BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC
TRANSFER CREDIT SERVICES GUIDE
Produced by the Office of the Registrar
The policies and procedures outlined in this guide are subject to change at any time at the discretion of the College.
To best understand the instructions provided in this guide, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the
Berklee degree and diploma programs, and specifically, the requirements for each. To review the requirements
of these programs, please refer to the major grids at berklee.edu/registrar/major-grids.
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TRANSFERRING CREDITS: POLICIES & REQUIREMENTS
The Office of the Registrar provides transfer credit services for prospective and enrolled students. If you are seeking to transfer
credit into Berklee, please make sure of the following:
• The college or university you attended must be an
official regionally accredited institution*
• International transcripts must be submitted to a certified credential evaluation service
• Each course must have a grade of “C” (73% or 2.0
) or higher (Please note that once the course is accepted it only
transfers as earned credit(s) and the grade from the previous institution is not counted in your Berklee G.P.A.)
*Accredited by an accrediting agency or state approval agency recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education as a "reliable authority as to
the quality of postsecondary education" within the meaning of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended (HEA).
Calendar Systems
Berklee operates under a semester-hour cr
edit system. When transferring credit from a university using a different system, the
following conversions must be made:
Quarter-Ho
ur Systems
• 3 quarter-hour
credits outside of Berklee equal 2 semester-hour credits at Berklee
• 4.5 quarter-hour
credits outside of Berklee equal 3 semester-hour credits at Berklee
(Wh
en necessary, courses on the quarter system will be combined and transferred as one 3 semester-hour credit course.)
Semester-Ho
ur Systems
• 2 se
mester-hour credits outside of Berklee equal 2 semester-hour credits at Berklee (30 lecture hours equal 2 semester-
hour credits)
• 3 se
mester-hour credits outside of Berklee equal 3 semester-hour credits at Berklee (45 lecture hours equal 3 semester-
hour credits)
Official Transcripts
A transcript is considered official only if
it is sent directly from a regionally accredited college or university to Berklee; if it is
delivered by a student in a sealed and stamped envelope to Berklee; or if it is electronically delivered from an official and
secure electronic transcript service such as Parchment or the National Student Clearinghouse. Transcripts that have been
opened or faxed are not considered official, and therefore, are not acceptable for transfer credit. Grade reports are also not
accepted for transfer credit.
Internationa
l Transcripts
Transcripts from al
l international institutions require an official translation to English and evaluation to American college
standards by a certified credential evaluation service. The official translation must be mailed directly from the official
translation service, or delivered in a sealed envelope to the Office of Admissions (prospective and entering students), or to the
Office of the Registrar (continuing and returning students). Berklee recommends the following provider of translation and
evaluation services:
Education Credential Evaluators, Inc.
PO Box 514070
Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470 USA
414 289-3400
[email protected]
Important No
te: This translation is required for all international transcripts, with the exception of Canadian transcripts. Be
sure to remind any translation service that the translated transcript must include course names, the course credit values, and
grades.
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TRANSFER CREDIT LIMITATIONS
Degree & Diploma Programs
• Berklee will accept a maximum of
24 liberal arts credits towards the degree programs.
• Berklee will accept a maximum of
12 liberal arts credits towards the professional diploma programs.
Post Matriculation Transfer Credit
The college recognizes th
at special study opportunities may arise after students matriculate. Berklee will therefore accept a
maximum of 9 liberal art credits, if the 24-credit cap limitation is not met upon admittance to Berklee. Students are encouraged
to attain pre-approval transfer status from the Office of the Registrar before enrolling at another institution. (Please see page 4.)
Special Note: This policy does not apply entirely to students who matriculated before fal
l 2009. To see which transfer credit
policies apply to you, you will need to determine your catalog year. Each fall semester a new set of catalogs are created for
each major, including dual majors. The following are examples of how catalogs are assigned: 2007 fall catalog will be
assigned to students entering in 2007 fall, 2008 spring, and 2008 summer; 2008 fall catalog will be assigned to students
entering in 2008 fall, 2009 spring and 2009 summer. Students may opt to change their catalog year assignment to a more
recent catalog if they prefer to graduate under a newer set of curriculum requirements. Please consult the college Policy
Handbook for Students (berklee.edu/student-pol
icy-handbook) for more information.
