Transfer Credits and Other Policies
Transfer Credits
Although off-campus programs are often a valuable enhancement to the Art major, the Department strongly recommends that students take as many courses as possible at Colorado College. No more than three transfer units taken off-campus or at another institution can be counted towards the Art major. Only one of these courses can be an online course from another institution. In cases of extenuating circumstances, students may petition the Department for an exception.
It is the individual Art major’s responsibility, before embarking on a program of off-campus study, to check with the Registrar and the Art Department Chair to find out how much credit off-campus courses will receive, and which courses will be counted toward the Art major. Students must follow the procedures outlined by the Registrar.
CC Registrar's Policy on Transfer Credits
The Department cannot make a determination about the appropriateness of any course for the major unless the student provides a full, official description of the course in question. The Art Department may decide to reserve judgment regarding the acceptability of certain courses until the student returns to campus and presents classwork for evaluation (i.e., a portfolio for studio courses and papers, assignments, and notes for art history courses). Students should therefore save all classwork and related materials. Students who are considering an Art major and non-majors taking credits in Art off-campus should follow the same procedure.
Transfer Students
Transfer students should consult with the Art Department regarding credits from other institutions. We require that transfer students take at least four Colorado College courses plus senior seminar/senior thesis in the area of their concentration (art history or art studio) regardless of how many credits in art history or art studio they may have taken elsewhere.
Off-Campus/Study Abroad Programs Credit Transfer
Students who wish to receive Art Department major credit for non-CC courses taken abroad or off-campus must obtain approval in advance from the Art Department. Course approval requests should be submitted via Summit.
A maximum of three CC units of art taken at another institution or on a study abroad program may be counted towards the Art major. Non-CC courses taken off-campus cannot be counted towards an Art or Art History minor.
Courses that are taken abroad or at other institutions may be used to meet an elective requirement for either the IDA track or Museum Studies track in the Art major. However, since the choice of electives is tailored to each student’s plan for completing the major, the approval of these elective credits will be decided on an individual, student-by-student basis in conversation with your advisor, and it is not possible to request or receive approval for these electives using Summit, due to the individualized nature of the electives.
If the Department approves a particular course for credit toward the major, the Department will grant only the number of units granted by the Colorado College Registrar. Students should be aware that 1 unit = 4 semester hours. A 3 semester-hour course is equivalent to .75 CC units. Other formulas apply to quarter or trimester courses. The Art Department will waive ¼ unit of a requirement for the major for a single art course taken at another institution. This one-time waiver will be granted at the Department’s discretion, as not all courses will be eligible for it. Other transferred .75 courses will count as .75 units toward the major.
AP and IB Courses
The Registrar may grant Colorado College credit for outstanding scores on AP and IB exams. While these credits count towards the 32 units for graduation, they do not count towards the Art major.
Letters of Recommendation
Art majors frequently go on to graduate work in creative disciplines, and while this is not the primary goal of our program we do everything possible to challenge students with such plans and to advise them appropriately. While some seniors apply directly to graduate programs, most spend several years after graduation developing a portfolio and researching specific programs to ensure an appropriate match. We encourage this, as added maturity and experience generally make a candidate more compelling to competitive graduate programs and ensure that the experience will be rewarding. Young alumni engaged in graduate study are frequently brought to campus to speak with our current students about their experiences.
Graduates wishing to have faculty here write letters of recommendation for them are advised to make contact with us early in the process to ensure that deadlines are met and that we have sufficient updated materials. These would include letters of application, slide portfolios, etc.
Other Policies
Course Duplication
We recommend that students not take introductory (100-level) courses with significant overlap, for example, AH115 and AH120, without consulting their advisor.
Some studio courses may be taken more than once, but only with the consent of the student’s advisor and the instructor of the course.
Internships
We do not give credit for internships.
Arts and Crafts Courses
Art majors are encouraged to participate in the various opportunities presented by the Arts and Crafts program and Bemis School of Art, but adjunct courses in Art Studio do not count towards the Art major.
Double Majors
Students doing double majors in Art and another department may count no more than three courses in both majors (this is an all-college rule).