Students that are taking, or plan to take, a PHY course at another institution and would like to have those credits transferred to Syracuse University must read through (I) the General Checklist of Requirements (for the course you wish to get credit for), and (II) the Online vs In-Person Course Requirements. The forms in Section III can then be filled out.

(I) General Checklist of Requirements

PHY101 (College Physics 1)

• Algebra-based, calculus is generally not required.
• The course must be 4 credits and must include a weekly in-person laboratory of ~2 hrs/week.

PHY102 (College Physics 2)

• Algebra-based, calculus is generally not required.
• The course must be 4 credits and must include a weekly in-person laboratory of ~2 hrs/week.

PHY211 (General Physics 1)

• If the course does not require Calculus 1 as a pre or co-requisite, it is unlikely equal to PHY211.
• If the course or the textbook is labelled “College Physics” it is unlikely to be an equivalent to PHY211.
• If the course does not explicitly say it is for students of engineering, physics or related STEM fields, it is unlikely to be equivalent to PHY211.
• The course should be 3 credits (or 4 credits, if the lab is part of course and equivalent to PHY221).

PHY221 (Physics 1 Lab)

• Does the lab meet in person? If not, it is not suitable.
• Does this lab go with a calculus-based General Physics 1 course?
• Generally, it should be 1 credit.

PHY212 (General Physics 2)

• If the course does not require Calculus 2 as a pre or co-requisite, it is unlikely equal to PHY212.
• If the course or the textbook is labelled “College Physics” it is unlikely to be an equivalent to PHY212.
• If the course does not explicitly say it is for students of engineering, physics or related STEM fields, it is unlikely to be equivalent to PHY212.
• The course should be 3 credits (or 4 credits, if the lab is part of course and equivalent to PHY222).

PHY222 (Physics 2 Lab)

• Does the lab meet in person? If not, it is not suitable.
• Does this lab go with a calculus-based General Physics 2 course?
• Generally, it should be 1 credit.

AST101 or 104

• The class is 4 credits?
• The course includes an in-person lab?

(II) Online vs In-Person Course Requirements

In-person course:

• Courses that are taken in-person, and for which there is no online offering during the indicated session have only to fill out the Transfer petition and the relevant course Approval form in Section III below.
• If the course has both in-person and online sections available at the institution, the student must additionally provide documentation showing that they have registered for the in-person section (in addition to the forms in Section III).

Online Course:

(1) For any PHY transfer credits

• A syllabus for the session being proposed for transfer credit must be provided before credit transfer can be approved by the physics department. The syllabus provided must explicitly state that a lockdown browser, or equivalent monitoring, is required for examinations in the semester in which the student plans to take the course. If a current syllabus is not available at the time of registration, the student may attach to the Approval form a previous year’s syllabus. The student must also arrange for the instructor of record to email phyacademics@syr.edu (from their college/university account) attesting that the course you plan to take will use a Lockdown Browser for all exams. They should note the session (e.g. Summer), course number, and section number. No action will be taken on your request until all documentation is provided.

For PHY101/PHY102/AST101/AST104:

• Only (1) above, nothing else is required.

For PHY211:

• Follow (1) above. The course will transfer to SU as a general PHY course. Once the course has transferred in, the student should plan to take the PHY211 final exam, and preferably within the next 2 semesters. It is recommended that you contact the instructor at least 3 weeks before the final exam to make arrangements. If the student passes that final exam, then the student petitions to have the transferred PHY course count as PHY211. A passing grade will be determined by the PHY211 instructor. If the student fails the first attempt at the PHY211 exam, they will be given one more opportunity to pass the PHY211 final exam. If the student fails a second time, then the student must retake PHY211, or equivalent, in person, to receive PHY211 credit.

For PHY212:

• Follow 1) above. The course will transfer to SU as a general PHY course. Once the course has transferred in, the student should plan to take the PHY212 final exam, and preferably within the next 2 semesters. It is recommended that you contact the instructor at least 3 weeks before the final exam to make arrangements. If the student passes that final exam, then the student petitions to have the transferred PHY course count as PHY212. A passing grade will be determined by the PHY212 instructor. If the student fails the first attempt at the PHY212 exam, they will be given one more opportunity to pass the PHY212 final. If the student fails a second time, then the student must retake PHY212, or equivalent, in person, to receive PHY212 credit.

(III) Forms

Once you have gone through the above, and are clear on what is expected, you may proceed to fill out the (a) Transfer Credit Petition form and (b) the relevant Approval form below.

PHY 101 Course Transfer Approval Form

PHY 102 Course Transfer Approval Form

PHY 211/221 Course Transfer Approval Form

PHY 212/222 Course Transfer Approval Form

AST 101 / AST 104 Course Transfer Approval Form