Transferring Credits and Course Substitutions

1. Only courses from accredited institutions can be substituted for CWU Psychology courses.
2. Generally speaking, lower division courses cannot be substituted for upper division courses; exceptions may be made if the student is able to demonstrate comparable work requirements, student learning objectives, and textbook.
3. Decisions to accept or reject course substitution requests will be made by a majority vote of a three-person committee.
4. The committee in charge of course substitutions may consult with other faculty with expertise in the area(s) of the courses requested for substitution, as deemed necessary.
5. No substitutions will be permitted for PSY 200 or PSY 489.
6. No substitutions will be permitted for PSY 300 for students majoring in psychology.
7. No more than two of the required or Group I-V courses can be substituted with courses taken at other institutions, with the exception of PSY 101, which is a direct transfer from most community colleges in the state.
8. Exceptions to this policy may be considered under very unique circumstances on an individual basis.

Procedure for requesting course substitutions:

1. Requests are directed to student’s major advisor. The advisor will review the department’s course substitution policy and procedure with the student.
2. The student will complete the “Permit to Substitute” form. Both the student and the advisor will sign the form. Advisor signature does not imply endorsement of the request.
3. The student must, at a minimum, provide the following documents in support of the substitution request:
4. The completed and signed “Permit to Substitute” form
5. The syllabus from the course taken at another institution;
6. The syllabus from the CWU course for which the other course is requested as substitute (current syllabi can be obtained from the Psychology Department);
7. A minimum one-page statement as to how the to-be-substituted course aligns with the CWU course and its learner outcomes.
8. Supplemental materials may be requested by the committee, for example, evidence of work comparable to senior-level requirements in the case of a lower division course requested to be substituted for an upper-division course.
9. The student will submit the substitution request paperwork to the Psychology Department office. Once the committee has reviewed the materials and made a decision, the department secretary will notify the student of the decision. If approved, the Permit to Substitute form will be sent to the Registrar’s office.

Understanding How Your Prior College Credits Will Transfer to CWU

The following information is available on the CWU transfer page at http://www.cwu.edu/registrar/transfer-equivalencies-policies

• Current Washington State Course Equivalencies
• Accepted Washington State Associate Degrees
• Accepted Out-of-State Associate Degrees
• Majors a transfer student can complete in two years