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While the more structured architecture and engineering curricula make dual majors in these areas more difficult, students with advanced placement or advanced standing may be able to satisfy the requirements for dual degrees in these areas.

Students who enter RPI as first-year students may apply up to 8 AP or transfer credits toward the HASS Core (See footnotes 2 and 4 below). For transfer students, there is no limit on the number of transfer credits from the student’s prior institution that can be applied toward the HASS Core. Transfer students may apply up to 12 transfer credits toward a pathway. Transfer students entering at or above sophomore status have two additional pathway options available to them: Transfer Student Social Science Pathway Transfer Student Arts and Humanities Pathway One four-credit 4000-level course (see footnote 3 below) One HASS Communication Intensive course Students may not use AP, IB, or Cambridge A-level credit, or transfer credit from another university to satisfy the HASS communication intensive (CI) requirement. This requirement may not be satisfied using transfer credits. Transfer students who enter RPI at or above the sophomore level are not required to take a HASS Inquiry course. The transfer credit limit may be waived with approval of the HASS Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Students who entered RPI as first-year students may transfer up to 8 credits toward satisfying their Math/Science core requirement. Other science and mathematics courses may be transferred as electives. If students enter with more than 8 AP/IB/A-L or transfer credits in their Math/Science core, they will not be permitted to transfer additional credits into the Math/Science core (although other science and mathematics courses may be transferred as electives). Students who transfer from an accredited college or university may be permitted to transfer additional credits toward satisfying the Math/Science core at the discretion of the Associate Dean of Science for Academic Affairs. Applicants must furnish a catalog description of the proposed course and a completed copy of Rensselaer’s Transfer Credit Approval Form to the School of Science Advising Hub (sciencehub@rpi.edu). Additional information and instructions can be found on the Transfer Credit Approval Form. CI courses may not be met with AP, IB, or transfer credits.

thesis credits as noted below) At least 15 non-thesis credits taken at the 6000 level At least 12 credits taken within the ECSE Department* At least one Math elective (3-4 credits) with MATH or MATP prefix No more than 6 transfer credits No more than 3 credits of Individual Project (e.g. without thesis in Electrical Engineering (ELEC) or Computer and Systems Engineering (CSYS) must complete the following requirements: 30 total credits At least 18 credits taken at the 6000 level At least 18 credits taken within the ECSE Department* At least one Math elective (3-4 credits) with MATH or MATP prefix No more than 6 transfer credits No more than 3 credits of Independent Study ( ECSE 6940 ) No 1000- or 2000-level courses may be applied towards the degree.

degree thesis in Electrical Engineering (ELEC) or Computer and Systems Engineering (CSYS) must complete the following requirements: Two thirds of total credit hours (excluding thesis credits) at the 6000-level No more than fifteen 4000-level credits A minimum of 12 and a maximum of 36 dissertation credits At least one Math elective (3-4 credits) with MATH or MATP prefix No more than 3 credits of Independent Study No more than 24 transfer credits (for students joining without an M.S.

3 Students must take 1 of the following Laboratory courses alongside BIOL 1010 : and BIOL 1015 or BIOL 1016 . Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Biological Neuroscience, and Computational Biology majors are recommended to register for BIOL 1015 . Biology, Biochemistry and Biophysics, Biological Neuroscience, and Computational Biology majors who posses thorough wet-lab experience and an interest in enhancing their data analysis skills are recommended to register for BIOL 1016 . 4 Communication Intensive and Culminating Experience Requirement (6 credits) cannot by satisfied with transfer credits and must be fulfilled via the Advanced Laboratory requirement. No more than one 4000-level elective can be met with transfer credits. 7 Cannot be satisfied with transfer credits.

Communication Intensive and Culminating Experience Requirement (6 credits) cannot by satisfied with transfer credits and must be fulfilled via the Advanced Laboratory requirement. Cannot be satisfied with transfer credits. No more than one of BIOL 4100 , BIOL 4200 , BIOL 4250 , and BIOL 4270 can be satisfied by transfer credits.

