Transfer Information
Transfer Guidelines
The following guidelines and definitions pertain to the Transfer Curricula and Resolution of Transfer Disputes for Lower-Division Courses established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
Definitions
The definitions listed below were established by the Coordinating Board and will serve as criteria to resolve disputes. The publications Transfer of Credit Policies and Curricula of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Community College General Academic Course Guide Manual: A Manual of Approved General Academic Transfer Courses for State Appropriations to Texas Public Community Colleges are the references for this issue: The following criteria for lower-division and upper-division course credit were adopted by the Task Force to Update the Academic Course Guide Manual.
A. Criteria for Lower-Division Course Credit
Lower-Division (Baccalaureate/Associate Degree) Courses
Courses offered in the first two years of college study are generally those which:
- Are identified by a majority of public 4-year undergraduate institutions in the state as courses intended to comprise the first two years of collegiate study.
- Stress development of disciplinary knowledge and skill at an introductory level.
- Include basic principles and verbal, mathematical, and scientific concepts associated with an academic discipline.
B. Criteria for Upper-Division Course Credit
Upper-Division (Baccalaureate) Courses
Courses offered only in the third or fourth years of a baccalaureate program are those which:
- Are identified by a majority of public 4-year undergraduate institutions in the state as courses intended to comprise the third and fourth years of postsecondary study.
- Involve theoretical or analytical specialization beyond the introductory level.
- Require knowledge and skills provided by previous courses for successful performance by students.
C. Free Transferability
Lower-division courses included in the Academic Course Guide Manual and specified in the definition of “Lower-Division Course Credit” shall be freely transferable to and accepted as comparable degree credit by any Texas public institution of higher education where the equivalent course is available for fulfilling baccalaureate degree requirements. It is understood that each Texas institution of higher education may have limitations that invalidate courses after a specific length of time.
For Texas community colleges, these freely transferable courses are identified in the latest revised edition of Coordinating Board publication Lower Division Academic Course Guide Manual, (revised 2002). Specifically excluded are courses designated as vocational, English as a Second Language, ESL/ESOL, technical, developmental or remedial, and courses listed as “basic skills.”
For senior four-year institutions, lower-division courses that have the same course content and CIP codes as approved by the Coordinating Board shall bear equivalent credit. Specifically excluded are courses designated as ESL/ESOL, technical and developmental/remedial courses.
Within the spirit of the law it is realized that differences in interpretation of “same course content” may generate disputes.
WECM Courses are designated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board as workforce education (technical) courses offered for credit and CEUs (Continuing Education Units). While these courses are designed to transfer among state community colleges, they are not designed to automatically transfer to public four year colleges and universities. For more information, visit http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/ctc/ip/wecm2000/index.htm.
D. Field of Study Curriculum
The Field of Study Curriculum is a set of courses that generally apply toward the lower-division requirements for a baccalaureate degree in a specific academic area at a general academic teaching institution.
E. Core Curriculum
The curriculum in liberal arts, humanities, sciences, and political, social, and cultural history that all undergraduate students of an institution of higher education are required to complete before receiving an academic undergraduate degree.
F. Disputes
Transfer disputes may arise when a lower-division course is not accepted for credit by a Texas institution of higher education. To qualify as a dispute the course(s) in question must be offered by the institution denying the credit (receiving institution), or in the case of upper-level institutions, must be published as a lower-division course accepted for fulfilling lower-level requirements. For community colleges, the course(s) must be listed in the Lower Division Academic Course Guide Manual, and be offered at the receiving institution. Additionally, the sending institution may challenge the receiving institution’s denial of credit.
Students at Sam Houston State University who require additional information/clarification regarding Transfer Dispute Resolution Guidelines should contact Undergraduate Admissions, telephone (936) 294-1828.
The University reserves the right to refuse to accept transfer credit when the instructor of record does not meet the requisite academic credentials. Courses taken at community colleges do not satisfy the advanced hours required at Sam Houston State University.
TEXAS COMMON COURSE NUMBERS
Common Course Numbers
The Texas Common Course Numbering System was developed in part to assist students in identifying which courses at one college will meet specific course requirements at another college. In other words, the common course numbering system promotes the successful transfer of course work among colleges and universities in Texas, making the transfer process easy for students.