COURSES ELIGIBLE FOR TRANSFER
Berklee accepts undergraduate liberal arts courses for transfer credit. Berklee does not award transfer credit for music courses,
with the exception of the courses listed below, which are not part of the 24-credit liberal arts maximum for newly admitted
students.
• History of Western Music
• History of Rock ’n’ Roll
• History of Jazz
• General Music History courses
• Principles of Business Ma
nagement
• Principles of Financial Accounting
• Berklee Online co
urses (a list of courses and policies provided at berklee.edu/registrar/online-course-equivalencies
English ESL
Transfer Equivalency
Students may transfer courses that are equivalent to LENG-111:
Introduction to College Writing to Berklee if the student
meets the prerequisite for LENG-111, specifically LENG-106 or native English speaker. Eligible literature courses must have
a prerequisite of Writing and Communication (or equivalent), as determined above, and students must have completed that
course prior to taking the literature course.
Entering Student Placement Assessment (ESPA) an
d Credit by Exam
Students may al
so receive advanced placement credit for core music courses following their Entering Student Placement
Assessment (ESPA). The ESPA is administered to first semester students upon arrival at Berklee. Additionally, students who
feel they have expertise in a music course may speak with the course chair about the possibility of credit by exam (More
information about credit by exam can be found at
berklee.
edu/introductionoverview/important-policies-and-procedures/credit-
exam).
International Baccalaureate
Many courses taken through the International Baccalaureate program are eligible to be accepted at Berklee. The courses must
be
taken at the Higher Level (HL), with a minimum grade of 4 earned. Information regarding International Baccalaureate can
be found at ibo.org.
General Certificate of Education-Ad
vanced Level Exams
Adva
nced Level (A-Level) exams are accepted, provided that the official grade report is submitted to Berklee.
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COURSES NOT ELIGIBLE FOR TRANSFER
Berklee does not accept courses in the following fields: computer science, engineering, physical education and courses tailored
for a specific vocation, included but not limited to auto mechanics, law, nursing or optometry.
Berklee also does not accept English courses taken at international institutions where English is not th
e official language, or
English as a Second Language courses.
Berklee does not accept foreign language courses or AP or CLEP exams when they are in one of the student’s primary
languages and/or primary languages of instruction.
Berklee does not accept high school level SUPA,
Straighterline, and Massive Open Online courses (MOOC) credits as an
alternative to AP and CLEP test scores.
Berklee does not accep
t graduate level courses.
Berklee doe
s not accept courses taken through a third party vendor/website.
TRANSFER CREDIT PRE-APPROVAL PROCESS FOR CONTINUING &
RETURNING STUDENTS
If you are seeking to transfer credit into Berklee, you will need to complete the following steps:
1. Please provide a link to the other college’s catalog to include co
urse description(s), and number of credit(s). Send the
link to transfercredits@berklee.edu. Please do
not cut/paste course descriptions into an email.
2. Once the link is received, course(s) will be evaluated for transfer eligibility and you will be sent a
response within
three business days.
3. When you have completed the course(s), please have official transcripts sent to:
Prospective/Entering Co
ntinuing/Returning
Berklee Colleg
e of Music Berklee College of Music
Office of Admissions Office of Registrar
1140 Boylston Street 1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215 Boston, MA 02215
BERKLEE LIBERAL ARTS REQUIREMENTS
What Are Liberal Arts? Liberal Arts include the study of:
• Humanities: lite
rature, creative writing, poetry, philosophy, languages, communication, art history, history,
music history, visual arts, drama, and more.
• Natural Science/Mathematics: bi
ology, chemistry, physics, environmental science, acoustics, mathematics, and
more.
• Social Sciences: ps
ychology, economics, sociology, history, anthropology, political science, women’s studies,
Africana studies, Latino studies, and more.
Diploma Program
Liberal Arts transfer credit is acceptable for Diploma students. Transferrab
le courses will be applied ONLY towards the
General Elective requirement and cannot be used to fulfill any other requirement. Only four Liberal Arts courses will be
accepted for transfer credit towards your Diploma program. You can choose any type of Liberal Arts courses to count as these
4 allowed courses.
