Potential Difficulties When Transferring

The Program of Study

The most difficult and uncertain barrier faced by transfer students is their program of study at the new campus. When students decide to change their career plans, and move to a different campus in the MUS, they may find that the requirements and expectations of their new major are significantly different from the program they study were once working on. The new program of study has its own set of specific classes that satisfy the requirements of the degree. Classes that satisfied the old major or minor or option may no longer work except as free, elective credits. Students may even be required to take additional classes that seem to be similar to general education courses, because those courses are requirements or prerequisites for more specialized coursework in their new program of study. A general biology course, for instance, may be required preparation for a more specialized science class like anatomy and physiology or microbiology. The same difficulties would occur if a student decided to change his/her program of study without moving to a different unit of the System, but those difficulties are compounded when a student transfers, because of distance, lack of familiarity with another institution's coursework and the unique nature of some academic programs.

Even students that don't change their major, and just change campuses, will experience similar problems. Academic programs are not the same throughout the Montana University System. For instance, the business program at The University of Montana-Missoula is different from the business program at Montana State University-Billings. They will have some similar courses, but the specific requirements of each program will be different, to reflect the knowledge and skills that are most important to the faculty who developed the program, the philosophy and outcomes of the program, and the expertise of the faculty.

Campus-Specific Graduation Requirements

Each campus may also have different and unique requirements that govern the successful completion of a degree at that institution. For example:

Most campuses require that students successfully complete a minimum number of credits at that campus .
Most campuses require that students successfully complete a minimum number of junior or senior level courses (usually numbered 300 and 400) for a bachelor's degree.
The total number of credits required for a degree may vary from program-to-program on an individual campus, and from program-to-program on different campuses.

Transfer students should ask for information on ALL of the requirements for a degree at their new institution, in addition to questions like program of study and general education requirements.

Transferring from a Two-Year to a Four-Year Program

Transfer students from two-year programs to four-year programs may experience several barriers making their transition more difficult. Those barriers include:

The kind of two-year degree the student is working on. The important provisions of Policy 301.12 entitled Undergraduate Degree Requirements: Associate Degrees state that:
- Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees are designed for transfer, especially the general education coursework. Other classes are usually at an appropriately rigorous level to be accepted as college-level courses.
- Associate of Applied Science degrees, on the other hand, are not designed for transfer into other programs of study, especially four-year degrees. The classes are often specific to a particular skill or profession, and the general education coursework is often minimal.
The level of coursework completed at the two-year institution. Some classes, especially remedial classes, are not accepted for college credit at other campuses. Remedial classes are usually associated with mathematics, writing, reading and study skills, and are usually intended to upgrade or refresh student skills so students are prepared to take college-level coursework. Some vocational coursework may not transfer into a four-year degree program either, because the knowledge and skills acquired in the courses are not considered college-level. Pre-college or remedial courses are sometimes designated with a number below 100, (this can serve as a warning to students that the courses may not be accepted at other institutions), but some remedial courses have a 100-number.
Equating quarter credits to semester credits. All of the units of the Montana University System award semester credits. Transfer students coming into the Montana University System with quarter-system classes (e.g. from Montana tribal colleges) will need to convert those credits to semester hours using the following formulas:
- three quarter credits equal two semester credits; or
- quarter credits convert to semester credits by multiplying by .6667 (i.e. four quarter credits x .6667 equals 2.67 semester credits).