The common course number has a standardized four-letter prefix followed by a four-digit number —example, ENGL 1301. The four-letter prefix identifies the subject area. Each digit in the four-digit sequence gives additional information about the course. The first digit identifies the course as either freshman level (1) or sophomore level (2). The second digit identifies the number of credit hours a student will earn upon completion of the course. Most often this digit will be a 1, 2, 3, or 4. The final two digits serve to establish the sequence in which courses are generally taken.
In the course description sections of the catalog, the common course number is shown in brackets —example, [ENGL 1301]. The following is a list of the common course numbers currently adopted by Sam Houston State University. Courses which fulfill one of the General Education Requirements for the Core Curriculum are identified with the letters GE to the right of the Sam Houston State University course number.
Common Courses
Effective Fall Semester 1996, List Revised November, 2007
COMMON COURSE NUMBER |
COMMON COURSE
TITLE |
SHSU COURSE
NUMBER |
| ACCT 2301 | Principles of Accounting I | ACC 231 |
| ACCT 2302 | Principles of Accounting II | ACC 232 |
| AGRI 1131 | The Agriculture Industry | AGR 110 |
| AGRI 1307 | Agronomy | AGR 165 |
| AGRI 1309 | Computer in Agriculture | AGR 238 |
| AGRI 1319 | Introduction to Animal Science | AGR 169 |
| AGRI 1327 | Poultry Science | AGR 260 |
| AGRI 2301 | Agricultural Power Units | AGR 284 |
| AGRI 2303 | Agricultural Construction I | AGR 162 |
| AGRI 2317 | Introduction to Agricultural Economics | AGR 164 |
| AGRI 2321 | Livestock Evaluation I | AGR 230 |
| ARTS 1301 | Art Appreciation | ART 160 GE |
| ARTS 1303 | Art History I | ART 260 GE |
| ARTS 1311 | Design I | ART 161 GE |
| ARTS 1312 | Three-Dimensional Design | ART 271 |
| ARTS 1316 | Drawing I | ART 163 GE |
| ARTS 2311 | Design III | ART 265 |
| BCIS 1301 | Microcomputer Applications | MIS 188 GE |
| BIOL 1106 | Introductory Biology of Cells Laboratory | BIO 118 |
| BIOL 1107 | Introductory Biology of Organisms Laboratory | BIO 119 |
| BIOL 1306 | Introductory Biology of Cells | BIO 138 |
| BIOL 1307 | Introductory Biology of Organisms | BIO 139 |
| BIOL 1308 | General Biology I | BIO 134 GE |
| BIOL 1108 | General Biology I (Lab) | BIO 114 GE |
| BIOL 1311 | General Botany | BIO 161 GE |
| BIOL 1111 | General Botany (Lab) | BIO 111 GE |
| BIOL 1313 | General Zoology | BIO 162 GE |
| BIOL 1113 | General Zoology (Lab) | BIO 112 GE |
| BIOL 2401 | Anatomy & Physiology I | BIO 245 GE |
| BIOL 2402 | Anatomy & Physiology II | BIO 246 |
| BIOL 2306 | Environmental Biology | BIO 137 GE |
| BIOL 2106 | Environmental Biology (Lab) | BIO 117 GE |
| BIOL 2420 | Microbiology | BIO 247 |
| BUSI 1301 | Introduction to Business | GBA 181 |
| BUSI 1307 | Finance | FIN 171 |
| BUSI 2301 | Business Law I | GBA 281 |
| CHEM 1105 | Introduction to Chemistry 1 (Lab) | CHM 115 GE |
| CHEM 1107 | Introduction to Chemistry II (Lab) | CHM 116 GE |
| CHEM 1111 | General Chemistry I: Laboratory | CHM 118 GE |
| CHEM 1112 | General Chemistry II: Laboratory | CHM 119 GE |
| CHEM 1305 | Introduction to Chemistry I | CHM 135 GE |
| CHEM 1307 | Introduction to Chemistry II | CHM 136 GE |
| CHEM 1311 | General Chemistry I | CHM 138 GE |
