Transferring Credit for Biology Courses from U.S. Institutions
Credit for biology courses taken at other universities may be transferred to Duke, subject to University guidelines and limitations. In general, no more than 2 course credits can be transferred from a US institution while a student is enrolled at Duke or during the summer. Courses must be taken at an accredited four-year institution. Note that courses taken in Beaufort at the Duke Marine Lab are not considered to be transfer credit.
See T-reqs for Trinity College guidelines on transfer credit and info on the Tentative Approval of Transfer Courses Form.
Transferring Credit for Biology Courses from International Institutions
Biology credit may be transferred from approved Study Abroad programs, subject to University guidelines and limitations. Note that credit for "Duke in ..." programs, such as Duke in Australia BIO 288A, is not considered to be transferred credit.
Procedures for Transferring Credit
Before enrolling, email the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies (Eric Spana) in Biology with a complete description of/link to the Biology course information (syllabus or bulletin description) and a completed copy of the "Tentative Approval" form. Be sure to list all courses that you are interested in, even if you don't take them all. If you are looking to transfer credit for a non-Bio course (chemistry, physics, etc.), that Department will be responsible for reviewing and approving transfer courses for credit. Follow the directions provided by the relevant Department.
Your courses will be reviewed for equivalency, and then the approved form will be forwarded to appropriate dean for final approval. Forms are available online for domestic transfer or from the Global Education Office for International programs.
Applying Transfer Credit to the Biology Major
Transfer credit for biology courses may be applied to the requirements of the biology major, as determined by the Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies. The Associate Director may assign credit as follows:
| Duke Equivalent Course number: | Will meet the following major requirement: | |
| BIO 100(L) | = lower-level <200 course, not equivalent to a specific Duke course. Will NOT satisfy any major requirement | |
BIO 300 | = upper-level (200-level or above) course, not equivalent to a specific Duke course. BIO Elective course | |
| BIO 300-1 BIO 300-2 BIO 300-3 | = upper-level (200-level or above) course, not equivalent to a specific Duke course. BIO 300-1: can count for the Organismal Diversity req | |
BIO ### | = equivalent to Duke course BIO ### Will meet all requirements for the major met by the equivalent Duke course. Does not meet modes of inquiry credit. | |
BIO 300L or ###L | = laboratory course (>36 hours of lab) Will meet laboratory requirement of the major |
** Note that you will need to provide a detailed course description (syllabus) if it does not closely correspond to an equivalent Duke course.
Transfer Limits
No more than half of the courses used to fulfill the BIO major can be transfer courses (max of 5 for the major) and no more than half for the minor can be transfer courses (max of 2).
Transferring Credit for Physics
The B.S. degree in Biology requires proficiency in the material covered in a standard Physics introductory course such as PHY 121L or equivalent. Some students satisfy this requirement by taking physics at another university and transferring the credit to Duke.
Approval for the transfer of a physics course must be obtained in advance from the Department of Physics. They will determine if credit will be recorded as PHY 141L (for calculus-based courses) or PHY 107L (for algebra-based courses appropriate for Life Science majors). If credit for the course transfers as PHY 141L or PHY 107L, Stellic will automatically use that to fulfill the Biology major requirement for Physics on your degree audit.
Students receiving PHY 100L transfer credit for a course taken prior to Summer 2025 can petition the Associate DUS in Biology to use the course for Biology major requirements. To be approved, provide the Associate DUS with information indicating that the Physics course is the one required of Biology majors at the other institution. Then the course can be manually programmed into your degree audit in Stellic.
Premed students might consult with the Office of Health Professions Advising to understand any implications of taking Physics away from Duke.