What Are Course Equivalencies?

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Course equivalencies are a way to measure how much coursework is covered in one area of study. Course equivalency tables can be used to find out if a different university or college credits a specific course. This is helpful for students who want to transfer schools and need an idea of what they will be able to take with them. It’s also important for those who want to know more about their own school’s courses, which might not have been offered at the previous institution they attended.

CollegeRanker is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

What Is Course Equivalency?

Equivalency is the term used in higher education to describe how two institutions’ courses compare. If a course is regarded as equivalent or more difficult in subject and course content than the one given by the receiving institution, it may be designated as such.

A one-way equivalency is when a recipient believes a course to be comparable. It may also be two-way, meaning both the sender and receiver recognize the other’s course as equivalent. The methods and criteria for assessing course equivalency differ by school, state, region, and country.

Why You Need Course Equilavencies?

A college transfer entails a thorough analysis and evaluation of prior course work. The majority of colleges maintain equivalency tables that show how courses from one institution equate to those from another. Unless the receiving institution maintains an online public reference to the equivalency tables, students may have difficulty determining if their credit experiences are transferable.

Because of that, student movements from sender to receiver can be quite complicated. As a result, a number of states have implemented legislation changes, rules, and requirements in order to improve track record equivalencies.

The following are the most frequent course attributes that instructors look at to determine equivalency: description, academic credits, accreditation, type of instructor, mode of instruction, level of instruction, learning outcomes, grade scale and grade earned, prerequisites, co-requisites, and textbook are some examples.

This isn’t a comprehensive list of course features. The majority of the time, faculties make equivalency decisions in courses. Providing evidence to an academic department is usually possible when it comes to course equivalency judgments.