| CHEM 1312 | General Chemistry II | CHM 139 GE |
| CHEM 2123 | Organic Chem I (Lab) | CHM 218 |
| CHEM 2125 | Organic Chem II (Lab) | CHM 219 |
| CHEM 2323 | Organic Chemistry I | CHM 238 |
| CHEM 2325 | Organic Chemistry II | CHM 239 |
| COMM 2303 | Audio/Radio Production | RTV 264 |
| COMM 2311 | News Gathering/Writing I | JRN 261 |
| COMM 2339 | Writing/Radio/TV/Film | RTV 263 |
| COSC 1300 | Intro to Computing | CS 133 GE |
| COSC 1401 | Microcomputer Applications | CS 143 GE |
| CRIJ 1301 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | CJ 261 |
| CRIJ 1306 | Courts & Criminal Procedures | CJ 294 |
| CRIJ 1307 | Crime in America | CJ 262 |
| CRIJ 1310 | Fundamentals of Criminal Law | CJ 264 |
| CRIJ 2301 | Community Resources in Corrections | CJ 274 |
| CRIJ 2313 | Correctional Systems & Practices | CJ 265 |
| CRIJ 2314 | Criminal Investigation | CJ 268 |
| CRIJ 2323 | Legal Aspects of Law Enforcement | CJ 273 |
| CRIJ 2328 | Police Systems and Practices | CJ 267 |
| DANC 1301 | Dance Composition | DNC 176 GE |
| DANC 2303 | Dance History | DNC 172 GE |
| DRAM 1310 | Introduction to Theatre | THR 166 GE |
| DRAM 1330 | Stagecraft I | THR 160 GE |
| DRAM 1341 | Makeup | THR 230 GE |
| DRAM 1342 | Intro to Costume | THR 162 |
| DRAM 1351 | Acting I | THR 164 GE |
| DRAM 2336 | Voice & Diction | THR 231 GE |
| ECON 1301 | Introduction to Economics | ECO 230 GE |
| ECON 2301 | Principles I-Macroeconomics | ECO 234 GE |
| ECON 2302 | Principles II-Microeconomics | ECO 233 GE |
| ENGL 1301 | Composition | ENG 164 GE |
| ENGL 1302 | Composition | ENG 165 GE |
| ENGL 2331 | World Literature | ENG 265 GE |
| ENGL 2342 | Intro to Literature I | ENG 266 GE |
| ENVR 1401 | Environmental Science Laboratory | ESC 117 |
| ENVR 1401 | Environmental Science | ESC 137 |
| FREN 1411 | Beginning French I | FRN 141 |
| FREN 1412 | Beginning French II | FRN 142 |
| FREN 2311 | Intermediate French I | FRN 263 GE |
| FREN 2312 | Intermediate French II | FRN 264 GE |
| GEOG 1300 | Introduction to Geography | GEO 161 GE |
| GEOG 1301 | Physical Geog | GEO 131 GE |
| GEOG 1303 | World Regional Geography | GEO 265 GE |
| GEOG 1303 | World Reg. Geog. | GEO 266 GE |
| GEOL 1103 | General Geology I (Lab) | GEL 113 GE |
| GEOL 1104 | General Geology II (Lab) | GEL 114 GE |
| GEOL 1303 | General Geology | GEL 133 GE |
| GEOL 1304 | General Geology II | GEL 134 GE |
| GERM 1411 | Beginning German I | GER 141 |
| GERM 1412 | Beginning German II | GER 142 |
| GERM 2311 | Intermediate German I | GER 263 GE |
| GERM 2312 | Intermediate German II | GER 264 GE |
| GOVT 2301 | American Government I (Combined Federal and State/Including Constitution) | POL 261 GE |
| GOVT 2302 | American Government II (Combined Federal and State) | POL 285 GE |
| GOVT 2305 | American Government I (Federal) | POL 285 GE |
| GOVT 2306 | American Government II (State) | POL 261 GE |
| HIST 1301 | U.S. History I | HIS 163 GE |
| HIST 1302 | U.S. History II | HIS 164 GE |
| HIST 2311 | Western Civilization I | HIS 265 GE |
| HIST 2312 | Western Civilization II | HIS 266 GE |
| MATH 1316 | Plane Trigonometry | MTH 163 GE |
| MATH 1324 | Finite Mathematics | MTH 199 GE |
| MATH 1325 | Business Calculus | MTH 299 |
| MATH 1332 | Mathematics for Liberal Arts I | MTH 164 GE |
| MATH 1342 | Elementary Statistics | MTH 169 |