PSYC 4330 , PSYC 4360 , and PSYC 4410 also count as BLNS Neuroscience HASS Electives (See Footnote 4). PSYC 2730 PSYC 4330 PSYC 4410 PSYC 4360 PSYC 4370 PSYC 4450 Neuroscience HASS Electives : The Biological Neuroscience Major Curriculum requires Students to choose at least 2 of the following courses: PSYC 4360 PSYC 4330 PSYC 4410 PSYC 4600 PSYC 4610 PSYC 4720 Cannot be satisfied by transfer credits.

Because the residence requirement for the master’s is 24 credit hours, not more than six credit hours may be transferred toward the 30-credit master’s degree, and not more than six credit hours used for a master’s degree in one area can be applied to a second master’s degree of 30 credits. degree is 48 credit hours, no more than 24 credit hours may be transferred toward the doctorate. Application for the transfer of credit must be made to the student’s department. The department is responsible for evaluating course work taken elsewhere and reporting allowable transfer credit to the registrar on the transfer credit approval form. Courses taken elsewhere and approved for transfer to RPI must be taken at the graduate level and have a grade of “B” or better to be approved. A student who obtains prior approval of their adviser and the Dean of Graduate Education to take classes elsewhere while already enrolled at RPI, must apply for transfer of credits as soon as the credit has been earned. Transfer of Credit forms may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office. A graduate student who has taken courses at RPI as a special nondegree student may transfer to a degree program a maximum of 12 credits earned in that status.

Because the residence requirement for the master’s is 24 credit hours, not more than 6 credit hours may be transferred toward the 30-credit master’s degree, and not more than 6 credit hours used for a master’s degree in one area can be applied to a second master’s degree of 30 credits. Application for the transfer of credit must be made to the student’s program director. The area is responsible for evaluating course work taken elsewhere and reporting allowable transfer credit to the registrar on the transfer credit approval form. Courses taken elsewhere and approved for transfer to Rensselaer must be taken at the graduate level and have a grade of “B” or better to be approved. A graduate student who has taken courses at Rensselaer as a special non degree student may transfer to a degree program a maximum of 12 credits earned in that status.

Students may request transfer credit only for the elective, subject to the Graduate Program Director’s and the Office of Graduate Education’s approval.

Students with previous architecture courses will be considered for advanced standing in this program.

These credits must be taken for a grade that contributes to the student’s GPA (not P/NC, not S/U) or be approved applicable transfer credits (including AP and IB credits). Students who transfer in courses for fewer credits than the Rensselaer equivalent may be required to make up Math/Science Core and/or Natural Science and Mathematics Distribution credits.

in Semiconductor Technology must complete the following requirements: 30 total credits of approved graduate course work 1 At least 18 credits taken at the 6000-level Up to 12 credits taken at the 4000 (for co-listed 4xxx/6xxx courses, program students are expected to take the 6000-level version of the course) 6 credits taken from the list of common core courses A minimum of 6 credits taken from the list of specialized core courses 6 to 18 credits taken from interdisciplinary courses Optional up to 6 master’s project credits 2 Optional up to 6 transfer credits Optional up to 3 credits of Independent Study No 1000- or 2000-level courses may be applied toward the degree.

To complete the Economics Pathway, students must choose a minimum of 12-credits as described below: INQR 1200 (or transfer credit for ECON 1200 ) is required.

Transfer credits and Advance Placement (AP)/International Baccalaureate (IB) course credits are always counted as both attempted and completed credits, impacting your 67% Pace of Progress. However, grades from transfer credits or AP courses are not included in your GPA or your Cumulative GPA. Because transfer credits and AP/IB credits are counted toward meeting your degree requirements, they may accelerate your total credit count potentially causing you to reach the required 2.0 Cumulative GPA faster.

Admission with advanced standing can fulfill a significant number of the required 100 credits, especially for students who have been enrolled in undergraduate pre-architecture programs or non-accredited professional programs. Advanced standing requires approval by the School’s Graduate Program Director and the Office of Graduate Education. The final approval of advanced standing will be recorded on the student’s Plan of Study.

Once a student has been admitted, the faculty will review all previous course work to determine transfer of credit. Two semesters of part-time study at RPI will be considered equivalent to one semester of full-time study. If a transfer student elects to study abroad in a program not affiliated with the Institute, no more than 16 credits may be transferred from that program. Students who participate in study abroad programs that are affiliated with the Institute can count those transfer credits toward the 64 credits taken at RPI. Transfer courses are limited to two courses or eight credits counting towards the student’s last 30 credits and require the approval of the director of the Student Success Center.

