Guidelines for Submitting Materials

Not sure what UM course to request?

Not sure what UM course to request? Search the LSA Course Guide. For MECHENG & EECS courses especially, students need to look over the ME course profiles or EECS course profiles prior to making submissions to ensure that all the critical topics are covered. Students also need to provide information showing coverage of key topics.

Ensure You Have an Accurate Course Name/Number.

The UM course for which you are seeking credit must be specified by an accurate UM departmental abbreviation and course number. (e.g., MATH 115)

Retrieve a course description.

Course Description is provided by the external institution. This information can usually be found on the institution’s website. Many courses will require at least a detailed syllabus for review. A course description may be acceptable for some courses.

Retrieve a recent, relevant syllabus.

Syllabus: an outline of the course, specifying topics covered in detail and indicating the supplemental materials/textbook(s) used. Without timely submission of a recent syllabus for each requested evaluation, the course is likely to be denied for transfer credit without review. In this situation, you are responsible for re-submitting another TCAF once course material is obtained. Please wait to submit a TCAF for any courses which need material in order to be reviewed until that material becomes available to you.

We encourage you to contact the institution you are considering enrolling at. You may want to begin by emailing the faculty or instructors listed or contacting the department and asking for a recent syllabus. You should be able to find their contact information on their website or staff directories. If needed, instructors can send confidential course materials directly to [email protected] (have them include your first and last name). Those materials will remain confidential.

Include additional course materials, if available/necessary.

If available on the web or by contacting the instructor/institution, also send any exams, midterms, lab manuals, quizzes, homework, course schedules, or projects pertaining to the course. This information is especially relevant for Chemistry, Math, Physics, EECS, and MECHENG evaluations. Most courses within these subjects require a detailed syllabus along with supporting material like example assignments and exams for evaluation.

Consolidate relevant course info into a PDF.

Attach course information in 1 single PDF file per course submitted. Name the file with the following convention: Subject Abbreviation, Catalog Number, University Name, Current Month-Day-Year. Example Name: MATH 3450 Univ. of Akron 3-12-15. Combine files into one single PDF file per course using this PDF merger if needed: http://www.pdfmerge.com/ or https://foxyutils.com/mergepdf/ Webpages can be saved as PDF files by right-clicking>selecting print>selecting “save as PDF”. Also, remember to convert any Word files into PDF documents. This can be done simply by choosing what format the material is saved in. Select file>save as>PDF.

For course material in another language:

If the course material is in another language, include both the English translation & the untranslated version in 1 single PDF file per course. You may use online tools such as Google Translate to provide the English translation. You may also try right-clicking on the webpage to see if “Translate to English” can be selected. From that point, use the directions in #4 above to make a PDF. When combining documents, please include the English translation first, followed by the untranslated text.

How to Submit Course Materials:

If the course(s) you are requesting be evaluated are NOT listed on either database you must submit the following materials to [email protected] prior to requesting the course(s) be evaluated/submitting a TCAF. Either that, OR material can be submitted during TCAF submission by either including a link/syllabus URL to course material OR clicking on “Submit Form” AFTER which you will be prompted to upload 1 PDF per course request. The minimum needed for review is usually a detailed syllabus, but some courses require more (See Specific Course Information).

We prefer 1 PDF file per course over a link to material. If material is not directly accessible from a link it must be converted into a PDF. Do not give us a link to a course guide on another institution’s webpage, and expect us to locate material for the course. If emailing, ALWAYS INCLUDE YOUR FULL NAME AND UM ID NUMBER IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF EVERY EMAIL YOU SEND. 

If the course(s) are already approved as you desire and not expiring you do not need to submit any course material with your TCAF. If you are participating in a study abroad program, please contact your study abroad advisor for assistance in locating and/or obtaining course syllabi prior to submitting evaluation requests.