Transfer of Credit

Transfer of Credit from SFCC to Other Institutions

With few exceptions, SFCC cannot guarantee transfer of credit to other colleges and universities; credit is accepted at the discretion of the receiving institution. There are important exceptions to this general rule. Public institutions in New Mexico are obligated to accept general education courses that have been approved for transfer by the New Mexico Higher Education Department, and they are also obligated to accept coursework in approved transfer modules in Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Business Administration, Teacher Education and General Engineering. Visit www.hed.state.nm.us for more information. Refer to the certificate in General Academic Transfer.

Transfer of Credit From Other Institutions to SFCC

To transfer credit earned at other institutions of higher education to SFCC, several criteria must be met:

• Courses must be from accredited institutions.
• Official transcripts must be on file in the SFCC Registrar’s Office.
• Courses must be approved for content and learning outcomes by the SFCC Registrar. The Registrar evaluates the courses with SFCC faculty advisors and counselors in specific program areas.
• Courses considered for transfer must have a grade of “C” or higher.

The same exceptions that apply to transfer of credit from SFCC to other New Mexico institutions apply to transfer of credit from other New Mexico institutions to SFCC - those general education courses that are approved by the New Mexico Higher Education Department and the courses making up transfer modules outlined below.

Planning for effective transfer with maximum efficiency is ultimately the student’s responsibility. Responsible transfer planning includes early and regular consultation with the intended degree-granting institution to ensure that all pre-transfer course work will meet the requirements of the desired degree.

General Education Requirements for Transfer Students With a Bachelor’s Degree or Higher

When an official transcript arrives in the Registrar’s Office showing completion of a bachelor’s or higher degree, for most degree programs, a comment is posted to the SFCC transcript stating that general education requirements have been met.

Exceptions to this occur when a student chooses a program of study that has a specific general education requirement such as art history for a Fine Arts degree. The student will be expected to complete those requirements. Some majors may have specific general education requirements, such as Nursing, Respiratory Care, Fine Arts or the sciences. Check with your advisor to see if you need to meet specific general education requirements.

ENGL 1110  will be satisfied as a result of holding a bachelor’s or higher degree. A math or science course taken more than three years ago cannot fulfill a prerequisite for a subsequent math or science course unless a student can demonstrate proficiency.

A math or science course taken more than five years ago cannot fulfill a prerequisite for other courses. Because course material differs from college to college, placement testing is the best way to determine accurate course placement. The college reserves the right to disenroll or transfer a student who does not meet the necessary course prerequisites. A student may be permitted to waive a prerequisite based on demonstrated mastery of skills. A student must petition the appropriate department chair or designee for permission to waive a prerequisite.

Lower Division Credit Transfer Modules

Students who have selected a field of study but have not yet selected the college or university from which they wish to earn a bachelor’s degree are advised to take courses outlined in one of the lower-division 60 (minimum) credit transfer modules during their freshman and sophomore years. For students enrolled at any public institution in New Mexico, these courses are guaranteed to transfer to any New Mexico public university and apply toward bachelor’s degree program requirements. Students should consult advisors at their current institution regarding which specific classes fit these categories. Lower-division transfer modules exist for:

• Business Administration
• Criminal Justice
• Early Childhood Education
• General Engineering
• Teacher Education

Modules for additional areas of study are being developed. For more information, visit www.hed.state.nm.us.

Transferring Courses to Fulfill the New Mexico General Education Curriculum

In accordance with policies established by the New Mexico Higher Education Department, designated general education curriculum courses successfully completed at any regionally accredited public institution of higher education in New Mexico are guaranteed to transfer to any New Mexico public institution. Students who have decided on a major and/or an institution to complete their studies should consult with an academic advisor at that particular institution to determine the most appropriate course selections. Students enrolling for the first year of study at a New Mexico college or university and considering possible transfer into a certificate and/or degree program at another institution are encouraged to take the courses approved for transfer during their freshman and sophomore years of study. The curriculum matrix of approved courses guaranteed to transfer and meet general education requirements at any New Mexico college or university can be found on the New Mexico Higher Education Department website at: https://hed.state.nm.us/resources-for-schools/public_schools/general-education

Courses approved to meet the General Education Curriculum at Santa Fe Community College are listed below:

New Mexico General Education Curriculum (NMGEC)

As outlined in SFCC Policy 3-3 Associate in Arts and Associate in Science Degree Requirements, students must complete courses approved for general education by the New Mexico Curriculum and Assessment Committee in the disciplines of communications (6 credit hours, ENGL 1110 or ENGL 1210 required), mathematics (3 credit hours) laboratory science (4 credit hours), social and behavioral sciences (3 credit hours), humanities (3 credit hours) and creative and fine arts (3 credit hours). Students must complete additional general education credits in the disciplines of communications (3 credit hours), math or science (3 credit hours), and humanities, social and behavioral science, or creative and fine arts (3 credit hours).

