RESOURCES FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS

Welcome to the Ohio Wesleyan University Transfer Student Web Pages!

Each year Ohio Wesleyan University welcomes over 40 transfer students from other institutions in Ohio, across the country, and around the world. OWU staff, faculty, and current students value the diverse backgrounds and experiences transfer students bring to our campus and community. On these pages you and other students can learn more about the transfer credit process, requirements for all degrees, general education requirements, majors and minors, course registration options, advising, and academic resources and support services.

Make OWU Your Next Step!

How to Apply to OWU

For information about the application process, go to the Transfer Students webpages on the OWU Admission website.

Transfer Credit Information and Resources for Students

Transfer Credit Approval for General Education Courses

For admitted students who plan to attend OWU, the Office of the Register will complete a Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) to determine the general education credits OWU will award for those courses and the requirements they will fulfill. To complete a TCE, the Office of the Registrar needs an official transcript sent from the institutions students attended prior to transferring to OWU. Only credit will transfer to the students' records at Ohio Wesleyan; grades earned elsewhere will not be placed on academic records and do not become part of the OWU grade point average. To be transferable, courses do not need to be an exact equivalent, such as the same Ohio Wesleyan course title. Courses will transfer to Ohio Wesleyan if they meet these criteria:

• The previous college must be accredited by a regional accrediting organization.
• The performance in the course must have been satisfactory (C- or better).
• The course must have been of a liberal arts nature and for which OWU offers an equivalent.

Transfer Credit Approval Major Courses

The Registrar's Office may request course descriptions and/or syllabi for courses students would like considered as equivalent courses for OWU majors or minors. The Office of the Registrar will work with departments to complete your Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE).

Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and Advanced Level (A Level) Course Credit 

The course credit awarded for specific AP, IB, and A Level performance scores may vary from one institution to another. Students transferring to OWU who wish to receive AP, IB, or A Level credit should have their official examination results sent to the Office of the Registrar for evaluation. Go to the Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate pages in theCatalog for information about credit awarded for specific courses:

Transfer Equivalency Self-Service

Transfer Equivalency Self-Service will help you determine if the courses you have taken at one or more other institutions will be awarded transfer credit at OWU. After you have identified courses you would like to transfer, click on "Results" at the top of the screen to access a Degree Audit Transfer Equivalency electronic worksheet, which will include general education and major course requirements you have completed (with a C- or higher) and courses you will need to complete to earn your degree at OWU.

Transferology

Transferology, a free web service, helps students explore their transfer options at colleges and universities across the United States by determining if the courses they have completed at their current or most recent institution match or are equivalent to the courses offered at OWU or other institutions in the Transferology network.

Transfer Credit Conversion Guide (TCCG)

The Transfer Credit Conversion Guide can be used to convert OWU units into semester or quarter hours.  It can also be used to convert semester or quarter hours to OWU’s unit system:

For example, in the table below, you can see the number of OWU credits you would receive for a semester of courses completed at another institution.

Columbus State’s 2 + 2 Pathway to Ohio Wesleyan

The 2 + 2 program allows students to transfer to Ohio Wesleyan knowing they are right on track to graduate in four years if they attend OWU after receiving their associate degree. Students will also find information about guaranteed admission, scholarships, and the majors offered through Columbus State's 2 + 2 Pathway Program

Requirements for All Majors and Degrees

Requirement for all degrees

Ohio Wesleyan students may study for any of the four degrees offered by the University: Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Bachelor of Music, and Bachelor of Science.

• Thirty-four units: 34 units with a passing grade (D- or better).
• Grade point average: A 2.0 cumulative grade point average.
• Full-unit courses: 31 of the 34 course must be full-unit or 1.25-unit courses.
• Upper-level courses: At least 15 full-units must be upper level (numbered 250 and above).

Major Requirements and Information

Students must complete a major as defined by a department or approved program, including approved interdisciplinary majors and programs.

• Grade point average: At least a C average (2.00).
• Major declaration: When students achieve junior status--i.e., have earned 15 units of credit.
• Requirements for a major: A minimum of eight to a maximum of 15 full-unit or 1.25-unit courses. No more than 13 courses in a single discipline (e.g., English, mathematics, computer science, and French) and no more than 17 course within a single department (e.g., Mathematics and Computer Science) may be counted in the 34 units required for graduation.
• Exceptions to the limit of courses for a major: Education majors and students with a double major in Geography and Geology.

