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Undergraduate Student Services
Undergraduate Transfer Course Equivalency Database
The course equivalencies outlined in this database are specific to the McKelvey School of Engineering and are only approved for undergraduate programs. Undergraduate students who are prime to other schools or undergraduate students pursuing programs in other schools should discuss transfer work with the appropriate department or school.
McKelvey graduate students may still utilize this database if concurrently pursuing an undergraduate degree, but again, these equivalencies are only approved for undergraduate programs. If you have questions about transfer coursework to be counted towards a graduate program, please speak with the appropriate department.
Also note, this database only shows courses we have evaluated. If a course does not appear below, this means it has not been evaluated - this does not mean we won't accept the course. Courses that have been evaluated for equivalency and denied will appear as 'will not transfer'.
As a reminder, approved transfer courses must be taken in-person in order for the credit to transfer back to WashU.
Generic Elective Course Numbers
When we evaluate a transfer course with technical content (e.g. Physics, Math, Engineering) we attempt to match the outside course to a Washington University course. If the course appears not to have technical content, then it’s typically not matched to a specific WashU course. In this case, we evaluate the course only as to its level and use an "xELE" course number, where "ELE" is short for "elective," and "x" is an integer in the range 1-5.
The exceptions to this practice are the few non-technical courses (e.g. L59 100) required for engineering students.
1ELE | 100-level elective credit | First year |
2ELE | 200-level elective credit | Sophomore |
3ELE | 300-level elective credit | Junior |
4ELE | 400-level elective credit | Senior |
5ELE | Graduate level elective credit | Graduate level |
Equivalencies with our department of Computer Science and Engineering may have generic elective credit listed as E81 xELA, xELM, xELS, or xELT. This denotes elective credit at x level meeting certain distribution requirements within the department.
E81 xELA | Applications |
E81 xELM | Machines |
E81 xELS | Systems |
E81 xELT | Theory |
Course Unit Conversions
Schools use different calendars. If the transfer institution is on the quarter system, and its courses are measured with quarter hours, we multiply the quarter hours by 2/3 to determine the equivalent WashU unit count. See an example below.
Other calendars and course measures also exist.
Transfer Course | Washington University Equivalent |
---|---|
Chem xxx, Chemistry I, 6.0 quarter hours | Chem 111A, 4.0 units |
Many-to-one and One-to-many Equivalencies
Transfer Course | Washington University Equivalent |
---|---|
Chem XXX, 5.0 units | Chem 111A, General Chemistry I, 3.0 units |
Chem 151, General Chemistry Lab I, 2.0 units |
Conversely, it may take more than one transfer course to equal one WashU course.
Transfer Courses | Washington University Equivalent |
---|---|
Chem yyy, 3.0 units | Chem 261, Organic Chemistry I with Lab, 4.0 units |
Chem zzz, 1.0 units |
Course Attributes
At WashU we use a system of Course Attributes to help indicate the content of certain courses. This frequently corresponds to degree requirements. All undergraduate students in McKelvey are required to take a set number of Humanities and Social Science courses. To assist in selecting appropriate transfer courses, equivalencies carrying the Humanitis (H) and Social Science (S) attributes are indicated below.
An N listed below indicates the transfer course carries the A&S Natural Science and Math (NSM) attribute. This attribute is relevant to some McKelvey degree requirements, but typically has additional criteria. So, while the N may indicate a course is natural science or math, this does not mean it will satisfy a specific degree requirement. If you have questions please review your WUachieve audit or talk with your advisor.
H | Humanities (The course will count towards the McKelvey Humanities and Social Science requirement.) |
S | Social Science (The course will count towards the McKelvey Humanities and Social Science requirement.) |
N | Natural Science (see above details) |
WU Department Codes
Below is a quick reference for use when searching based on desired Washington University department code or codes. We have included Engineering departments and key A&S departments. To look up the code for a department not appearing below, please visit WU Course Listings.
Department Code | Department Name |
E35 | Electrical and Systems Engineering |
E37 | Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science |
E44 | Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering |
E60 | General Engineering |
E62 | Biomedical Engineering |
E81 | Computer Science and Engineering |
A** | Architecture |
B** | Business |
F** | Art |
L** | Arts and Sciences |
L07 | Chemistry |
L11 | Economics |
L24 | Mathematics and Statistics |
L31 | Physics |
L41 | Biology and Biomedical Sciences |
L59 | College Writing Program |
The below data is kept as up-to-date as possible. Please be mindful of the expiration date for each equivalency. Filters will allow you to search based on where you plan to take transfer coursework, what course you need, or both. All filters function independently.