As outlined in SFCC Policy 3-4 Associate in Applied Arts and Associate in Applied Science Degree Requirements, students must complete courses approved for general education by the New Mexico Curriculum and Assessment Committee in the disciplines of communications (6 credit hours, ENGL 1110 or ENGL 1210 required), mathematics (3 credit hours), laboratory science (4 credit hours), humanities (3 credits), and social and behavioral sciences or creative and fine arts (3 credit hours).

Area I: Communications

Select six credit hours

• COMM 1130 - Public Speaking   Credits: 3
• COMM 2120 - Interpersonal Communication   Credits: 3
• COMM 2140 - Small Group Communication   Credits: 3
• ENGL 1110 - Composition I   Credits: 3
• ENGL 1120 - Composition II   Credits: 3
• ENGL 1210 - Technical Communications   Credits: 3
• ENGL 2210 - Technical and Professional Communication   Credits: 3

Area II: Mathematics

Select three credit hours

• MATH 1110 - Math for Teachers I   Credits: 3
• MATH 1115 - Math for Teachers II   Credits: 3
• MATH 1130 - Survey of Mathematics   Credits: 3 (please note that this course may not transfer into some degree programs)
• MATH 1220 - College Algebra   Credits: 4
• MATH 1250 - Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus   Credits: 4
• MATH 1350 - Introduction to Statistics   Credits: 3
• MATH 1430 - Applications of Calculus I   Credits: 3
• MATH 1510 - Calculus I   Credits: 4
• MATH 1520 - Calculus II   Credits: 4

Area III: Sciences

Select four credit hours

• ASTR 1115C - Introduction to Astronomy   Credits: 4
• BIOL 1110 - General Biology   Credits: 3
  and
• BIOL 1110L - General Biology Lab   Credits: 1

• BIOL 1130 - Introductory Anatomy and Physiology   Credits: 3
  and
• BIOL 1130L - Introductory Anatomy and Physiology Lab   Credits: 1

​

• BIOL 1140 - Biology for Health Sciences    Credits: 3
  and
• BIOL 1140L - Biology for Health Sciences Lab   Credits: 1

• BIOL 1215 - Biology for Environmental Sciences   Credits: 3
  and
• BIOL 1215L - Biology for Environmental Sciences Lab   Credits: 1

• BIOL 1625 - Introduction to Ecology and Field Biology   Credits: 4

• BIOL 2110 - Principles of Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology   Credits: 3
  and
• BIOL 2110L - Principles of Biology: Cellular and Molecular Laboratory   Credits: 1

• BIOL 2210 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I   Credits: 3
  and
• BIOL 2210L - Human Anatomy and Physiology I Lab   Credits: 1

• BIOL 2225 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II   Credits: 3
• and
• BIOL 2225L - Human Anatomy and Physiology II Lab   Credits: 1 

• BIOL 2310 - Microbiology   Credits: 3
• and
• BIOL 2310L - Microbiology Lab   Credits: 1 

• BIOL 2410 - Principles of Biology: Genetics   Credits: 3
  and
• BIOL 2410L - Principles of Biology: Genetics Laboratory   Credits: 1

• CHEM 1120 - Introduction to Chemistry   Credits: 3
  and
• CHEM 1120L - Introduction to Chemistry Lab   Credits: 1

• CHEM 1215 - General Chemistry I for STEM Majors   Credits: 3
  and
• CHEM 1215L - General Chemistry I Laboratory for STEM Majors   Credits: 1

• CHEM 1225 - General Chemistry II for STEM Majors   Credits: 3
  and
• CHEM 1225L - General Chemistry II Laboratory for STEM Majors   Credits: 1

