The Department of English adheres to the policy set by the Committee on Instruction (COI), the spirit of which is “to ensure, insofar as possible, that credit received for summer-school work is equivalent to credit received for academic-year work.” This also applies to credit received for coursework at other institutions, completed either prior to a student's matriculation at Barnard, or while studying abroad.

In all cases, majors should consult with their advisers to ensure a timely completion of the major requirements.

Barnard awards Advanced Placement (AP) credits toward the 120-credit requirement for the B.A. degree. Students who have passed the AP in English with a grade of 4 or 5 are awarded 3 credits toward the Barnard degree.

The English Department does not credit AP courses toward the major or the minor.

AP credit does not carry exemption from any First Year-Writing/Seminar course.

For information on AP credit for other courses, consult with the appropriate academic department.

Requests for credit for courses taken while studying abroad should be submitted well in advance of a student's departure. Please complete all documentation prior to submitting your request.

Required Documentation:

1. A course syllabus, if available, or a list of required readings (not simply authors).  A list of readings that is slighter than 60% of that of a comparable course at Barnard or Columbia must be submitted for exceptional consideration by the submission deadline. 
2. A brief description of writing assignments.  The minimal writing requirement for 3 points of credit is 12 pages (about 3,000 words) of analytic writing (essays).   For courses in creative writing we expect a portfolio of no less than 20 pages of prose or 12 pages of poetry.
3. A completed Course Approval Form.
4. A completed Study Leave Course Approval Application, available from the Registrar.

Foreseeable problems and suggested solutions:

If you cannot obtain a syllabus or reading list, or if the writing required in a course does not meet the above criterion, request the email address of the instructor and write to him or her directly.  In the case of a syllabus or reading list, explain what the Department needs in order to grant your application for credit. In the case of the writing requirement, inform the instructor of the policy of the Department and ask if you may submit additional (or lengthier) written work so as to satisfy it. (Do not fail to add that this additional work will not affect his or her assessment of your work for a final grade.)

The English Department will vet for completely documented pre-approval requests for summer-school credit received before May 31st. Requests received after this date may not be pre-approved, and you will not know whether your course will receive 3 points of credit until the English Department reviews your course materials in the fall. In either case, the documentation required and the minimal criteria are the same.

To obtain credit for summer classes, please consult the Office of the Registrar's website.

Required Documentation:

1. A course syllabus, if available, or a list of required readings (not simply authors).  A list of readings that is slighter than 60% of that of a comparable course at Barnard or Columbia must be submitted for exceptional consideration by the submission deadline.
2. A brief description of writing assignments.  The minimal writing requirement for 3 points of credit is 12 pages (about 3,000 words) of analytic writing (essays).  For courses in creative writing we expect a portfolio of no less than 20 pages of prose or 12 pages of poetry.
3. A completed Summer Course Approval Form, available from the Office of the Registrar.

N.B.  Courses offered in Columbia’s summer session are treated differently from courses in other programs. If you are certain that you will not apply a Columbia summer course towards completion of a major in English, approval by the English Department is unnecessary.

Courses completed at other accredited colleges and universities, which are similar in content and depth to Barnard courses, may be submitted for transfer credit. Credit for approved work at another institution is applied to Barnard's 121-point graduation requirement for transfers with a maximum of 16 points per term. Credit cannot be granted for courses with grades lower than C-. Acceptable transfer work does not usually include applied or professional courses or more than the equivalent of two Barnard studio courses. Consult Barnard's transfer credit page for further details.

If majors wish to check whether an approved transfer course can count toward the major requirements, they should consult with their major advisers. Students who have not yet declared an English major or students who are working towards a minor should consult with the Chair of the English Department. In either case, have a syllabus and/or course description ready. Note that at least six courses applied to the English major, and at least three courses applied to the English minor, must be taken at Barnard or Columbia.