Transfer Credit Policy

The school recognizes that students come from a variety of educational and professional backgrounds. Some students have prior academic coursework or work experience in architecture that may enable them to enter the school at a more advanced level than those students without such experience. The school provides students the opportunity to apply prior learning and work experience toward their degree requirements at the School, while placing importance on living and working within the community in the development of a community-trained architect. For that reason, the school does not consider prior learning and work experience as justification for reducing the minimum residency requirement of two years.

A masters student seeking to use coursework completed at another institution must provide the Director of Admissions with an official transcript, the official explanation of the institution’s course numbering system and grading system, and the course description from the catalog of the institution. Students may choose to submit evidence of prior learning and work experience to document their entering levels. Students who submit thorough documentation of prior learning and work experience upon enrollment at the school will receive a thorough review of their prior experiences preceding enrollment. That review, completed by faculty, will be used to establish a foundation for required course work and Architectural Practice requirements.

The school may waive certain coursework and/or Architectural Practice requirements for students based on official transcripts received from accredited post-secondary institutions or documented architectural practice experience certified by the student’s supervisor. However, the student is still required to demonstrate Proficiency in the related learning outcomes. Students who do not choose to submit evidence of prior learning and work experience at the time of enrollment may choose to do so as part of any subsequent Learning Portfolio submission. That work will be evaluated during the regular review.

Students may apply for Architectural Practice credit from previous work by thoroughly documenting activities completed and hours worked under the supervision of a registered architect and signed by that supervisor. A maximum of 300 hours of previous work experience will be accepted toward fulfilling the School’s Architectural Practice requirements and are subject to the approval of the Review Committee.

A maximum of 42 transfer credits from other institutions may be approved for use on the program of work. This is roughly equivalent to the number of credits awarded during the school’s first, foundation course of study.

The grade must be B-(80% or higher) or above. Courses must be equivalent in quality and content to a graduate level course.

Courses may not have been used toward another degree.

Coursework earned on the quarter system is normally calculated at two-thirds of the credit for courses offered on a semesterly basis. Thus, a three credit-hour course taken on the quarter system may be transferred as no more than two credit hours.

Coursework taken abroad or on other credit-hour systems will be recalculated for semester hour credit and the amount of credit approved will be determined by an evaluation of the content of the course as compared to an equivalent TSOA course. If approved for use, the course must be used within a six-year time limit. Courses older than six years may not be transferred.