Department of History

Prospective History Students

How to Transfer Credits

"Warriors." Side B from an Attic black-figure amphora, ca. 570–565 BC. Original held at the Louvre, Paris.

Transferring Credits from 4- or 2-Year Colleges

Students can get some credit toward their history major at Towson University for history courses they have taken at other accredited institutions. To get TU credit for classes you took at another institution you will need to fill out a Transfer Petition Form, available through the Office of the Registrar.

History majors must take a substantial portion of their course work in the Towson University History Department. Students are allowed to count the following number of transfer credits toward their history major:

• From Four-Year Colleges: No more than 18 credits in history will be accepted toward a major or a minor from a regionally accredited four-year college.

• From Two-Year Colleges: No more than 12 lower-division credits in history will be accepted toward a major or a minor from a regionally accredited two-year college. The 12 credits must be in lower-division courses which have Towson University equivalents at the 100-200 level.

In order to count for credit at Towson, each transferred course must be roughly equivalent to a Towson history course. Students should contact the history department (hist@towson.edu) to have their proposed transfer credits evaluated by history department faculty.  Courses in which students earned a D can be transferred for credit to TU, but those transfer credits cannot be applied toward the history major.

Transferring Credits from High School Advanced Placement Programs

The history department awards units through the Advanced Placement Program of the university. The university receives the results of these tests in mid-July, and notifies students about advanced placement and credit prior to the change of schedule period. Additional information may be obtained by contacting the director of admissions or the chair of the history department (hist@towson.edu).

Towson University’s complete Advanced Placement credit policy for other AP Tests, view Towson University's Advanced Placement credit policy for other AP tests..

Get Credits Through the Credit for Prior Learning Program

The history department also offers units through the Credit for Prior Learning Program. Towson University established this program to give college credit to students for significant abilities or life experiences that the students have prior to coming to Towson. “The Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) Program offers an opportunity for Towson University students to receive college credit by taking “challenge” tests in the area of their proficiency, presenting portfolios, and providing documentation of military course work/experiences.

Students applying for credit under this program in the history department must complete a departmental examination, an interview, and a paper or book review in the field. More information is available from the Office of the Registrar.

Department of History
Liberal Arts Building, Room 4210 F (map)
Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Phone: 410-704-2923
Fax: 410-704-5595
E-mail: hist@towson.edu