Students seeking to obtain transfer credit from another school they attended or for Study Abroad in the fields of Geology, Environmental Science, Environmental Studies and Physical Geography should do the following:
Have the following material ready:
1) Course Description
2) Course Syllabus
3) Any additional supporting documentation (assignments, exams, reports, etc.)
Then, login to XCAT (External Course Approval Tool).
VERY IMPORTANT: According to The College policies, if transfer credits are approved, they are either approved as free credit (can be used toward graduation and in some cases toward major requirements, but may NOT be used to satisfy sector requirements), or they may be approved as equivalent to an existing Penn course. Transfer credits are not approved as fulfilling particular sector requirements. It is only if they are deemed equivalent to an existing Penn course, and that course has been approved as fulfilling a college requirement, that the transfer credit can be used to fill a sector requirement. Therefore, when submitting courses for transfer credit via XCAT, it is useful to indicate if free credit or a credit in an existing Penn course is desired. If credit in an existing Penn course is required, make a very clear case that the class submitted is equal in both academic structure and content to the exisiting Penn course. For an overview of existing Geology and Environmental Studies courses at Penn, see our Courses website.
For information about studying abroad, visit The College Study Abroad webpage. When selecting your courses, consult the list of course precedents for abroad programs using the College’s XCAT (External Course Approval Tool). This list includes all College courses that have already been approved for credit at Penn. You may request College credit for courses not found on this list, via the XCAT tool, at any time after your Penn Abroad application has been accepted.