Credit Transfer Pre-Approval Application Form

This application is intended for use by students who wish to transfer courses taken at other North American institutions for "Field of Study: Historical Studies (FSHT)". Those who are seeking elective credit, credits toward the history major, or FSHT credit for a course taken abroad need not fill it out.

Guidelines

Please bear in mind that approval of a course taken elsewhere for Historical Studies credit is not automatic, even if that course is taught in a history department. Not all history courses at the University of Richmond are eligible for this designation: they must meet very specific criteria to qualify. For a course taken elsewhere to satisfy the Historical Studies requirement it must:

  • Be demanding. It should have substantial and challenging reading beyond a textbook and ask for considerable writing. All examinations should of the essay type.
  • Pay special attention to the questions and methods of historical study. It should be designed to help you see how historians think and what the nature of historical knowledge is.
  • Place emphasis on the critical analysis of primary sources.

Courses offered by community colleges are not likely to meet these criteria. Neither will many taught at four-year colleges and universities. Pick your substitutes carefully. Online or distance-learning courses will not be approved for FSHT credit.

Procedures

Seek approval well in advance of your taking the course. Leave no room for surprises! For approval, in addition to submitting this form, you must turn into Carol Summers, history chair, the following:

  • A thorough description of the course you intend to take that makes clear the approach of the course and the amount and kind of reading and writing it will require. Usually the syllabus will do this job, but if the syllabus is not very detailed on these matters, ask the instructor to provide a fuller description.
  • The form that needs to be filed with the Registrar, filled out in as much detail as possible.

There is a bin on Professor Drell's door (Humanities Building 316) for turning in these materials. You may also have course descriptions and syllabi e-mailed to Professor Drell (jdrell@richmond.edu). Make sure that the sender identifies you as the person on whose behalf the information is being sent.