploma, with a score of 30 or higher and with no score less than 4 in any one of the six examination groups, may be awarded up to 30 credits toward an undergraduate degree at Hood College. Students who have not completed the full IB diploma will receive credit on a case-by-case basis for Higher Level examination results of 5, 6, or 7.
Military Experience
Hood recognizes the unique nature of the military lifestyle and has committed itself to easing the transfer of relevant course credits and crediting learning from appropriate military training and experiences per guidelines established by the American Council on Education (ACE).
Students must provide an official Joint Services Transcript (JST) as well as a copy of their DD214. JST is an academically accepted document approved by ACE to validate a service members military occupational experience and training along with the corresponding ACE college credit recommendations.
- All JST’s include credit evaluations by ACE. This includes a notation for the type of credit: V (vocational), L (lower-level credit), or U (upper-level credit).
- Hood College accepts up to 30 credits of non-traditional credit.
- Hood College accepts Lower-level credits up to the credit maximum based on JST transcripts, as electives or potentially as satisfying specific requirements if approved by the appropriate Department Chair.
- Hood College also accepts Upper-level credits based on JST transcripts, as electives or potentially as satisfying specific requirements if approved by the appropriate Department Chair until the student has reached the maximum of 30 of non-traditional credits.
- Repeat credits and Vocational credits are not accepted.
- One credit in physical education is awarded for military basic training. First aid certification will receive elective credit for PE 214.
Teacher Academy of Maryland
EDUC 204, 3 credits awarded to students who have successfully completed all requirements of the Teacher Academy of Maryland
Early Childhood Education Program
EDUC 223, 3 credits awarded to students who have successfully completed the requirements of an Early Childhood Education program at a Maryland high school.