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Outside Course Approval

Shafon McNeil
Undergraduate Administrator
[email protected]
Frick Laboratory, A22
609-258-5015

Dr. Susan VanderKam
Associate Director, Undergraduate Program and Director of Diversity Programs; Senior Lecturer in Chemistry
[email protected]
Frick Laboratory, 284
609-258-1727

Applying for outside course approval

If you have any questions about the instructions below, please contact the Undergraduate Administrator, Shafon McNeil, [email protected], 609-258-5015.

Instructions for obtaining approval for a course taken at another US institution:

Contact the Chemistry Department’s Undergraduate Administrator for information and for application processing.

1) The University application form is available from your Director of Studies or online here.

2) Read the back of the application form very carefully. The University’s rules are laid out very clearly regarding requirements, such as length of sessions, hours of lab, etc.

3) All summer course applications MUST include the following CURRENT documentation:

  • Proof of the start/end dates of each session
  • A printout of the program calendar for the institution’s session(s) listing specific exam dates, final exam dates, holidays, etc.
  • Proof of the 30 hours of lecture per semester (not including any discussion periods and testing)
  • Proof of 30 hours of lab per semester (not including any discussion periods and testing)
  • Lecture syllabus with topics covered at each class session
  • Lab syllabus – listing exact experiments
  • Textbook information – title, author

Note:

  • Discussion sessions are NOT factored into the lecture hour totals.
  • Syllabi should be from the proposed year of attendance. (If the only option is to submit material from prior semesters, an e-mail from the instructor (or the program department) should be sent to the department’s Undergraduate Administrator stating that the specific materials in the application packet mirror the plan for the current summer course.)

4) Lectures, discussion groups, and laboratory sessions must be taken CONCURRENTLY in order to qualify for consideration for Princeton recognition.

5) Two semesters of sequential coursework CANNOT be taken concurrently (ex. 201/202).

6) Departments evaluate the course content and the method(s) of assessment. Any exceptions to the schedule or hours are handled by the academic Deans.

7) Princeton course recognition is determined by the Deans, not by individual departments.

8) Students who plan to major in Chemistry at Princeton and who are considering a summer organic chemistry course are encouraged to seek advising from the Chemistry Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies prior to enrolling in such a program. A summer course in organic chemistry is not viewed as sufficient preparation for the major, does not offer sufficient preparation to take the required semester of organic chemistry on campus towards the degree (usually CHM 403), nor does it prepare a student for organic laboratory work as part of the Junior Independent Work or for thesis research (i.e., original research) should a student wish to pursue that particular niche.

9) The Chemistry Department does not determine whether a summer course will suffice as a prerequisite for other departments. Students should seek the guidance of the departmental representative for their intended major.

Instructions for obtaining approval for a course taken at an institution abroad:

1) The Dean of the Study Abroad Office (located in the Louis A. Simpson building) must first determine if the proposed institution has been pre-approved to meet Princeton University’s requirements or if that institution must be evaluated. Feedback is provided on the likelihood of course approval, but is not a guarantee. The school must have an undergraduate degree granting program.

2) The student must complete the same application as is required for approval at a U.S. institution, as outlined in this first section of this document. All supporting documentation, as listed, must be included in the application packet. If the materials are not written in English, they must be translated.

3) If the Chemistry Department approves the course, the application packet must be delivered to the Dean of the Study Abroad Office. That office will handle the remainder of the process. (The application should NOT be submitted to the Dean or Director of Studies of the student’s residential college.)

4) If the course is approved by the Dean of the Study Abroad Office, the student must arrange to have an official transcript mailed to that office.

5) Princeton course recognition is determined by the Deans, not by individual departments.

6) Students who plan to major in Chemistry at Princeton and who are considering a summer organic chemistry course are encouraged to seek advising from the Chemistry Department’s Director of Undergraduate Studies prior to enrolling in such a program. A summer course in organic chemistry is not viewed as sufficient preparation for the major, does not offer sufficient preparation to take the required semester of organic chemistry on campus towards the degree (usually CHM 403), nor does it prepare a student for organic laboratory work as part of the Junior Independent Work or for thesis research (i.e., original research) should a student wish to pursue that particular niche.

7) The Chemistry Department does not determine whether a summer course will suffice as a prerequisite for other departments. Students should seek the guidance of the departmental representative for their intended major.