Transfer Course Equivalencies

Transfer Equivalencies Excel Doc (updated 10/19/2023) 

Please note that transfer Grades of C- are not accepted for some CS Program Requirements.

Effective July 2018, TCE Review VALID FOR 2 YEARS.  The date reviewed indicates when the course was last reviewed for approval.  At present, the posted equivalency is valid for 2 years through the end of the semester year noted.  Prior to July 2018, coursework was reviewed yearly.

Please use this list as a guide rather than a guarantee that the course will be accepted by Computer Science or UMass.  Also note that the reviews in the linked file are not definitive.  If you can find additional courses (either core courses or electives) at these schools or any other schools, you will need to submit the Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) form. Courses will be vetted by faculty who have taught the UMass COMPSCI equivalent (within the past two semesters) as part of the TCE process. We will consider each proposal on a case-by-case basis.

Using the Transfer Course Equivalency Forms 

We are working on a new process to streamline transfer equivalency reviews and will post updates once in place.

TCE Paperwork (required for mapping or review of coursework taken elsewhere):

Use the Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) form to validate courses taken outside of UMass Amherst (instructions on the form). This is a pre-cursor to the following University paperwork for students who are already here at UMass and want to take courses elsewhere. University forms are submitted after department approval is given using the TCE form:

  • Prior Approval for Transfer Course Work form (PAF) - to take courses elsewhere and transfer coursework back to UMass.
  • Senior Year in Absentia (SYIA) - to finish degree requirements elsewhere and transfer coursework back to earn degree.
  • International Course Approval form (ICAF) - to take courses on international exchange and transfer coursework back to UMass.
  • Domestic Exchange - to take courses on domestic exchange and transfer coursework back to UMass.

The TCE form is also used to review the transfer course equivalency (TR EQ) of a posted course that is granted generic CS credit upon admission, i.e., COMPSCI 1TRA, COMPSCI 1TRB, etc., or for review of Five College courses (5C EQ).  Only the TCE form is needed for these.

TCE Paperwork (required for mapping or review of coursework taken elsewhere):

  • For courses with VALID approval, submit page 1 of the TCE form only.
  • For courses with EXPIRED semester, submit complete TCE form (both page 1 and 2).
  • For courses not listed, submit complete TCE form (both page 1 and 2).

ALL PREREQUISITES are to be completed before taking course equivalencies elsewhere.  Approval for individual students will not be granted if prerequisites are not met, e.g., you want to take a COMPSCI 377 equivalent elsewhere, but you have not satisfied the prerequisite (COMPSCI 230 with a grade of 'C' or better).  In this case, your TCE for 377 will not be approved.  Prerequisites in progress may be considered, however, final approval will not be given until the grade is posted.

Registration and Equivalent Prerequisites 

If you believe that any of your generic transfer credit should be accepted as a particular COMPSCI course, you are expected to begin the evaluation process immediately after admission so that the TCE process is completed prior to your advising/registration session, if possible. If your course(s) is still pending prior to your advising session, you should only consider taking courses that are not contingent upon your TCE, i.e., if you think you have a transfer course equivalent for COMPSCI 250 still pending a decision, do not attempt to enroll in COMPSCI 311 which has 250 as a prerequisite.  Select another course.

Transfer Equivalency Posting to Transcript 

  • Transfer students with coursework completed upon admission must meet the prerequisite before approved transfer equivalencies are posted to the transcript.  This may be accomplished by taking the prerequisite course(s) at UMass Amherst.  Students must email tce [at] cs [dot] umass [dot] edu (tce[at]cs[dot]umass[dot]edu) upon completion of the prerequisites.
  • Pre-approval for coursework (PAF/ICAF/SYIA) taken elsewhere is not granted if the prerequisite course(s) are not satisfied.  In-progress prerequisites will be considered, however, final approval will not be given until grades post.

Residency Requirement 

The College of Information and Computer Sciences has a Residency Requirement with a limit on the number of transfer courses that will be accepted to fulfill upper level CS courses (300+) toward major requirements, as follows:

  • BS: no more than three transfer courses are allowed (5 of the 8 CS 300+ must be taken here @UMass Amherst)
  • BA: no more than two transfer courses are allowed (3 of the 5 CS 300+ must be taken here @UMass Amherst)
  • There is also a limit of one Five College course to fulfill upper level CS courses for either the BS/BA and this course is counted toward courses taken outside of UMass.