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Degree Program
Below is a list of th
e Liberal Arts requirements for the Berklee Degree program. These are provided to assist you in deciding
what courses to consider when fulfilling a requirement at Berklee.
General Liberal Arts Requirements for Degree (39 cred
its required):
History (1 course required):
Choose an
y course of interest to you in the History topics to fulfill Berklee’s LHIS requirement.
Art History (1 course required):
Choos
e any course of interest to you in the Art History topics to fulfill Berklee’s LVIS requirement.
English (2 courses required):
Writing and Communication to
fulfill Berklee's LENG-111 requirement.
Literature to fulfill Berklee's LENG-223 requirement: Eligible literature courses must have a prerequisite of Writing and
Communication (or equivalent).
Social Science (1 course required):
Choose any course of interest to you in the Social Science topics to fulfill Berklee’s LSOC requirement. Ex
amples of eligible
social science disciplines are anthropology, psychology and sociology.
Natural Science/Mathematics (1 course required):
Choose any course of interest to you in the Natural Science/Mathematics topics to fulfill Berklee’s LM
SC requirement. Eligible
courses include biology, chemistry, LMSC-200-level mathematics or higher, and physics.
Music History (3 co
urses required):
• Western European Classical Music
• Contemporary Music of the African Diaspora in the Americas
• MHIS Elective. Choose any ot
her MHIS course of interest to you.
Liberal Arts Electives (2 co
urses required)
LHUM-200
level, these courses may be from any liberal arts discipline.
Music and So
ciety Topics (1 course required):
LMAS-223 Cu
rrent course descriptions are listed on the Liberal Arts department webpage.
Please Note: Th
is course can only be fulfilled within Berklee and cannot be transferred in.
Humanities (2 co
urses required):
LHUM-100 Ar
tistry, Creativity and Inquiry Seminar
LHUM-400 Professional Development Seminar
Please Note: Th
ese courses can only be fulfilled within Berklee and cannot be transferred in.
Technological Literacy (1 course required)
MTEC-111
Introduction to Music Technology
Please Note: Th
is course can only be fulfilled within Berklee and cannot be transferred in.
NOTE: Some majors require specific liberal arts courses: check with the major chair for information.
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OTHER OPTIONS FOR CREDIT FULFILLMENT
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) EXAMINATION AND COURSE SUMMARY
• Please note, 1 passing score on an AP test can only equal 1 transferred course at Berklee.
• Berklee reserves the right to decide what classes are acceptable and how they will count towards the Berklee curriculum.
It is at Berklee’s discretion as to how to handle transfer credits within the school’s requirements.
• If a student already has earned credit for a specific requirement, then LHUM-200 will be used instead.
AP Examination
Minimum Score
Required
Semester Hours
Art History
3
3
Biology
3
3
Calculus AB
3
3
Calculus BC
3
3
Chemistry
3
3
Chinese Language and Culture
3
3
Economics: Macro
3
3
Economics: Micro
3
3
English Language and Composition
4
3
English Literature and Composition
4
3
Environmental Science
3
3
European History
3
3
French Language and Culture
3
3
German Language and Culture
3
3
Government & Politics: Comparative
3
3
Government & Politics: United States
3
3
Human Geography
3
3
Italian Language and Culture
3
3
Japanese Language and Culture
3
3
Latin
3
3
Physics 1=Algebra Based
AND
Physics 2=Algebra Based*
3
3
Physics B
3
3
Physics C: Mechanics
3
3
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism
3
3
Psychology
3
3
Spanish Language and Culture
3
3
Spanish Literature and Culture
3
3
Statistics
3
3
U.S. History
3
3
World History
3
3
*NOTE: Both Physics 1=Algebra Based AND Physics 2=Algebra Based tests are required, with both needing a score of 3 or
higher to equate to Berklee’s LMSC 306.
Berklee recognizes AP coursework, and accepts AP exam results as transfer credit. AP credit is included in the 24-credit cap
(for the Degree) and 12-credit cap (for the Diploma) for all students whose first semester was Fall 2009.
