Credit by Examination: Academic Year 2021-22

Notes:

● Physics does not award placement credit for labs.

● Duplicate credit is not allowed toward an SMU degree. Students who enroll in classes that duplicate Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or other test credit awards will lose these credits after the fifth day of the term. Once credit is revoked, it may not be awarded again. Students must report any credit by exam no later than the end of their first term of enrollment.

College-Level Examination Program

SMU gives credit for CLEP subject examinations based on the specified minimum scores below:

SMU Departmental Examinations, Auditions and Portfolio Review

SMU also awards credit for departmental examinations offered in a variety of disciplines. Such SMU credit may not transfer automatically to other universities. Credit for examinations awarded by other institutions will not transfer to SMU. Credit awarded through SMU department exams, auditions and portfolio reviews is considered resident credit.

World Languages. All students whose native language is English are required to take a language placement examination. Scores on these examinations determine the world language competency of entering students so that they may be placed in classes appropriate to their level of achievement and degree program. Students may not enroll in a course below the level of their placement. When the student has successfully completed the course with a grade of C- or above, the student will retroactively earn up to 16 credit hours of University credit for the preceding courses in the beginning and intermediate levels of the language sequence. Students must enroll in the world language courses for a letter grade (not pass/fail) for the course to serve as a basis for granting retroactive credit. Language courses taken at other institutions cannot be used as a basis for granting retroactive credit. Although students may earn retroactive credit in more than one language, the maximum aggregate credit involving more than one language allowed to count toward graduation is 16 credit hours.

Physics. The Physics Department offers placement exams for PHYS 1303 and PHYS 1304. The placement exam, which must be taken in the first term that the student enrolls at SMU, is based on the final exam in the PHYS 1303 and PHYS 1304 courses. The department does not allow test credit for labs (e.g., PHYS 1105, PHYS 1106, PHYS 4311). The essential element of the lab is the hands-on experience; therefore, substitutes will not be accepted.

Mathematics. Math credit exams are offered for the courses listed below and must be taken prior to initial enrollment. Calculators are not permitted on these exams, except for MATH 1307. Students interested in credit exams for courses beyond this level may contact the Mathematics Department.

• MATH 1307 - Introduction to Mathematical Sciences
• MATH 1309 - Introduction to Calculus for Business and Social Science
  (suggested preparation = one full year of high school calculus)
• MATH 1337 - Calculus I
  (suggested preparation = one full year of high school calculus)
• MATH 1338 - Calculus II

Computer Science. The Department of Computer Science offers a credit exam for CS 1341 - Principles of Computer Science that must be taken prior to initial enrollment. Please contact Beth Minton, Computer Science Department Coordinator, for more information at minton@smu.edu.

Music. All entering undergraduate students (except transfer students from 4-year NASM schools) are required to take entrance examinations in written music theory and musicianship before classes begin. The date and time of these exams are listed in the “Orientation Schedule” published by the Division of Music each year and emailed to students. Students are advised to make appropriate end-of-summer plans to be present and on time for these exams. Students must be available for the entire testing period, and these exams cannot be made up once the semester begins. Since the exams are used for course section placement, all students are required to take the exams whether or not they are seeking credit by examination.

All music degrees require coursework in Class Piano. Prospective music majors with no formal piano study should enroll directly in Class Piano during their first semester. Prospective music majors with any amount of formal piano study must be tested individually for placement into the appropriate Class Piano course. Scheduling information for these tests is provided in the “Orientation Schedule” published by the Division of Music each year and emailed to students.

International Certificate Programs

SMU grants credit for the successful completion of the international certificate programs listed below. Credit granted by SMU is not considered resident credit and does not count towards the 60 resident hours required for an SMU degree. In certain cases, departmental examinations may be required as a part of the evaluation process.

The Common Curriculum allows students to satisfy up to three (3) Common Curriculum Breadths with Advanced Placement credits or other test credits and/or post-high school transfer work. Additional credits may apply to an SMU degree through major or minor requirements or elective coursework.

1. The International Baccalaureate. Six to eight credits will be awarded for scores of 5, 6 or 7 on International Baccalaureate higher-level exams in transferable subjects, with a maximum award of 32 credits. Students will not be awarded credit for standard-level exams.

   IB HL Examination	Scores	Credits	Course(s) Credited	Common Curriculum Component or Graduation Proficiency Satisfied
   Biology	5, 6, 7	4 hours	BIOL 1302/BIOL 1102	ES Breadth
   Chemistry	7	4 hours	CHEM 1303/CHEM 1113	ES Breadth
   Economics	5, 6, 7	6 hours	ECO 1311, ECO 1312	None
   Film	5, 6, 7	3 hours	FILM 10XX	None
   Geography	5, 6, 7	6 hours	HUMA 10XX, 10YY	None
   History:
   Africa	5, 6, 7	6 hours	HIST 10XX, 10YY	None
   Americas	5, 6, 7	6 hours	HIST 10XX, 10YY	None
   Asia and Oceania	5, 6, 7	6 hours	HIST 10XX, 10YY	None
   Europe, Islamic World	5, 6, 7	6 hours	HIST 20AA, HIST 20BB	None
   Europe, Middle East	5, 6, 7	6 hours	HIST 10XX, 10YY	None
   Language A:
   English A Literature	5, 6, 7	6 hours	WRTR 10XX, WRTR 10YY	None
   English Language and Literature	5, 6, 7	6 hours	WRTR 10XX, WRTR 10YY	None
   All other languages	5, 6, 7	8 hours	1401, 1402	Second Language Foundation
   Language B	5, 6, 7	8 hours	1401, 1402	None
   English B	5, 6, 7	6 hours	LANG 10XX, 10YY	None
   Mathematics: Applications and Interpretations	5, 6, 7	6 hours	MATH 1337, STAT 2331	Quantitative Reasoning Foundation
   Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches	5, 6, 7	3 hours	MATH 1337	Quantitative Reasoning Foundation
   Physics	5, 6, 7	6 hours	PHYS 1303, PHYS 1304	With lab PHYS 1105 and PHYS 1106= ES Breadth
   Psychology	5, 6, 7	6 hours	PSYC 1300, 10XX	SBS Breadth

2. The General Certificate of Education A-Level (United Kingdom). Six to eight credits will be awarded for grades of A and B on A-level exams in transferable subjects, with a maximum award of 32 credits. Credits will not be awarded for a grade of C, or for O-level and AS-level exams. Credit awards for the Art and Design A, High Level exam are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by SMU’s Art Division.

3. The Baccalaureate (France). Six to eight credits will be awarded for scores of 11 or above, with a maximum award of 32 credits.

4. The Abitur (Germany). Six to eight credits will be awarded for scores of 7 or above on each of the written exams in transferable subjects, with a maximum award of 32 credits. Credits will not be awarded for oral exams.

5. The Italian Maturita (Italy). For the Maturita Tecnica, Classica, Scientifica and/or Linguistica, credits will be awarded for scores of 6 or above in transferable subjects, with a maximum award of 32 credits.

Notes:

• The Language A exam is typically taken in the native language of the student.
• Language B is a second, third or fourth language studied by the student.
• For “all other languages” under Language A and for Language B, the course prefix will match the world language completed.
• Physics does not award IB credit for labs.
• Students enrolled in courses at SMU for which IB credit has previously been awarded will have the IB credit rescinded, and the grade in the course will count toward the student’s SMU GPA. Students are responsible for knowing and reporting their IB scores to SMU to prevent duplicate enrollment.