This section provides general Liberal Studies Program (LSP) guidelines for transfer students. For the Liberal Studies requirements associated with a specific program, see the catalog description for that respective program. Students in the DePaul University Honors Program should consult with a program advisor about their requirements.
Transfer Student LSP Guidelines
- Transfer students must meet all LSP requirements as specified by the student's primary major: First Year Program, the LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE (unless the student has completed the IAI/GECC), the Experiential Learning Requirement, the Capstone, and the various Learning Domain courses.
- Transfer courses are applied to the most appropriate Learning Domain, based on articulations vetted through the Transfer Articulation Center according to the posted learning outcomes and writing expectations for each requirement.
- Transfer students (aged 23 years old or younger) who enter DePaul with 30 or more quarter hours of combined transfer credit, not including test credit, do not need to enroll in Discover Chicago/Explore Chicago or Focal Point courses. Instead, they will complete two Learning Domain electives outside their area of specialization, using either existing transfer credit or future DePaul credit. With First-Year Program approval, the transfer student may elect to enroll in a Discover Chicago/Explore Chicago and/or Focal Point course.
- Adult students (aged 24 years old or older) who enter DePaul, regardless of the number of combined transfer credit, do not need to enroll in Discover Chicago/Explore Chicago and/or Focal Point courses. Instead, they will complete two Learning Domain electives outside their area of specialization, using either existing transfer credit or future DePaul credit. With First-Year Program approval, the adult transfer student may elect instead to enroll in a Discover Chicago/Explore Chicago and/or Focal Point course.
- New first-year students (i.e. traditional freshmen) must enroll in Discover Chicago or Explore Chicago and (if required by major) the Focal Point Seminar regardless of the number of combined transfer credit and/or test credit hours.
- Students may complete the LSP writing requirement with either transfer credit or coursework completed at DePaul. Placement in DePaul writing courses is determined by a placement process.
- Transfer students who enter DePaul with earned credit for WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II and not WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I may satisfy the second writing course requirement by taking any one of the following expository writing courses:
Course List Course Title Quarter Hours WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I 4 WRD 203 STYLE FOR WRITERS 4 WRD 206 PROFESSIONAL WRITING 4 WRD 240 ARGUMENTATIVE WRITING 4 WRD 300 COMPOSITION AND STYLE 4 - Permission to substitute an open elective for the second writing course may be granted based on a review of documentation showing superior achievement and/or professional experience in advanced, expository writing. For more information, please contact the First-Year Writing Program by emailing FYWriting@depaul.edu.
- Transfer students who met first-year writing requirements at their previous institution through coursework other than equivalents of WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I and WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II may petition the First-Year Writing Program for a waiver or substitution of this requirement by emailing FYWriting@depaul.edu and including the rationale and syllabi for the course(s) in question. The rationale should describe how the course(s) in question meet the requirement's learning outcomes and writing expectations. The First-Year Writing Program will communicate its decision to the student and the student's home college advisor. Based on information from the course description and syllabus, a determination will be made as to whether the student
- should take WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I and/or WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II;
- should substitute an upper-level writing course from an approved list for WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I and/or petition to waive WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II by submitting a portfolio including two research projects, process documents, and a reflective argument demonstrating how the portfolio meets the requirement's learning outcomes as outlined here; or
- have part or all of the requirement waived.
Elective credit will be adjusted accordingly to ensure that a student earns 192 credits for degree completion.
- Transfer students who enter DePaul with earned credit for WRD 104 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC II and not WRD 103 COMPOSITION AND RHETORIC I may satisfy the second writing course requirement by taking any one of the following expository writing courses:
- The LSP 200 SEMINAR ON RACE, POWER, AND RESISTANCE may not be substituted or waived.
- Applying transfer credit to the Experiential Learning requirement:
- Internships: DePaul generally does not award Experiential Learning credit for internships or cooperative learning courses taken at another college or university. Students may petition the LSP office for a waiver or substitution of this requirement by emailing LiberalStudies@depaul.edu and including a rationale and syllabus for the course in question. The student must make the case that the course meets the Experiential Learning learning outcomes and writing expectations. The LSP office will communicate its decision to the student and the student's home college advisor.
- Study Abroad: Students who transfer in credit from a full-year or term-long study abroad program through an accredited institution, consisting of no less than ten weeks abroad and no less than 12 quarter hours abroad, and having received grades of no less than a "C" in these courses, may use one of these courses to fulfill the Experiential Learning Requirement.
- The Liberal Studies Capstone requirement may not be substituted or waived. Students who have more than one major should consult with their college advisor as to their specific Capstone requirement(s).
- Accumulation of additional credit that fulfills LSP requirements: In some circumstances, students may earn transfer credit that exceeds LSP requirements. For example, coursework from institutions organized by semesters earn 1.5 quarter hour credits for each semester hour. Hence each 3.0-credit course transferred from a semester institution earns 4.5 credits at DePaul. As a result, students may have credits that exceed the required number in a particular component of the program. These excess general education credits may be added up and, when the sum reaches 4 quarter hours (and multiples thereof), applied to other LSP requirements as follows:
- Transfer students who have earned more than 30 credits may use the excess credit to fulfill the Domain electives that replace Discover/ Explore Chicago and the Focal Point Seminar. This substitution will be applied before any other.
- Students must complete at least one course in each domain, whether through transfer/test credit or DePaul credit. Once that requirement has been met, students may apply the excess credit to any of the following domains: Arts & Literature; Historical Inquiry; Philosophical Inquiry; Religious Dimensions; or Social, Cultural, and Behavioral Inquiry. College-specific rules may apply; see your college advisor.
- Students may combine excess credit with the Language for Liberal Studies Option within a single domain as long as they complete at least one course (transfer or DePaul) per domain.
- Students who have test credit must have official score reports sent directly to the Transfer Articulation Center (TrAC).