General Procedures
The following procedures must be followed by all students who seek Economics Department transfer credit for courses completed at other institutions. These procedures apply without exception to both Economics (ECON) and Mathematical Economic Analysis (MTEC) majors as well as to non-majors. Please note that failure to follow these procedures can lead to denial of transfer credit.
No more than three transfer courses can be counted toward the requirements for the Rice ECON and MTEC majors. Additional transfer courses may count only toward university graduation requirements. AP credits and credits awarded to transfer students for courses taken before admission to Rice are not counted against this three course limit, but all students must complete more than half of their upper-level (300-level and 400-level) courses in their major at Rice.
Note that approval of university "TRAN" credit by the registrar does not imply department approval of ECON or MTEC transfer credit which can be awarded only with the signature of the department Transfer Credit Advisor. (Transfer credit may be denied retroactively if a transfer credit request is processed without the required signature.)
If you have questions about these transfer credit procedures, please see the department Undergraduate Program Coordinator or the Transfer Credit Advisor:
Undergraduate Program Coordinator
Joan Guthrie
Baker Hall 277
713-348-4381
econundergrad@rice.edu
Transfer Credit Advisor
Michele Biavati
Baker Hall 249
713-348-2354
michele.biavati@rice.edu
Transfer Credit Database
Getting ready to study abroad or taking courses at another university? Take a look at previous transfer credit decisions to help pick your courses. Please note that the database is for reference only -- it indicates whether a course has transferred in the past, but is only suggestive of whether the current version of the course will qualify for transfer in Economics.
Current transfer credit approval must be obtained from the Undergraduate Transfer Credit Advisor
Transfer Credit Database
*Database does not guarantee transfer
Courses Taken Prior Admission at Rice (Transfer Students)
Introductory Microeconomics Transfer Credit
Transfer students who have (1) scored a 4 or 5 on the AP Microeconomics examination, (2) earned an International Baccalaureate diploma and scored 6 or 7 on the higher-level economics examination, or (3) received a grade of at least B- in an approved introductory microeconomics course taken at a two- year college (not online) will be awarded ECON 111 credit. This credit counts toward the total university credit hours required for graduation, but it cannot provide Group 2 distribution credit and cannot be counted toward the requirements for the Rice ECON or MTEC majors. This credit cannot be “upgraded” to ECON 100 credit.
Transfer students who have received a grade of at least B- in an approved introductory microeconomics course taken at a four-year college (not online) may, at the discretion of the Transfer Credit Adviser, receive transfer credit for ECON 101, which can be applied toward the university credit hours required for graduation and provides Group II distribution credit, but cannot be counted toward the Rice ECON or MTEC majors. Transfer credit may be given for ECON 100 (which generally must be taken at Rice) for regular-semester courses that are demonstrably equal or superior to their Rice counterparts; for guidance, please contact the department Transfer Credit Advisor.
Transfer students should provide as much course information (syllabus with instructor’s contact information, exams, sample assignments) as possible in the material they post on the Rice transfer credit advising website prior to O-Week.
Introductory Macroeconomics Transfer Credit
Transfer students who have (1) scored a 4 or 5 on the AP Macroeconomics examination, (2) earned an International Baccalaureate diploma and scored 6 or 7 on the higher-level economics examination, or (3) received a grade of at least B- in an approved introductory macroeconomics course taken at a two-year college (not online) will be awarded ECON 113 credit. This credit counts toward the total university credit hours required for graduation, but it cannot provide Group 2 distribution credit and cannot be counted toward the requirements for the Rice ECON or MTEC majors. This credit cannot be “upgraded” to ECON 203 credit.
Transfer students who have received a grade of at least B- in an approved introductory macroeconomics course taken at a four-year college (not online) may, at the discretion of the Transfer Credit Adviser, receive transfer credit for ECON 103, which can be applied toward the university credit hours required for graduation and provides Group II distribution credit, but cannot be counted toward the Rice ECON or MTEC majors. This credit cannot be “upgraded” to ECON 203 credit.
Transfer students should provide as much course information (syllabus with instructor’s contact information, exams, sample assignments) as possible in the material they post on the Rice transfer credit advising website prior to O-Week.
Other Courses
Other courses presented for transfer credit will be handled on a case-by-case basis and will be considered only for course grades of B- or higher (an examination grade of B- or higher for courses from the London School of Economics). Transfer credit decisions made by other universities will not automatically be honored and will also be handled on a case-by-case basis. Students applying for such transfer credit should provide as much course material (syllabus with instructor’s contact information, exams, sample assignments, etc.) as possible.
Courses Taken After Admission to Rice
Please note that the following rules also apply to courses taken during the summer preceding matriculation.
Credit will be awarded only for courses approved by the department Transfer Credit Advisor. A minimum grade of B- will be required for any course to be considered (an examination grade of B- or higher for courses from the London School of Economics). No transfer credit is given for online courses or courses taken at two-year colleges.
Introductory Microeconomics and Macroeconomics
Students achieving a minimum grade of B- in an approved introductory microeconomics course may get transfer credit for ECON 101. Similarly, students achieving a minimum grade of B- in an approved introductory macroeconomics course may get transfer credit for ECON 103. These credits can be applied toward the university credit hours required for graduation and provide Group II distribution credit, but cannot be counted toward the Rice ECON or MTEC majors.
Microeconomics and Macroeconomics
Transfer credit will generally not be granted for Microeconomics (ECON 200) and Macroeconomics (ECON 203). Occasional exceptions may be made for regular-semester courses that are demonstrably equal or superior to their Rice counterparts. For guidance, please contact the department Undergraduate Program Coordinator or Transfer Credit Advisor before enrolling in an intermediate microeconomics or macroeconomics course at another institution.
Other Courses
Other courses presented for transfer credit will be handled on a case-by-case basis and will be considered only for course grades of B- or higher (an examination grade of B- or higher for courses from the London School of Economics).
The Economics Department does not pre-approve courses for transfer credit. Official approval of transfer credit is awarded only after a review of all available completed course materials upon the student’s return to Rice. The department Undergraduate Program Coordinator can offer guidance regarding the likelihood that a proposed course will merit approval for transfer credit. Students should be prepared to submit all course materials possible, including a course syllabus with contact information for the instructor, exams, and sample assignments. In some cases a comprehensive course web page may suffice.
Official transfer credit will be awarded when it is established that the course taken by the student is comparable in topical coverage and methodology to (1) courses currently offered by the Rice Economics Department, or (2) courses the department would in principle like to offer.
Note in particular that the subject matter or the description of a course are not determinative. To merit economics transfer credit, the actual content of a course, as demonstrated by the course materials noted above, must be comparable in methodology and analytical rigor to that of the analogous Rice Economics Department course. If a proposed course does not meet this test, it will not receive transfer credit (although it might qualify for transfer credit from another department). Finally, note that courses that focus on various aspects of some economy or some economic policy will not necessarily merit Economics transfer credit.