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ACADEMIC POLICY AND INFORMATION
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2016-2017
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Semester hours are divided by four and quarter hours by six to equal unit values. For
example, a transfer course of three semester hours will be converted to a 0.75-unit of
academic credit. Transfer courses do not count toward satisfying the College’s residency
requirement.
Transient Credit
Regularly enrolled Birmingham-Southern College students may not take courses at other
institutions, either in residence or through extension, for academic credit at Birmingham-
Southern College without the written consent of the Provost. To obtain consent to take a
transient course at a regionally accredited institution, students must complete a transient
approval form, obtaining prior approval for the proposed courses from the appropriate
department and from the Provost’s Office. Transient approval forms are available in the
Office of Academic Records.
Study abroad courses are treated as transient courses. Students planning study abroad
should see the “Study Abroad Credit” section in this catalog for additional information.
Pre-approved transient courses with a grade of “C” or higher may receive academic
credit. All transient units awarded appear on the Birmingham-Southern College transcript
as credit only with the notation “TR” and are not computed in the cumulative grade point
average. Transient courses may be applied toward graduation requirements, including the
academic area requirement, and major and minor requirements, if approved as such.
Transient courses may not count as learning outcomes designated courses for
Explorations. Transient courses will be converted from semester or quarter hours into
Birmingham-Southern College units. Semester hours are divided by four and quarter
hours by six to equal unit values. For example, a transient course of three semester hours
will be converted to a 0.75-unit of academic credit. Students who have completed more
than 15 units may not take courses at a community college for academic credit at
Birmingham-Southern College. Birmingham-Southern College courses may not be
redeemed by transient courses. Transient courses do not count toward satisfying the
College’s residency requirement.
Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate Credit
A student may earn up to 16 units in Advanced Placement (AP) or International
Baccalaureate (IB) credit. AP and/or IB scores accepted by the College may be applied
toward graduation requirements, including the academic areas requirement, major or
minor requirements (at the discretion of the disciplinary faculty), or as free electives, but
may not count towards Explorations curriculum requirements. For each AP score
accepted, a notation of “AP” is entered on a student’s transcript along with the
Birmingham-Southern College courses for which he or she is given credit; for each IB
score accepted, a notation of “IB” is entered on a student’s transcript along with the
Birmingham-Southern College courses for which he or she is given credit. All IB scores
are for the higher-level exams unless otherwise noted.