Transfer of community college/university course credits in physics

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the transferability of course credits from community colleges or universities in physics to master's programs in computational physics or earth sciences. Participants explore the acceptance of these credits by US and European universities, particularly for students transitioning from a computer science background.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant inquires about the acceptance of community college physics credits by universities for master's applications.
  • Another participant suggests that the registrar of the target institution can provide definitive information on credit acceptance.
  • A different participant notes that community colleges often only offer introductory physics courses and mentions that in some states, community colleges are integrated with state university systems, facilitating credit transfer.
  • This participant also shares their experience as a department chairman, indicating that course evaluations for transfer credit are subject to institutional policies.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specifics of credit transfer policies, as the discussion highlights varying institutional practices and the need for individual evaluations.

Contextual Notes

Limitations include the variability of credit transfer policies across different institutions and states, as well as the potential lack of advanced physics courses at community colleges.

veil
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Hi people, I got data science trainer job in Reston, Virginia. I am thinking of joining any community college/evening college/university courses in physics so that I can use these credits when I apply for my masters in computational physics/earth sciences. I am from computer science background so thinking of doing these courses would include physics credits in my profile. Do US/European universities consider these credits when a student apply for the physics/earth science program?
 
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The registrar of the place you want to transfer the credits into can tell you what they will and will not accept. Note that most community colleges do not offer much beyond 1st year physics.
 
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In some states, community colleges are part of the state university system, or closely coordinated. This makes it easy to transfer course credit from a CC to a state university. The course descriptions and catalog numbers may even be the same.

Otherwise, the receiving institution evaluates courses for transfer credit according to their policies. When I was department chairman at a small 4-year college, one of my duties was doing those evaluations.
 
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Likes   Reactions: PhDeezNutz and veil
Thank you for the advice.
 

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