Transfer Credit Considerations Because of the cross-functional project-based nature of the core courses, transfer credit may only be considered and approved by the Rensselaer at Work Dean. See Rensselaer transfer credit policies for more information or talk to your advisor. Close Return to: Programs Print (opens a new window) Help (opens a new window) T Back to top Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 110 Eighth Street | Troy, NY USA 12180 (518) 276-6000 Contact Us Policies: Media Web Privacy Title IX Student Consumer Information Accessibility Copyright © 2025 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) RPI is committed to the cultivation of a community that is welcoming, inclusive, and above all values learning. RPI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or other characteristic protected by law. All catalogs © 2026 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Powered by Modern Campus Catalog™ . Scroll to top of page

Transfer Credit Policy To ensure computer science majors take a majority of their named required courses at RPI, the following items describe the transfer credit policy: All computer science majors must take five of their eight named required CSCI courses at RPI. Regardless, the total required CSCI credits earned at RPI must be 32. If more than three named required CSCI courses are transferred in or the total required CSCI credits earned is less than 32, the difference in credits must be made up by taking additional CSCI credits. These additional CSCI credits must be at the 2000-level or higher and consist of a combination of CSCI courses, CSCI independent study credits, and/or CSCI mentoring credits. Transfer students and students participating in a Study Abroad program can seek approval for exceptions via the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (UCC) or at Student Orientation (SO). If a course transfers in as a non-CSCI course, it might still count as a named required CSCI course.

Validation Examination Fee The fee for an examination to establish credit for work done elsewhere than in an accredited institution is $75 for each examination.

Undergraduate Transfer Credit Subject to specific approval, academic credit for courses taken at another college or university may be transferred to RPI. For information on additional requirements for transferring Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences credits or Science credits, refer to the individual school’s section of this catalog. RPI students taking courses at other institutions should follow the following procedures. The Transfer Credit Approval form, which can be obtained in the Registrar’s Office, should be used for approval of all transfer credit granted. Equivalent “A,” “B,” or “C” grade work is required for transfer credit. The minimum equivalent grade accepted for transfer credit is “C-“. Students desiring to take course work at other institutions should obtain approval prior to enrollment at that institution. Transfer credit cannot be guaranteed unless prior approval is obtained, since unapproved courses may not be equivalent to RPI courses. In addition, many institutions require proof of prior approval before allowing a visiting student to register. Students entering as first-time freshmen can transfer a maximum of 32 credits (can be a combination of Advanced Placement and Transfer credit). Students entering as transfer students must complete four full-time semesters at RPI and a minimum of 64 credits at RPI, all of which will be applied to the baccalaureate degree. Students who participate in study-abroad programs not affiliated with the Institute may transfer in a maximum of 16 transfer credits from that program. Those credits will count toward the maximum 32 transfer credits allowed. Students who participate in study-abroad programs that are affiliated with the Institute can transfer in additional credits. Those credits will not count toward the maximum 32 transfer credits allowed. Students desiring transfer credit must have the registrar of the other institution forward an official transcript to the Registrar’s Office. A student who repeats at another college a course failed at RPI may be required by the department at RPI to pass an examination. The Institute requires a degree candidate’s last 30 credits in courses to be completed on this campus or through a program formally recognized by the Institute. Transfer courses are limited to two courses or eight credits counting toward the student’s last 30 credits and require approval of the director of the Advising and Learning Assistance Center. A student transferring back to Rensselaer who now holds an associate’s degree and who formerly was a Rensselaer matriculating student may begin a new cumulative GPA, subject to the approval of the Office of Undergraduate Education. A student’s former Rensselaer courses will still appear on the permanent record, but will not be calculated in the new GPA.

Students Entering RPI as Freshmen Incoming freshmen may be eligible for advanced placement or advanced standing. Advanced Standing Credit may be granted for college-level work taken while in high school. Transfer credit will not be given for any college courses taken while in high school if these courses are used in obtaining the high school diploma.