Transfer Credit in Physics and Astronomy

Advanced Placement and Transfer Credit

Students entering Penn may receive credit for appropriate college-level courses completed in high school or other universities. Credit is most often given for the following courses:

Additionally, credit is sometimes given for higher-level, non-introductory courses; such credits are always reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Physics Department.

Credit is also given for courses in Astronomy completed at another institution; credit evaluation in these cases is made on a case-by-case basis, decided by the undergraduate chair. In general, credit is not given for high school courses in Astronomy.

Advanced Placement/Transfer Credit for Laboratories

Students who receive advanced placement or transfer credit for Physics 101,102, 150 or 151 may receive credit for the associated lab courses.

Students who wish to receive credit for prior lab experience must submit their lab reports and lab manual to the undergraduate chair. Students who do so should recognize that most high school physics courses and many courses offered at other universities do not provide a laboratory experience equivalent to that offered by a Penn course. In general, the evaluation of laboratory work performed at another institution will be based on the number of experiments performed, the perceived difficulty of each experiment, the level of analysis required (including graphical presentation of data and error analysis), and the choice and spread of topics.

Students with advanced placement or transfer credit for physics 91, 92, 93 or 94 who are unable to satisfy the lab requirements will be allowed to register for Physics 11, 12, 50 or 51 to receive lab credit.

Students who do not receive advanced placement or transfer credit for the lecture courses can not receive credit for the associated labs.

The departmental rule is that lecture and associated lab courses must be taken simultaneously. Therefore, there are only two situations in which students should be registering for the lab only or lecture only:

  1. The student has AP or transfer credit for the lecture course and wishes to receive credit for the lab.
  2. The student withdrew (with permission) from a lecture section in a previous semester but continued to take the lab.

Credit for Courses Taken at a High School in the United States

Credit may be given for Physics 91, 92, 93, 94, 101,102, 150, 151, 011, 012, 050, or 051. To receive credit, a student must demonstrate proficiency in the course material by satisfactory performance on a Nationally Administered test, which in practice almost always means the Advanced Placement examination administered by the Educational Testing Service. (In a few cases, U.S. students may receive credit by passing the International Baccalaureate examination). It is not possible to obtain credit for a high school course merely by taking the final examination for that course; you must take the ETS or IB exam. Credit will be granted if the student receives a score of 5 on the corresponding advanced placement exam. Such credit is awarded as follows:

Physics B Exam
Physics 91and 92, (1 c.u. each)
Physics 11 and 12 (.5 c.u. each) provided the laboratory requirement has been satisfied.

Physics C Exam (Mechanics)
Physics 93 (1.0 c.u.)
Physics 50 (.5 c.u.) provided that the laboratory requirement has been satisfied.

Physics C Exam (Electromagnetism)
Physics 94 (1.0 c.u.)
Physics 51 (.5 c.u.) provided that the laboratory requirement has been satisfied.


Transfer Credit for Courses Taken at Another U.S. College or University Prior to Matriculating at Penn

All transfer credits must be approved by the undergraduate chair. Credit is most often given for introductory courses, but may be given for any course offered in Penn's Physics Department. Students wishing college transfer credit should bring as much documentation about the course taken as possible, including your college's course guide, a syllabus for the course taken, graded
examinations, and graded laboratory reports. To obtain credit for a laboratory course such as Physics 050 you must satisfy the laboratory requirement.

Transfer Credit for Courses Taken at a Foreign High School or College Prior to Matriculating at Penn

Grading systems in other countries may differ substantially from those in the U.S., complicating the evaluation of transfer credits. However, a high level of performance on some nationally sponsored or administered secondary school examinations may entitle a student to advanced standing at Penn. The policies of the Physics Department generally follow those of the Office of Admissions. To receive credit for a lab course it is always necessary to satisfy the laboratory requirement. Detailed descriptions of procedures for specific programs follow.

"A'' levels

A grade of A on the A level examination will lead to credit for

A grade of B on the A level examination will lead to credit for

A grade of C on the A level examination will lead to credit for


International Baccalaureate

Physics portion of the International Baccalaureate (Subsidiary Level)

A grade of 6 or 7 will lead to credit for Physics 91 and 92 (1 c.u. each). The student may upgrade the credit to Physics 101 and/or 102 upon passing placement examinations for those courses. The student will also be allowed to register for the labs Physics 11 and/or 12 without registering for the lecture.

Note: it will not be possible to obtain credit for Physics 150/151 with the Subsidiary Level IB, even by passing a special exam.

Physics portion of the International Baccalaureate (Higher Level)

A grade of 6 or 7 will lead to credit for Physics 91 and 92 (1 c.u. each). The student may upgrade the credit to Physics 150 and/or 151 by passing placement examinations for those courses. The student will also be allowed to register for the labs Physics 11, 12, 50 and/or 51 without registering for the lecture.

No credit will be given for grades lower than 6 in either examination.

CEGEP

Completion of two years of CEGEP with superior grades may lead to credit in Physics 101 and Physics 102 (1 c.u. each), along with the opportunity to register for the labs Physics 11 and/or 12 without registering for the lecture.

No credit will be awarded for only one year of CEGEP. All such credits must be reviewed by the Physics Department.

French Baccalaureat

A score of 12 or higher in physics with a coefficient of at least 4 may lead to 1 or 2 semesters credit in Physics 150 or Physics 150 and 151, along with the opportunity to register for the labs Physics 050 and 051. All such credits must be reviewed by the Physics Department.

German Arbitur

Scores of 10 or higher on the school leaving examination may lead to 1 or 2 semesters credit in Physics 150 or Physics 150 and 151, along with the opportunity to register for the labs Physics 50 and 51. All such credits must be reviewed by the Physics Department.

Other Countries

Credits will be reviewed on a case by case basis by the undergraduate chair. You should bring as much documentation as possible about the course(s) that you took, including if possible a syllabus, textbook, old exams, laboratory manual,
written laboratory reports (necessary to satisfy the laboratory requirement), or other academic materials.