| MATH 1350 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers I | MTH 184 GE |
| MATH 1351 | Mathematics for Elementary Teachers II | MTH 185 GE |
| MATH 1342 | Statistics | STA 169 |
| MATH 2312 | Pre Calc/Elem Func | MTH 170 GE |
| MATH 2413 | Calculus I | MTH 142 |
| MATH 2414 | Calculus II | MTH 143 |
| MATH 2415 | Calculus III | MTH 244 |
| MUSI 1101 | Fundamentals of Music I (Keyboard) | MUS 110X |
| MUSI 1157 | Opera Workshop | ENS 119 |
| MUSI 1158 | Opera Workshop | ENS 119 |
| MUSI 1159 | Music Theatre I | ENS 219 |
| MUSI 1166 | Woodwind Class | MUS 113 |
| MUSI 1167 | Woodwind Class | MUS 116 |
| MUSI 1168 | Brass Class | MUS 213 |
| MUSI 1181 | Class Piano I | MUS 111X |
| MUSI 1182 | Class Piano II | MUS 112X |
| MUSI 1211 | Harmony & Keyboard I | MUS 122 |
| MUSI 1212 | Harmony & Keyboard II | MUS 123 |
| MUSI 1216 | Sight Singing and Ear Training I | MUS 124 |
| MUSI 1217 | Sight Singing and Ear Training II | MUS 125 |
| MUSI 1301 | Fund of Music (Keyboard) | MUS 161 GE |
| MUSI 1303 | Fundamentals of Music (Guitar) | MUS 162 |
| MUSI 1306 | Music Appreciation | MUS 265 GE |
| MUSI 1308 | Music Literature I | MUS 138 GE |
| MUSI 1310 | American Music | MUS 264 GE |
| MUSI 2157 | Opera Workshop | ENS 119 |
| MUSI 2158 | Opera Workshop | ENS 119 |
| MUSI 2159 | Music Theatre II | ENS 219 |
| MUSI 2166 | Woodwind Class | MUS 116 |
| MUSI 2168 | Brass Class | MUS 216 |
| MUSI 2181 | Class Piano III | MUS 113X |
| MUSI 2182 | Class Piano IV | MUS 114X |
| MUSI 2211 | Harmony and Keyboard III | MUS 222 |
| MUSI 2212 | Harmony and Keyboard IV | MUS 223 |
| MUSI 2216 | Ear Training and Sight Singing III | MUS 224 |
| OFAD 2304 | Word Processing | GBA 260 |
| PHED 1164 | Concepts of Phys Fitness | KIN 215 GE |
| PHIL 1301 | Introduction | PHL 261 GE |
| PHIL 2303 | Intro to Logic | PHL 262 GE |
| PHIL 2306 | Intro to Ethics | PHL 263 GE |
| PHYS 1101 | College Physics 1 (Lab) | PHY 118 GE |
| PHYS 1102 | College Physics II (Lab) | PHY 119 GE |
| PHYS 1105 | Elementary Physics I (Lab) | PHY 115 GE |
| PHYS 1107 | Elementary Physics II (Lab) | PHY 116 GE |
| PHYS 1111 | Introduction to Astronomy I (Lab) | PHY 113 GE |
| PHYS 1301 | College Physics I | PHY 138 GE |
| PHYS 1302 | College Physics II | PHY 139 GE |
| PHYS 1305 | Elementary Physics I | PHY 135 GE |
| PHYS 1307 | Elementary Physics II | PHY 136 GE |
| PHYS 1311 | Introduction to Astronomy I | PHY 133 GE |
| PHYS 2425 | University Physics I | PHY 141 GE |
| PHYS 2426 | University Physics II | PHY 142 |
| PHYS 2426 | Heat, Waves and Modern Physics | PHY 245 |
| PSYC 2301 | General Psychology | PSY 131 GE |
| PSYC 2315 | Psychology of Human Adjust | PSY 289 GE |
| SOCI 1301 | Introduction to Sociology | SOC 131 GE |
| SOCI 1306 | Contemporary Social Problems | SOC 264 GE |
| SOCI 2319 | Minority Studies | SOC 168 GE |
| SPAN 1411 | Beginning Spanish I | SPN 141 |
| SPAN 1412 | Beginning Spanish II | SPN 142 |
| SPAN 2311 | Intermediate Spanish I | SPN 263 GE |
| SPAN 2312 | Intermediate Spanish II | SPN 264 GE |
| SPCH 1311 | Introduction to Speech Communication | COM 131 |
| SPCH 1315 | Public Speaking I | COM 161 |
| SPCH 1318 | Interpersonal Communication | COM 286 |
| SPCH 1342 | Voice and Diction I | COM 162 |
| SPCH 1321 | Business and Public Speaking | COM 282 |
| SPCH 2335 | Argumentation and Debate | COM 284 |
| SPCH 2341 | Oral Interpretation | COM 233 |