Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences

Information for Transfer and Early College High School Students

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More than 40% of the GES department are transfer students.

To make the most of your time at Appalachian, and ensure that you are successful as a transfer student, we would like to share the following information that can help you prepare for a smooth and efficient transfer experience:

1. All of our programs of study in GES require STEM and writing classes as baseline core courses, and most are also prerequisites for our upper level required courses (see this flow chart for details). In order to graduate in a timely manner as a transfer student, we strongly suggest taking as many of the the following classes as you can before you arrive if possible:

(classes listed in order of importance)

  • RC 1000 Expository Writing for all programs of study
  • RC 2001 Introduction to Writing Across the Curriculum for all programs of study
  • MAT 1110 Calculus With Analytic Geometry I for all programs of study (and MAT 1120 for certain programs of study)
  • CHE 1101/1110 Introductory Chemistry I and CHE 1102/1120 Introductory Chemistry II for all programs of study
  • PHY 1170/1160 Analytical Physics I for most programs of study, 
    • PHY 1123/1113  General Physics I is also acceptable for some programs of study, but check the bulletin to see which one is required for your planned major - PHY 1170/1160 can usually be substituted for PHY 1123/1113, but not the other way around
    • PHY 1180/1161 Analytical Physics II is also required for some programs of study
  • STT 2820 Reasoning with Statistics or STT 2810 Introduction to Statistics for most programs of study, but check the bulletin to see which one is required for your planned major - STT 2820 can usually be substituted for STT 2810, but not the other way around
  • BIO 1802 Biological Concepts II and/or BIO 1801 Biological Concepts I for students planning on majoring in environmental science (all concentrations),  or planning to major in geology with a paleontology concentration
  • if you take GES 1101 Introduction to Physical Geology outside of our program, you should strongly consider taking our one credit Evolution of the Earth support class (GES 2201) when you take Evolution of the Earth (GES 2250), especially if your GES 1101 equivalent did not have an in-person lab with an emphasis on rocks and minerals

Transfer students who arrive without having taken the required introductory courses in calculus, chemistry, statistics, writing, and physics may have to spend at least three years at Appalachian getting their degree (including summer classes), regardless of how much transfer credit they have. 

To minimize future frustration, we suggest that you look at our "What Should I major in?" page to see which program of study is right for you so you can take the prerequisite classes that will best prepare you for a seamless transfer process.

2. We want our transfer students to be successful, so here are some things to be aware of if you plan to transfer here with a completed Associates Degree (via community college or Early College):

  • Grades: Only grades received at Appalachian count in your GPA. Although transfer courses and credits are shown on a transcript, the grades received from these transfer courses are not counted in a student's GPA. 
  • Class schedules: Students with their Associates Degree completed at the time of entrance are not required to take General Education classes, and many of their transferred Gen Ed classes also count as electives. If your Gen Ed is complete, you may find yourself exclusively in upper level lab classes that you must take all at the same time, with no room for electives. This may be quite challenging, but it is not impossible.
    •  Your academic advisor will work with you to make a schedule that best balances your workload and time to graduation. Depending on the courses you transferred with, your time to graduation may be more than 2 years.
    • Please look at our GES Prerequisite Chart that includes a schedule of when our upper level classes are offered (fall, spring, or summer), as well as what prerequisites are required for the classes in your program of study.
  • Opportunities, networking, jobs, etc: The more time to you spend at Appalachian the more time you will have to develop research projects with professors (including a possible senior thesis and/or presentations at professional meetings), and create a network of colleagues and mentors, participate in extracurriculars and internships and résumé-building activities, and leave with an enhanced peer support and job network.
  • Financial Aid for Early College students: If you have an Associates Degree via your high school's Early College program, and receive federal financial aid (loans through the federal government), your Early College classes are considered transfer credits, not high school credits. Depending on how many Early College transfer credits you have, federal ffinancial aid rules may prevent you from taking many (or any) courses taken outside of your program of study.  

3. Course Equivalency Planning:

  • Transfer Course Equivalency (will your coursework transfer as a specific course at Appalachian, or just as an elective?) - note that the GES Department cannot override the decisions about courses outside of the GES department. Potential transfer students from out-of-state or four-year colleges should look at the Transfer Course Equivalency page in combination with the Four Year Guides for the major of interest.

Potential transfer students from NC community colleges should look at the NC Community Colleges Transfer Guides:

Useful links for transfer students:

  •  Office of Transfer Admissions and Engagement
  • If you are a potential transfer student with questions that have not been addressed above (or in the transfer guides) please contact Dr. Steve Hageman (our department's Transfer Student faculty mentor). Please note: Dr. Hageman cannot provide individual transfer advising prior to enrollment, nor set up individualized campus visits. Please schedule visits through Admissions.