Transfer Students
Welcome to Western!
Registration
The first opportunity for new Transfer and Post-Bacc students to register for fall quarter is Fall Advising & Registration, which begins 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.
Prospective Transfer Students
Overview
Prospective geology transfer students are recommended to complete as many of the required math, chemistry, and physics courses as possible that are required for your degree of interest. If you plan to take geology classes, we recommend completing classes from the core program (e.g. Geology 101, 211, or 212).
The Geology Department offers 4 undergraduate degrees, and each degree requires a different level of supporting science courses. We encourage you to review the course requirements ahead of time to determine which associate’s degree or transfer courses best suit your major of interest.
Students planning to complete a transfer associate’s degree from a Washington State community college have the option to complete an Associate in Science – Transfer Degree (AS-T) or a Direct Transfer Agreement Associate Degree (DTA). In general, the AS-T degree (Track I or in geology/earth sciences) will best prepare students for the B.S. Geology and B.S. Geophysics degrees while the DTA with coursework in math and chemistry will prepare students for the B.A. Geology degree.
Associate in Science - Transfer Degree Track 1 (AS-T 1)
For students preparing to transfer from a Washington State community college with an associate’s degree, we recommend pursuing the Associate in Science - Transfer degree (AS-T) for geology or earth sciences. This degree may also be referred to as the Associate in Science - Transfer Track 1 degree (AS-T 1) at your institution.
- The AS-T for geology or earth sciences (or AS-T Track 1) is best suited for students interested in the B.S. Geology degree. The AS-T 1 will fulfill the Math, Chemistry, and Physics requirements for the B.S. Geology major.
- The AS-T 1 is also a good pathway for the B.S. Geophysics degree. Please note that the Chemistry series required for the AS-T may exceed the core chemistry courses required for the Geophysics major.
- Some AS-T degrees provide the option to complete Biology or Physics coursework. We recommend completing the Physics courses since the geology degrees do not require biology.
- The AS-T 1 degree does not fulfill all the General University Requirements (GURs) at Western; students will typically have 3 GUR classes remaining.
- While a student’s time to degree will vary, AS-T 1 geology/earth science transfer students typically graduate within 2 years with the B.S. Geology major.
Additional Graduation Requirements
- A minimum of 45 credits must be earned through WWU courses.
- 50% of the major must be earned at WWU: exceptions may be allowed via department approval. Please contact the department to further discuss.
- Minimum 180 total quarter credits required with a minimum 60 quarter credits earned at upper division level (any 300-400 level course)
Direct Transfer Agreement Associate Degree (DTA)
Many community colleges offer another type of transfer associate's degree called the Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA).
- A DTA from a Washington State community college will typically fulfill all General University Requirements at WWU.
- However, because the DTA does not require chemistry and physics coursework, it does not prepare transfer students for Western’s B.S. Geology and B.S. Geophysics degrees as well as the AS-T 1 degree. For students who are seeking to major in B.S. Geology or B.S. Geophysics, we recommend pursuing the AS-T degree for geology/earth sciences (AS-T Track 1) at your community college over the DTA.
- For students interested in the B.A. Geology degree, we recommend completing the DTA with as much coursework in math and chemistry as possible, specifically through Precalculus II and Chemistry 161 (General Chemistry with Lab) if possible.
- While a student’s time to degree will vary, DTA transfer students typically graduate within 3 years with the B.S. and B.A. geology degrees.
Additional Graduation Requirements
- A minimum of 45 credits must be earned through WWU courses.
- 50% of the major must be earned at WWU: exceptions may be allowed via department approval. Please contact the department to further discuss.
- Minimum 180 total quarter credits required with a minimum 60 quarter credits earned at upper division level (any 300-400 level course)
The Importance of Math Placement
A student’s placement in math is one of the most influential factors in their time to degree with a geology major. Enrolling in Math 114 (Precalculus I) or higher in your first quarter at Western will allow you to start the core geology coursework right away and will allow timely progress in the Chemistry and Physics series.
