Students who wish to take a course at another institution or program during the summer, while studying abroad, or at some other time, must demonstrate that the course has substantial anthropological content and a workload equivalent to a Rice Anthropology Department course. This may be difficult because many programs, especially study abroad programs, often do not provide such information in advance. In such circumstances, preliminary approval may be granted, but it will be up to the student to provide documentation upon return to Rice that the courses taken are equivalent to Rice anthropology courses. Please note: preliminary approval does not guarantee final approval.
We strongly encourage students planning to take credit hours elsewhere to seek approval prior to taking the course. Dr. Eugenia Georges is the undergraduate transfer credit advisor. Students should e-mail the transfer advisor directly, along with the course syllabus and any other supporting material. The advisor reviews this material and then replies to the student in writing with a decision.
Transfer credits applied towards the major or minor
Students planning to graduate with a major in Anthropology must take a minimum of six (6) anthropology courses (18 hours) at Rice. This means transfer credit (foreign or domestic) cannot count for more than four (4) courses (12 hours) of the ten courses (30 hours) required for a major. Students planning to graduate with a minor in Anthropology must take a minimum of four (4) anthropology courses (12 hours) at Rice. This means transfer credit (foreign or domestic) cannot count for more than two (2) courses (6 hours) of the six courses (18 hours) required for a major.
General rules regarding transfer credit in the Department of Anthropology
- Once a student has matriculated at Rice, courses from two-year institutions (community colleges for junior colleges) will be accepted for transfer credit only if they meet the rigorous standards described below. For incoming transfer students, these standards may be more flexible.
- The Anthropology Department does not accept online courses for transfer credit.
- There are two types of transfer credits: direct transfer corresponding to a specific class at Rice, and 2xx/3xx transfer when no similar class exists at Rice (may be counted as an elective towards the major or minor). The course does not have to be listed as an anthropology course at another institution, but must have anthropological content (as determined by Rice department faculty).
- Students may not transfer courses taken pass/fail or on a similar basis at other institutions. The grade earned must be C- (or equivalent) or better.
- A syllabus (in English, Spanish, Portuguese, or other language readable by Anthropology faculty members) is required in order for the course to be reviewed. Course descriptions alone are insufficient.
- International institutions/programs must be approved by Rice (see abroad.rice.edu for more information) as foreign institutions do not have formal accreditation.
- Credit for independent study (ANTH 404) will normally be granted only to anthropology majors and upon presentation of adequate documentation of the rigor of the project (final paper and bibliography).
- Assigning distribution credit is the responsibility of the Registrar's office, which requires that any course for which distribution credit is given must be the precise equivalent of a Rice course that has distribution status.
Evaluation of courses for transfer credit
- We compare the course syllabus with syllabus from a current Rice class to determine if it has similar coverage and rigor. If these appear to be equal, direct transfer credit can be recommended.
- For non-Rice equivalent courses, we make a case-by-case evaluation. Does the course appear to be rigorous? Does it draw upon a substantial anthropology literature? Does the syllabus indicate intellectual merit? Is the course intellectually appropriate? We may ask to see your written work and/or examinations.