INSTRUCTIONS FOR REQUESTING COURSE EQUIVALENCY EVALUATION
Please be advised that no equivalency will be granted for asynchronous online courses. If you seek equivalency for a course taken in person, hybrid, or online in synchronous format, please follow the instructions below.
All transfer equivalency is centralized now. Please go to this website: https://mates.miami.edu
You will need to submit the syllabus for the class you took if you intend to ask for it to be counted for credit. Please note that we do not accept online asynchronous courses.
EQUIVALENCY EVALUATION FOR MLL COURSES
Please read the following information to determine whether or not you need to request an equivalency evaluation. If, after reading this information, you determine that you do need to request equivalency for Study Abroad and/or Transfer Credits for courses that are similar to those taught in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, the instructions for requesting equivalency evaluation are found below. Please allow 2-3 weeks to process, as some requests must be processed with multiple units and faculty members.
- Placement in a non-UM program: If the program in which you plan to study requires a placement exam there is no way to know now whether your coursework will have a UM equivalent. You can either request equivalency for the 2 or 3 courses you are most likely to place into, or, once you have completed the course you can submit an equivalency evaluation request for that specific course.
- Elective credits: Even if a UM equivalent is not established for a course taken elsewhere, as long as the course is from an accredited institution and you have the transcript sent to the UM registrar, it can still count as elective credits. Inversely, a course must be granted equivalency as a specific UM course in order for it to count toward a particular UM requirement beyond elective credits.
- For an elementary or intermediate language course to be equivalent to a UM language course it must be conducted entirely in the target language and cover the 4 language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).
- UM's 201: If you are looking for a course that might be equivalent to UM's 201, typically such a course will have a title similar to "Intermediate French/German/Spanish I," "Third Semester French/German/Spanish," or “French/German/Spanish 3.” Please note, however, that the course must be taught entirely in the language of study using a communicative method and must include oral and written exams and compositions in order to be a candidate for equivalency with UM’s 201.
- No equivalency is granted for any asynchronous online courses. Hybrid courses with 25% or less of contact hours occurring virtually/in a language lab are acceptable. In other words, the equivalent course must be at least 75% in person or synchronous.
- Study abroad:
It is essential that you plan ahead for study abroad. Many UM-administered programs have a pre-requisite regarding the level of proficiency that you must attain before studying abroad.
- UM Transfer Credit Regulations:
For All Students: The UM residency requirement stipulates that if you transfer credits from a 4-year university, your last 45 credits must be taken consecutively at UM (i.e., in residency and not via transfer). UM’s study abroad programs (i.e., programs administered by UM’s IEEP office) count as courses taken in residency.
For Students Majoring or Minoring in in one of the languages taught in the department or Minoring in Modern Languages (the dual language minor): Only a certain number of transfer credits (includes non-UM study abroad), and in some cases UM study abroad credits, can count toward the major/minor. UM’s study abroad programs (i.e., programs administered by UM’s IEEP office) count as UM credits, not as transfer credits. For information on all of the requirements for the major/minor, consult the Modern Languages and Literatures Department website.
Equivalency requests should be submitted August 15 through May 10.
For fall study abroad programs, requests for equivalency evaluation should be made by March 1st of the prior semester.
For spring study abroad programs, requests for equivalency evaluation should be made by October 1st of the prior semester.
For summer courses, requests for equivalency evaluation should be made by May 10th.
During the fall and spring semesters, you can expect a response to your request within approximately two weeks. In some cases, further information or a meeting with you may be necessary.
Last minute equivalency requests should be avoided. In the case that you need to submit a request between mid-May and mid-August, it should be sent to the Acting Chair of the MLL Department.