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An official grade report from College Board must be sent to Berklee to receive AP credit. Berklee will accept AP credit on
another school’s transcript only if the passing score is stated on said transcript. All Prospective and Entering students should
send their AP results to the Admissions Office; all Continuing and Returning Students should send their AP results to the
Office of the Registrar as
follows:
Prospective/En
tering Continuing/Returning
Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music
Office of Admissions Office of Registrar
1140 Boylston Street 1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215 Boston, MA 02215
NOTE: Foreign language AP te
sts are only accepted for subjects other than one of the student’s primary languages and/or
primary languages of instruction.
For questions or to have official AP scores sent to Berklee, please contact College
Board at:
AP Services
P.
O. Box 6671
Princeton, NJ 08541-6671
Phone: (609) 771-7300 or (888) 225-5427 (toll-free in the U.S. and Canada)
Email: a[email protected]ollegeboard.org
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/ap/about.html
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COLLEGE LEVEL EXAMINATION PROGRAM (CLEP)
CREDIT RECOMMENDATIONS AND BERKLEE EQUIVALENCIES
• Please note, 1 passing score on a CLEP test can only equal 1 transferred course at Berklee. This includes passing scores
for foreign language CLEP tests.
• Berklee reserves the right to decide what classes are acceptable and how they will count towards the Berklee curriculum.
It is at Berklee’s discretion as to how to handle transfer credits within the school’s requirements.
CLEP Examination
Minimum Score
Required
Berklee Equivalencies
Semester Hours
Business
Principles of Accounting
50
MB 275
2
Principles of Management
50
MB 201
2
Composition and Literature Examination
American Literature
50
LENG 223
3
College Composition
50
LENG 111
3
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature
50
LENG-223
3
English Literature
50
LENG-223
3
Humanities
50
LHUM 200
3
Foreign Languages
3
French Language (Levels 1 / 2)
50
LFRN 151
3
German Language (Levels 1 / 2)
50
LHUM 200
3
Spanish Language (Levels 1 / 2)
50
LSPN 161
3
History and Social Sciences Examination
3
American Government
50
LSOC 335
3
Introduction to Educational Psychology
50
LPHL 475
3
History of the United States I: Early Colonization’s
to 1877
50
LHIS 223
3
History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present
50
LHIS 223
3
Human Growth and Development
50
LSOC-200
3
Principles of Macroeconomics
50
LSOC 225
3
Principles of Microeconomics
50
LSOC 225
3
Introductory Psychology
50
LSOC 211
3
Social Sciences and History
50
LHIS 223
3
Introductory Sociology
50
LSOC 355
3
Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648
50
LHIS 223
3
Western Civilization II: 1648 to the Present
50
LHIS 217
3
Science and Mathematics Examination
3
Biology
50
LMSC 200
3
Calculus
50
LMSC 250
3
Chemistry
50
LMSC 200
3
College Algebra
50
LMSC 130*
3
College Mathematics
50
LMSC 130*
3
Natural Sciences
50
LMSC 200
3
Pre-calculus
50
LMSC 250
3
*NOTE: LMSC 130 does not fulfill Math/Natural Science requirements; rather, it counts towards the Liberal Arts/Elective
requirements and Math pre-requirement/proficiency.
Berklee accepts CLEP exams as transfer credit; this credit counts towards the Liberal Arts requirement and credit cap.
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An official grade report from the College Board must be sent to Berklee to receive CLEP credit. To have official CLEP
results sent to Berklee, please call 800 257-9558. All Prospective and Entering students should send their CLEP exam
results to the Admissions Office; all Continuing and Returning Students should send their exam results to the Office of the
Registrar as follows:
Prospective/E
ntering Continuing/Returning
Berklee College of Music Be
rklee College of Music
Office of Admissions Office of Registrar
1140 Boylston Street 1140 Boylston Street
Boston, MA 02215 Boston, MA 02215
NOTE: Foreign language CLEP tests are only accepted for subjects other than one of the student’s primary languages
an
d/or primary languages of instruction.
The College Board’s College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
P.O. Box 6600
Pr
inceton, NJ 08541-6600
Phone: (800) 257-9558
Fax: (609) 771-7088
Email: clep@info.collegeboard.org
http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html
OREG-6/19
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