• GEOL 1110 - Physical Geology   Credits: 3
  and
• GEOL 1110L - Physical Geology Laboratory   Credits: 1
• GEOL 1998 - Geology Field Experience   Credits: 4

• GEOL 2110 - Historical Geology   Credits: 3
  and
• GEOL 2110L - Historical Geology Laboratory   Credits: 1

• PHYS 1115 - Survey of Physics   Credits: 3
  and
• PHYS 1115L - Survey of Physics Laboratory   Credits: 1

• PHYS 1230 - Algebra-based Physics I   Credits: 3
  and
• PHYS 1230L - Algebra-based Physics I Lab   Credits: 1

• PHYS 1240 - Algebra-based Physics II   Credits: 3
  and
• PHYS 1240L - Algebra-based Physics II Laboratory   Credits: 1

• PHYS 1310 - Calculus-based Physics I   Credits: 3
  and
• PHYS 1310L - Calculus-based Physics I Lab   Credits: 1

• PHYS 1320 - Calculus-based Physics II   Credits: 3
  and
• PHYS 1320L - Calculus-based Physics II Lab   Credits: 1

Area IV: Social/Behavioral Sciences

Select three credit hours

• ANTH 1140 - Introduction to Cultural Anthropology   Credits: 3
• ECON 2110 - Macroeconomic Principles   Credits: 3
• ECON 2120 - Microeconomic Principles   Credits: 3
• POLS 1120 - American National Government   Credits: 3
• PSYC 1110 - Introduction to Psychology   Credits: 3
• PSYC 2120 - Developmental Psychology   Credits: 3
• SOCI 1110 - Introduction to Sociology   Credits: 3
• SOCI 2255 - Race, Class, and Gender   Credits: 3

Area V: Humanities

Select three credit hours

• ARTH 2110 - History of Art I   Credits: 3
• ARTH 2120 - History of Art II   Credits: 3
• ENGL 1410 - Introduction to Literature   Credits: 3
• ENGL 2510 - Analysis of Literature   Credits: 3
• ENGL 2560 - Introduction to Native American Literature   Credits: 3
• FREN 1110 - French I   Credits: 4
• FREN 1120 - French II   Credits: 4
• HIST 1110 - United States History I   Credits: 3
• HIST 1120 - United States History II   Credits: 3
• HIST 1130 - World History I   Credits: 3
• HIST 1140 - World history II   Credits: 3
• HIST 1150 - Western Civilization I   Credits: 3
• HIST 1160 - Western Civilization II   Credits: 3
• HIST 2110 - Survey of New Mexico History   Credits: 3
• HIST 2120 - Survey of Mexican American History   Credits: 3
• HIST 2130 - Survey of Native American History   Credits: 3
• HUMN 1110 - Introduction of World Humanities I   Credits: 3
• HUMN 1150 - Introduction to Culture and Gender Studies   Credits: 3
• HUMN 2110 - Introduction to World Humanities II   Credits: 3
• PHIL 1115 - Introduction of Philosophy   Credits: 3
• PHIL 2110 - Introduction to Ethics   Credits: 3
• PORT 1110 - Beginning Portuguese I   I Credits: 4
• SIGN 1110 - American Sign Language I   Credits: 4
• SPAN 1110 - Spanish I   Credits: 4
• SPAN 1120 - Spanish II   Credits: 4
• SPAN 2110 - Spanish III   Credits: 3
• SPAN 2120 - Spanish IV   Credits: 3

Area VI: Creative and Fine Arts

Select three credit hours

• ARTS 1110 - Arts and Design Survey   Credits: 3
• ARTS 1250L - Design II: Three Dimensional Design   Credits: 3
• ARTS 1330 - Clay Hand-Building I   Credits: 3
• ARTS 1610 - Drawing I   Credits: 3
• ARTS 1631L - Painting Media Ancient and Contemporary   Credits: 3
• DANC 1110 - Dance Appreciation   Credits: 3
• ENGL 1320 - Exploring Creative Writing   Credits: 3
• FDMA 2110 - Introduction to Film Studies   Credits: 3
• MUSC 1130 - Music Appreciation: Western Music   Credits: 3
• MUSC 1160 - Music Theory I   Credits: 3
• THEA 1110 - Introduction to Theatre   Credits: 3

Note:

NOTE: The New Mexico Higher Education Department has approved for transfer many additional courses in each of the general education categories. If a transfer institution has unspecified course requirements in a particular category, students have many more options than are indicated in the preceding list. Consult with an SFCC advisor or check with the Registrar’s Office for the latest updates.

