Transfer Students

In order to graduate from Moore College of Art & Design, a student must earn 126–133.5 credits, depending on the major area of study. Of these credits, no more than 76 credits may be transferred in and all transfer credits must have been earned with a grade of C or its equivalent or better. Only the credits transfer in, not the grade or GPA.

All credits to be transferred are subject to credit evaluation by the College. The number of credits transferred will be determined by transcript review, and for studio courses, a portfolio review. Official transcripts from each college or university attended must be submitted for transfer credit consideration. Transfer credits are only accepted from accredited institutions.

Prior to enrollment at Moore, transfer credit from appropriate courses is accepted for academic work completed with a grade of C or higher at an accredited institution before the student's initial enrollment. Transfer credit evaluations for entering students are completed by the Admissions Office, department chairs and the Academic Advisor. The Admissions Office determines course equivalencies for the transfer of Foundation requirements, studio electives and Creative & Critical Studies electives by reviewing the transcript and, if necessary, comparing course descriptions and/or syllabi of the courses being considered for transfer.

The Academic Advisor determines course equivalencies for the transfer of Creative & Critical Studies requirements by comparing course descriptions and/or syllabi of the courses being considered for transfer. No transfer credits are granted for college preparatory or remedial courses. Transfer students must earn a minimum of 15 credits in Creative & Critical Studies at Moore. Students need to complete nine of these credits in 300-level courses or above.

After enrollment at Moore, a student may take courses at another accredited institution and transfer them into Moore. However, in order to ensure that credits are transferrable, the student must get written approval in advance from the Academic Advisor or the appropriate department chair. The pre-approval process includes a review of the course description of the course intended for transfer and may include a review of completed work following the conclusion of the course being considered for transfer. The student must receive a grade of C or better in the course(s) under consideration for transfer. The student is responsible for requesting a transcript be sent to the College. If the College does not receive a transcript, credits will not be given, and the student will be required to take the course(s) at Moore.

Studio electives and Creative & Critical Studies electives qualify for transfer but after matriculation, all required courses must be completed at Moore. Exceptions will be made for students in a study abroad or mobility program and for post-baccalaureate students with appropriate department chair approval. Anyone entering Moore as a first-year student must complete a minimum of 33 credits in Creative & Critical Studies at the College. 

At least three semesters of work must be completed at Moore, two of which must be in the senior year. Students are not permitted to transfer credits into Moore that are taken outside of the College during their final two semesters. Credits from coursework taken in summer sessions between final semesters may be transferred in if pre-approved by the appropriate department chair and the Academic Advisor, as per the College's approval process stated above.

Entering graduate students can transfer up to three credits of advanced, post-undergraduate level studio or technical-based electives from an accredited institution.

AP credit: A maximum of three credits for any CEEB Advanced Placement Examination in English, Art History, or History with a score of 4 or better may be awarded towards a Creative & Critical Studies requirement. Additional Advanced Placement (AP) credit will not be transferred into Creative & Critical Studies requirements, but may be considered in determining placement into other required courses.

In addition, a maximum of three credits from AP studio work with a score of 4 or better may be transferred into the college as studio electives. The Admissions Office and/or Academic Advisor reviews AP courses being considered for transfer. Students are notified by the Admissions Office of AP credits awarded prior to registration. 

College Level Exam Program (CLEP): Subject matter examinations and associated credits may be applied towards the minimum degree requirements by degree candidates. CLEP subject matter examinations with acceptable credit-granting scores and semester hours as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) may be awarded up to a maximum of nine credits. All accepted credits are posted on the transcript as transfer credit.

After considering all other transfer rules, the Admissions Office and the Academic Advisor or the relevant department chair will make the final decision about transferring credits at the time the student is considered for admission.

After initial enrollment, a student may take CLEP subject matter examinations provided that they conform to the College’s transfer rules and get pre-approval in advance in writing from the Academic Advisor or the appropriate department chair.

International Baccalaureate (IB) credits: A maximum of three studio elective may be awarded and a maximum of nine Creative & Critical Studies IB credits may be awarded for students entering the College. Regarding studio credits, the College may award three credits if a student receives a score of 7 on the Standard Level examination, or three credits for a score of 4 or better on the Higher Level examination.

Regarding Creative & Critical Studies credits, the College may award three credits per applicable exam if a student receives a score of 4 or better on a Higher Level examination. No Standard Level examinations will be considered for Creative & Critical Studies transfer. The Admissions Office and/or Academic Advisor reviews IB courses being considered for transfer. Students are notified by the Admissions Office of IB credits prior to registration.

Proficiency credits: Entering students and matriculated students are afforded the opportunity to earn proficiency credits on the basis of life experience assessed through a portfolio review and formal interview by the relevant department chair. If the department chair deems it necessary to determine proficiency, additional forms of assessment beyond the portfolio review may be required. The interview includes but is not limited to a review of exams and written work.

Up to six credits may be granted towards the BFA and post-baccalaureate degree requirements. The relevant department chair will determine which required credits, if any, may be granted. Students will be granted credit but the credit will have no impact on the student’s GPA. All proficiency credits will be posted on the student’s transcripts.

At Moore College of Art & Design, in lecture/academic/seminar courses, one semester hour of credit equals one hour of class instruction and at least two hours of work outside class. Moore’s academic calendar includes a fall, spring and summer term. The fall and spring semesters include 14 weeks of instruction and at least one week of final critiques and exams. The summer semester is 12 weeks in duration.

Students spend approximately the same number of class hours and complete the same amount of preparation/outside of classwork as they would in a fall or spring semester as the number of scheduled hours of class time per week is increased to be equivalent to the number of class time hours per week in a 15-week semester with 14 weeks of instruction and one week of final critiques and exams.

During the 12-week summer semester, courses offered within a two-, four- or six-week period are considered intensives and are scheduled with the equivalent number of hours in class as a semester-long class. The formula for the number of hours of class time and the number of expected hours of work outside of class time per credit are applied regardless of the number of weeks scheduled for the course. Moore offers independent study on the undergraduate and graduate level as an option for fulfilling elective credits. Students must independently complete approximately the same number of class hours and hours of work outside of class when pursuing an independent study as they would in completing a course with equivalent credit during a given term. For more information about the undergraduate and graduate approval process, please see the Student Handbook.

There are two classes in the undergraduate program that do not carry credit: a remedial English composition course, WRIT099; and Basic Design Lab, which is required of all incoming students. Students in WRIT099 must attend the same number of class hours as a three-credit, semester-long academic course with 14 weeks of instruction with one week of final exams and must complete the same amount of work outside of class per credit as a student in a three-credit academic course.

Students in the undergraduate program may complete more than three hours of effort per credit in the Art Education Student Teaching Seminar and during the required internships.