OWU General Education Requirements and Course Recommendations

Learning about Ohio Wesleyan’s general education requirements will help transferring students to select the right courses and stay on track to graduate according to their academic plan.  Below is an overview of OWU’s Competency and Distribution requirements. For more information, go to OWU's online Catalog: Degrees and Special Programs

Competency Requirements

• English Composition: To be certified as competent in English composition, Students fulfill the requirement by either achieving a grade of C- or higher in ENG 105, transferring credit from another college, or exhibiting a distinguished performance on a standardized test (i.e., AP, SAT, or ACT).
• Proficiency in Writing: To be certified as competent in writing across the disciplines, students complete three writing-intensive courses (each worth at least .50 units of credit), normally one each during the sophomore, junior, and senior years, after completion of the English competency requirement.
• Foreign Language: To be certified as competent in foreign language (Chinese, French,German, Ancient Greek, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Spanish, Swahili, and/or any other foreign language currently listed in the Catalog), students may meet the requirement through distinguished performance on either the foreign language SAT-II subject test or the Advanced Placement Examination in a foreign language, or by passing the second semester of the beginning language. International students whose native language is not English are exempt from the foreign language competency requirement.
• Cultural Diversity: Students fulfill the requirement by completing a one-unit course with a substantial focus on non-Euro-American topics. Note: Students seeing a teaching license must complete two unit courses with the OWU diversity designation.
• Quantitative Reasoning: Student fulfill the requirement by completing a one-unit course with a substantial focus on quantitative methods.

Distribution Requirements

To ensure that students' programs include exposure to a broad spectrum of disciplines, the University requires students to take a variety of courses distributed across the following areas:

• Group I (Social Sciences): 3 units from at least 2 different disciplines.
• Group II (Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Computer Science): 3 units from at least 2 different disciplines.  Math and CS are different disciplines. At least one course from ASTR, BIOL, BOMI, CHEM, GEOL, NEUR, PHYS, or ZOOL. Note: MATH 105--Basic Probability and Statistics--does not count toward the Group II distribution requirement.
• Group III (Humanities and Literature): 3 units from at least 2 different disciplines.
• Group IV (Arts): 1 unit required.

Exceptions: Majors in fine arts (with the exception of those concentrating in art history), music, health & human kinetics (with the exception of those majoring in nutrition), and theatre/dance fulfill distribution requirements by selecting two units from Groups I, II, and III, and one unit from IV (outside the major). Education majors in the Early Childhood Program should see the Education section for distribution requirements.

Note: Course that fulfill distribution requirement can also count toward one or more additional requirements--e.g., a course could count toward the history major and also fulfill cultural diversity, proficiency in writing, and social science (Group I) requirements.

Course Recommendations for Students Who Plan to Transfer to OWU

If you plan to complete one or more additional semesters at your current institution before transferring to Ohio Wesleyan, here are several considerations and course recommendations:

• Have a course of study (or major) in mind before transferring to Ohio Wesleyan, particularly if you have earned close to, or more than, 15 units of OWU transfer credit (i.e., approximately 15 3.00- or 4.00-hour courses) and completed most all of Ohio Wesleyan's Competence and Distribution requirements.
• Familiarize yourself with OWU's Competence and Distribution requirements (see the above section).
• Do not take an overload of courses from a specific area--Social Sciences, for example--that exceed the number of required course at Ohio Wesleyan unless they fulfill requirements at your current institution.
• Take courses from across the disciplines at your current institution--i.e., math, natural sciences, social sciences, English, arts, and language--that will fulfill Distribution and Competency requirements at the OWU.
• Consider completing courses at your current school if you believe you may be more successful than if you take them at your new institution.
• Take courses at your current institution that will transfer as upper-level courses. Upper-level requirement at OWU: 15 whole-unit courses numbered 250 or above.
• Complete one or two introductory language courses at your current or "transferring" institution. Note: American Sign Language courses do not fulfill Ohio Wesleyan's language competency requirement.
• Determine if your OWU department or program has a cap on the number of transfer courses that can be counted toward the major and have designated courses that should be completed at Ohio Wesleyan.

Available Majors and Minors at Ohio Wesleyan University

For transfer students, particularly students with an Associate Degree or the equivalent number of credits, it is important to have at least one possible major in mind before starting at Ohio Wesleyan University.  This will allow students to register for major courses in their first semester and be on track to graduate within a predictable time frame. Whether students are still exploring or are firmly committed to a path of study, they should familiarize themselves with the requirements for one or more of the almost 90 majors offered at OWU and  listed in the university Catalog: Major and Minor Requirements

Below are several questions to consider as you review the requirements for a specific path of study. If you need answers to some of these or additional questions about your intended major, contact the department or program chair: Heads of Academic Departments and Programs

• How many courses are required for the major?
• Are there required major courses that have to be taken at Ohio Wesleyan?
• How many transfer courses can used to fulfill requirements for the OWU major?
• What pre-requisites must be taken before you can take additional courses in the major?
• Does this major require a sequence of courses that must be taken in order and completed by a designated semester in order to graduate within a designated time frame?
• What major courses will you find challenging and why?
• Which required major courses are offered each semester, one semester each year, or one semester every other year?
• Do students complete the distribution and competency requirements for most majors, or are there exceptions?
• Do you need to complete additional language courses (typically two) beyond 110 and 111 for your (non-language) major?
• What major courses have a required writing component or are designated as writing-option courses?
• Are there courses that need to be completed, GPA expectations met, or a portfolio submitted (and approved) before you can apply for the major or be accepted in a program?
• What off-campus or out-of-class experiences (e.g., study abroad, internships, or field experience) are required for the major?
• Are senior students expected to exhibit their work in a show, submit a portfolio, write a thesis, or complete some other capstone work or project?
• Is it possible to complete your primary major and possibly a second major within your designated time frame for graduation?