Articulation

Credit for Prior Learning

1. College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
   Refer to the equivalency matrix.
2. DANTES Standardized Subject Tests (DSST)
   Refer to the equivalency matrix.
3. College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP)
   Refer to the equivalency matrix.
4. Armed Services Educational Experience
   SFCC will award credit for prior learning in alignment and according to the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) and the United States Armed Forces Institute. The Military Occupational Specialists credit recommendations may be modified to be consistent with the institution’s credit policy subject to review by the college’s subject matter expert, course descriptions and objectives. Additionally, two physical education credits will be awarded to students who have completed basic training in the military service. For more information, contact the Registrar’s Office.
5. Certifications and Licensures
   SFCC will award course credit to students who have earned certain professional credentials by examination that demonstrate learning comparable to that of the published learning outcomes for the course credit requested. Contact the department chair for more information.
6. SFCC Challenge Examinations
   Students may earn course credit by successfully passing a comprehensive challenge exam developed internally by the department, if one is available. If the student passes the challenge exam with a grade of C or higher, the course will be posted to the student’s transcript with a grade of P (Pass) and the appropriate number of credit hours. The course will count toward graduation requirements, but it will not be included in calculating the grade point average. The course will not count towards the SFCC residency requirement for graduation. A student may attempt a challenge exam only once per course. If the challenge is unsuccessful, the student must take the course to receive academic credit. Contact the department chair for more information.
7. Credit by Portfolio
   If no exam options are available, students may, in certain cases, be able to earn course credit by documenting in a portfolio college-level learning acquired through those experiences. Faculty members will evaluate and assess if the learning outcomes are met as listed on the course syllabus. Course credit awarded through the portfolio process will not count towards the SFCC residency requirement for graduation. Contact the department chair for more information.

College Board (CEEB) Advanced Placement (AP) Program

Equivalency Matrix of SFCC Courses/CLEP and DSST

Complaint Procedure for Transfer Students

All New Mexico public postsecondary institutions are required to establish policies and practices for receiving and resolving complaints from students or from other complainants regarding the transfer of course work from other public institutions in the state. SFCC’s complaint process is as follows:

1. File a written appeal with the Registrar’s Office providing the prefix/number of the course(s) in question, semester and year the course was taken, the name of the course and the course description from sending institution’s catalog.
2. If the request is denied, the student may continue the appeal process to the Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs and must do so no later than 30 days following the notification of denial.
3. The Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs, in concert with the appropriate college and/or content area, will review applicable materials and render a final decision.

If the course or courses in question are part of a state-approved transfer module, the student may make further appeal to the Higher Education Department:

New Mexico Higher Education Department
2048 Galisteo Street
Santa Fe, NM 87505-2100

If a student’s articulation complaint is upheld at that level, and the student was required to repeat the course, the receiving institution shall reimburse the student the complete cost, including tuition, books and fees for each course the student was required to repeat at the receiving institution.

Students who have been admitted to SFCC as degree students in transfer from a regionally accredited college, university or other postsecondary institution may request the transfer of credit earned at other institutions. Students must request that each previously attended college or university send an official transcript directly to the Registrar’s Office. SFCC will accept college transcripts directly from students only in sealed envelopes marked “official transcript.” Credits may be transferred in accordance with the following guidelines:

1. Credit for courses from regionally accredited institutions will be accepted without condition.
2. Credit for courses accepted in transfer may be used toward graduation requirements as approved by the department head and as specified in the college’s graduation regulations.
3. Credit for technical or occupational courses earned at nationally accredited postsecondary institutions will be evaluated according to the technical program being followed at SFCC and may be substituted for SFCC requirements as approved by the division dean. Such work might not apply toward courses in a major or toward general education requirements.
4. The GPA for all courses accepted in transfer that are used to meet graduation requirements must equal 2.0 or more. Course work at SFCC is on a semester-credit-hour basis. Therefore, all transfer work will be converted to semester hours. For example, three quarter hours will be transferred as two semester hours of credit.