Department Examinations

Certain departments in the undergraduate program allow students to obtain credit for specific courses if they can demonstrate that they have mastered the content and method of the courses in question. Those interested in seeking credit in this fashion should contact the department chair of the appropriate department.

The examining faculty member offers no special instruction to the student except to furnish the syllabus of the course. If this is unavailable or of insufficient assistance to the student, the course should be taken as a regular semester offering or on an Individual Study basis.

A student may attempt to earn credit by examination only once for a particular course. Grades for courses taken in this way are usually given on an S/R basis unless the department has decided that a letter grade should be awarded.

Only courses for which credit is awarded will be posted on the transcript. A fee is charged for administering the examination.

The following departments offer the availability of credit by examination for selected courses. Departments not included in the list do not offer any courses under this option.

Business – Examinations may be given with the consent of the chair of the department. Contact the department with questions.

Chemistry – Examinations may be given for CHEM 111 and/or CHEM 112, at the discretion of the chair of the department.

Computer and Information Sciences – The Department of Computer and Information Sciences offers a "Credit by Exam" option to allow students the opportunity to earn course credit for one of the following four entry-level computing courses at UST:

CISC 130: Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving in the Sciences 
CISC 131: Introduction to Programming and Problem Solving 
CISC 200: Introductory Computer Technology and Business Applications
STAT 220: Statistics I

There will be a unique exam for each course that will evaluate students relative to the specific concepts and skills that are the focus of that particular course. Students will need to obtain a score of at least 80% to receive credit for the course.

Each exam costs $150, payable to the Business Office. An exam may only be taken once; retakes are not permitted.

Engineering – Examinations may be given for all courses, if circumstances warrant it, with the exception of:

ENGR 480 Engineering Design Clinic I
ENGR 481 Engineering Design Clinic II

Each case will be considered individually by the department chair.

English – Under extraordinary circumstances, with the consent of the department chair, credit by examination may be sought for English courses with the following exceptions:

ENGL 121 Critical Thinking: Literature and Writing
ENGL 201 Text in Conversation: Perspectives on Genre and Craft
ENGL 202 Texts in Conversation: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
ENGL 203 Texts in Conversation: Thematic and Intertextual Perspectives
ENGL 204 Texts in Conversation: Perspectives on Language, Culture, and Literacy
ENGL 300 Theory and Practice of Writing
ENGL 421/422 Literary Magazine Practicum
ENGL 481 or ENGL 482 Capstone Seminar

Foreign Language – Examinations may be given for certain courses. Each case will be considered individually by the department chair.

Geology – GEOL 111 Introductory Geology I

Mathematics – A departmental examination is available for MATH 113 Calculus I with the following qualifications:

A score of 0 - 59 = no credit;
A score of 60 -79 = no credit but MATH 113 will be waived as a prerequisite;
A score of 80 - 100 = credit for MATH 113

Psychology – In special circumstances, and with approval of the department, credit by examination may be sought for PSYC 111 General Psychology