Course Registration and Academic Advising

Registering for Fall or Spring Courses at Summer or January Orientation

All entering students starting in the fall semester may register for and attend one of the four Orientation sessions offered in the summer. Students who attend an on campus Orientation session will meet with a Faculty Registration Guide and select and register for their fall semester courses. Students who do not attend a session on campus will be registered for classes by staff in the Sagan Academic Resource Center.

All entering students starting in the spring semester are required to attend, and have automatically been registered for, the January Orientation session, scheduled for the Tuesday before classes begin. At this time, students meet with an Academic Advisor to either register for courses or make adjustments to their schedules. For additional information, go to the January New Student Orientation website.

Early Registration

Students are eligible for registration once their enrollment deposit has been received by the Admission Office. They have the opportunity to begin the process of selecting courses, working with the Office of Academic Advising, communicating with their advisors, and possibly registering for classes before Summer or January Orientation if they take the following actions by or before March 1 (for fall enrollees) or November 1 (for spring enrollees):

• Submit their OWU deposit.
• Have their official transcript(s) and AP, IB, or A Level examination results sent to the Registrar's Office.
• Complete the online Transfer Orientation course, including the Course Registration and Advising Survey.
• Provide the Registrar's Office with, on request, course descriptions and syllabi for transfer courses they would like considered as equivalent courses for OWU majors or minors.
• Communicate, as needed, with the Office of Academic Advising and the Office of the Registrar.

The earlier students complete these steps in the fall or spring semester the more likely they will have the opportunity to register with their OWU class, select the most desirable courses, and begin working with their academic advisor.

If you would like to arrange a time to visit OWU, go to Sign Up for a Campus Visit.

Your Academic Advisor

Each new transfer student is assigned to an academic advisor. Most advising assignments are made based on a student’s intended major or initial academic interest, though other criteria are considered as well. Students who are exploring a number of possible majors may be assigned to a professional advisor in the Office of Academic Advising or to a faculty advisor who works with transfer students.

If you have met or communicated with an OWU faculty member whom you would like to be your advisor, contact Jim Stull in the Office of Academic Advising: jnstull@owu.edu

Academic Resources and Support Services

Textbook Resources for Students

Go to Textbook Information for Students to learn about books requirements for your courses, to identify textbooks on reserve in Beeghly and other campus libraries, and to request assistance for purchasing textbooks.

Sagan Academic Resource Center (ARC)

The ARC staff works with all levels of students, including under-prepared students and honors students, who want to enhance academic skills, improve study habits, increase knowledge, build confidence, and earn higher grades. Resources and support are available to students in the Writing Center, the Quantitative Skills Center, the Academic Skills Center, and the Accessibility Services Office: Sagan Academic Resource Center

Departmental Peer Tutoring

Peer tutoring services are offered in the afternoons and evenings at Beeghly Library and other locations on campus for one- and some two-hundred level courses in the following subject areas: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Economics, Geography, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology, and World Languages & Cultures. Check the Departmental Tutoring schedule for days, locations, and times.

Checklist of Actions for Transfer Students

• Have your official transcript(s) sent to OWU's Office of the Registrar as well as AP, IB, A Level test scores.
• Be prepared to provide the Office of the Registrar with course descriptions (i.e., links to web pages) and/or syllabi for each transfer course you want to count as an equivalent course in your intended major at OWU.
• Review requirements for all degrees and competency and distribution requirements.
• Select and register for course that will fulfill requirements at your current institution and at OWU if you have one more semesters to complete before transferring.
• Check you OWU email regularly and respond to messages for these and other offices: Admission, Registrar, and Academic Advising.
• Meet with your advisor in the first week of the semester, at mid-term for registration, and other times as needed.
• Review your semester schedule with your advisor to ensure you are enrolled in a) UC 200.1: The Transfer Connections (a course focused on the challenges and opportunities unique to transfer students) and b) other courses that will fulfill general education and/or major requirements at OWU.
• Become familiar with Self-Service, Degree Audit, and other advising resources.
• Complete the foreign language placement exam at Summer or January Orientation (or another time) if you have taken Spanish, French, German, or Chinese in high school and have not completed any college-level foreign language courses. Contact Jody Forman in World Languages & Cultures for more information: jaforman@owu.edu; 740-368-3667.
• Work with your advisor to complete your Academic Plan.