Transfer Credits
All physics courses taken at other accredited four-year
universities or colleges must be approved IN ADVANCE
by the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Physics
and your Academic Dean. After the completing the course, you must
have the institution where the course was taken send a copy of your
transcript to the University Registrar. Approval of
summer courses as equivalent to PHY 53L or PHY 54L is contingent upon
passing the corresponding equivalency exam
given during the first two weeks of classes in the fall semester.
The following procedure should be followed for introductory physics
courses taken somewhere other than at Duke:
- Obtain preapproval of the summer course by the DUS of physics
and your academic dean (see instructions for transfer courses at t-reqs).
- Obtain a grade of C or higher in the summer course.
- Have the institution where the summer course was taken send a
copy of your transcript to the Office of the
University Registrar.
- Pass the equivalency exam; the exam should be taken at the
beginning of the fall semester immediately after the summer in which
the course is completed.
If you take an approved course and meet all the other requirements
above, but fail or do not take the Equivalency Exam, you will receive
transfer credit for PHY 888. (This cannot be changed to PHY
53/54 later.)
What will appear on your transcript?
- Calculus-based physics course
- For calculus-based physics courses transfered to Duke and
students who pass the equivalency exam, an entry of PHY 53L will appear
on your transcript for a course in Classical Mechanics and an entry of
PHY 54L for a course in Electricity and Magnetism. It can be used to
satisfy your Natural Sciences distribution requirement and the course
credit applies to the 34 credits needed for graduation. See the
discussion below to find out what requirements these courses will
satisfy. A grade does not appear on your transcript, and your grade in
the course does not factor into your Grade Point Average (GPA). For
students taking a summer course and failing the equivalency exam, an
entry of PHY 888 will appear on the transcript.
- Non-Calculus-based physics course
- For each non-calculus-based physics course you transfer to Duke,
an entry of PHY 888L will appear on your transcript. Students who take
a non-calculus-based physics course are NOT eligible to take the
equivalency exam, and therefore can not obtain credit for PHY 53L or
PHY 54L. The PHY 888L credit is for a non-existent course and
only indicates physics transfer credit. It can be used to satisfy your
Natural Sciences distribution requirement and the course credit applies
to the 34 credits needed for graduation. See the discussion below to
find out what requirements these courses will satisfy. A grade does not
appear on your transcript, and your grade in the course does not factor
into your Grade Point Average (GPA). See the discussion
by Dean Kay Singer if you are thinking of applying to Medical
School
What requirements do physics transfer courses satisfy?
PHY 888 does not necessarily satisfy the prerequisite nor major
requirements for programs that require physics courses. Many programs
require Duke equivalent credit for 53L and PHY 54L. You can obtain Duke
equivalent credit for your transfer course by taking a calculus-based
physics course elsewhere and, in the case of summer courses, passing
the corresponding Duke equivalency exam
at the first opportunity. Duke equivalent credit for PHY 53L and PHY
54L can not be obtained by taking a non-calculus-based physics course
elsewhere.
Consult the Director of Undergraduate Studies of YOUR program to
determine whether Duke Equivalent credit for PHY 53L and/or PHY 54L is
required:
Most of the science related departments require Duke
equivalent credit for either PHY 53L or PHY 54L for the B.S. degree.
The School of Engineering
requires Duke equivalent credit for any two of PHY 61L/62L/63L. Please note that
PHY53L and PHY54L are equivalent to PHY61L/62L/63L combined.