Alternatively, taking the ALEKS Math Placement Assessment (MPA) can serve as a prerequisite for core classes depending on your score.
We encourage all transfer students, if possible, to complete the math coursework to place into Math 114 (Precalculus I) or ideally Math 115 (Precalculus II) or higher in their first quarter at Western.
Math as a Prerequisite: Getting Started in...
Geology
Students need Math 114 or concurrent (meaning you can take it in the same quarter) or MPA score 65 to register for Geology 211 (Physical Geology) or Geology 211A (Physical Geology Review); Geology 211 or 211A can be considered a foundational prerequisite for most other geology classes.
Geology 211 is the recommended introductory course for prospective geology majors and minors, and Geology 211A is the 2-credit lab counterpart to Geology 101; students who have taken the transfer equivalent to Geology 101 may take Geology 211A instead of 211.
Chemistry
Math 114, or MPA score 65, is the prerequisite for Chemistry 161 (General Chemistry I), one of the supporting science courses required for all the geology majors. Unlike with Geology 211 and 211A, the Math 114 prerequisite for Chemistry 161 is not concurrent, meaning that it must be completed before taking Chemistry 161.
Physics
For students who need to take the Physics 16X series (Physics with Calculus), they will eventually need to take Math 124 and Math 125 (Calculus and Analytic Geometry I and II), which can be taken concurrently.
Students who will be taking Physics 114 and 115 will need to complete Math 115, or MPA 80, before they can start the Physics series.
Assessing Transfer Course Equivalency
1. Contact the Department
We encourage Transfer and Post-Baccalaureate students to contact the Department before their first quarter at Western or as soon as they are admitted to Western to review prerequisite courses and transfer equivalencies for their major.
In your email to the department, please include your name, Western ID, which quarter you plan to start at Western, and which geology major you are interested in. Please also include unofficial transcripts from your previous schools.
Take steps to review your transfer equivalencies and prerequisites early to access the courses you need for your major!
Geology Department Contact Information
Email: geology@wwu.edu
Phone: 360-650-3582
2. Determine Geology Transfer Equivalencies
As you prepare to transfer, it is important to understand the transfer equivalences between your current institution and Western.
If you are transferring from a Washington State community college or university, we recommend that you review the Transfer Equivalency Guide (TEG). If you have questions or concerns about geology transfer equivalency, please contact the Geology Department.
If you are transferring from outside of Washington, or your transfer school is not listed on the TEG, you will need to contact the Geology Department to determine any equivalencies on a case-by-case basis. If further review is needed, we will request a syllabi from the course in question. The syllabi will be submitted and reviewed by a faculty member to determine if it meets the course requirements. Once a faculty member has made the determination, the Program Coordinator will add a note to your Degree Works to make the appropriate change to the transferring course.
NOTE: The Geology Department can only evaluate equivalency for geology/earth science courses. For other subjects, such as Math, Chemistry, and Physics, please contact those respective departments for assessment.
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. Students are highly encouraged to declare their geology major as early as possible to get access to faculty advising and the department listserv.
We also encourage you to schedule an advising appointment with the Undergraduate Program Coordinator at any time to review the Geology programs or to ask questions about your geology transfer courses.
Helpful Links
Declaring Geology Major or Minor
Geology Undergraduate Programs
Post-Baccalaureate Information
Questions?
Please contact the Geology Undergraduate Program Coordinator.
In State Transfer Courses
If you are transferring from a Washington State community college or university, please use the Transfer Equivalency Guide to determine which courses from your institution will 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 contact the Geology Department for further review. The Geology Department will assess these courses on a case-by-case basis.
Out of State Transfer Courses
Courses from institutions outside of Washington will need to 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 the Geology Department as early as possible.
We will need the full course syllabus for the assessment, so please give yourself enough time to request syllabi from previous instructors/institutions.