Transfer Students
Registration
The first opportunity for new Transfer and Post-Bacc student to register for fall quarter is Fall Advising & Registration, which takes place in late July. You will receive an email from Western to sign up for your Fall A&R session. If you cannot attend Fall A&R, you will be able to enroll during Phase II registration, which typically starts at the end of August.
Please contact the Geology Department ahead of time so we assist with transfer course assessment and first quarter planning.
1. Contact the Department
Plan ahead and start early
Welcome to Western and thank you for your interest in the Geology Department!
We encourage Transfer and Post-Baccalaureate students to email the Department prior to coming to Western, and declare their major or pre-major during their first quarter at Western.
In your email, please include your name, your Western ID (if you have one), what quarter you plan to start at Western, and which geology major you are interested in.
Please also include unofficial transcripts from your previous schools so we can review which courses may count towards your preferred major. This is also when we will assess geology courses for equivalency as needed. Avoid delays in registration by contacting us early with your transcripts.
Geology Department Contact Information
Email: geology@wwu.edu
Phone: 360-650-3582
2. Assessing Geology Transfer Equivalency
The Geology Department will review your unofficial transcript for Geology transfer courses.
Some transfer courses may need to be assessed by geology faculty for equivalency. For these courses, the Geology Program Coordinator will email you for more information, such as a copy of the course syllabus.
Please note that the Geology Department can only evaluate equivalency for geology/earth science courses. For other subjects, such as Math, Chemistry, and Physics, please contact the respective departments for assessment.
In State Transfer Courses
Most courses from community colleges and public baccalaureate institutions in Washington State have already been evaluated for equivalency.
If you are transferring from a Washington State college or university, please use the Transfer Equivalency Guide to find which courses from your institution transfer directly to Western Washington University.
To see a list of equivalent courses, select the Subject& (eg. Geol&).
If you do not see a course on the TEG or it does not show as a direct equivalent, please email the Geology Department your unofficial transcript and a syllabus for the course in question. The Geology Department will assess these courses on a case-by-case basis.
Out of State Transfer Courses
Courses from institutions outside of Washington have not been evaluated for equivalency; such courses will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the Geology Department.
If you are transferring from a college outside of Washington State, please contact us as early as possible so we can provide an assessment of your geology courses.
We will need the full course syllabus for the assessment, so please give yourself enough time to request syllabi from previous instructors/institutions.
3. Schedule a major declaration appointment
When you are ready to declare the geology major or minor, schedule a declaration appointment with the Geology Program Coordinator. Since most upper-division Geology courses are major-restricted, you are highly encouraged to declare your major as early as possible.
We also encourage you to schedule an advising appointment with the Program Coordinator at any time to review the Geology programs or to ask questions about your geology transfer courses.
Contact the Geology Program Coordinator to schedule an advising appointment or major/minor declaration appointment.
Professor Bob Mitchell's website for prospective transfer students who are interested in geology.
