Transfer Courses

What is a major?
A major is a field of study in which you specialize by taking 10 or more courses. The earlier you decide on a major, the more likely you are to select courses appropriate to your major. You must decide on a major by the time you are a junior. Taking the recommended core courses may help you find a major based on courses you enjoy. Many students know early in their studies which field they wish to study intensely. Others students need longer to decide. Both methods can lead to success.
Deciding on a major
College should be a place to discover new fields and to open doors to new possibilities. Taking a variety of courses can help you define your interests and talents. Also, your ACA-122 course will assist you in career exploration. In addition, Durham Tech Career Services, the Durham Tech Library Career Resources LibGuide, and the Careers section of the website can help you choose. However, it helps to make a decision on a major by the end of your first 30 hours so that you take courses that fulfill the requirements for that major. Taking classes without direction or changing your major can result in taking unnecessary classes, using up financial aid eligibility, and taking longer to graduate. 
Majors offered at universities

Listed on the following website are the active majors offered by the 16 public institutions of the University of North Carolina System.

It is also possible to find the list of majors by visiting the Transfer University links on the Transfer Center web pages and selecting the college of your choice. Then select the “Degree Program Requirements” link to view a list of majors at the selected university.

What courses should I take and how do Baccalaureate degree plans help?

Baccalaureate degree plans (BDPs) are created by the four-year universities and recommend major-specific coursework students should complete as part of their associate’s degree before transferring to  the four-year university.  Most of them also tell students what courses they will take once they transfer to the four-year university to complete the bachelor’s degree. You should print out and save your BDP for when you transfer.

Since students don’t always know where they will transfer, we have listed the recommendations from four baccalaureate degree plans from our neighboring universities in our Course Selection Guide so students can compare requirements. 

Universal General Education Transfer Component (UGETC) courses

UGETC courses are a select body of courses guaranteed to satisfy a lower division general education requirements at the N.C. public university or the participating private college to which you transfer. For this reason, it is suggested that you take mostly UGETC courses in your first semester at Durham Tech. It is best to select your UGETC courses with a major in mind, following the baccalaureate degree plan, especially in regard to mathematics and science choices. Your UGETC course choices should be the suggested courses for your major and intended transfer university.

Credit Hours

Credit hours are based on the amount of time spent in class during one week of a 16-week semester. For example, a three-hour credit course meets for three hours per week for 16 weeks. The three hours per week are called contact hours. When you successfully complete the course, you are awarded three credits for the course. In most cases, credit hours equal contact hours. However, this is not always the case. For example, lab hours are counted differently. A lab typically meets for three hours per week, but you will be given only one credit hour for the lab. In addition, the length of a contact hour is only 50 minutes.

Mini-Session courses and summer courses meet for the same total number of hours as fall and spring semester courses, but those total hours are distributed differently. For example, a three-credit course meets for 48 hours total over a 16-week period. In a Mini-Session or summer course, those 48 hours are distributed over an eight-week period.

General education requirements at universities

Every university defines a set of introductory course work that gives the student broad exposure to many fields of study. These courses may include English, history, foreign language, science, mathematics, humanities, and social science. Students who complete an Associate in Arts (AA), Associate in Science (AS), Associate in Arts in Teacher Preparation (AATP), Associate in Science in Teacher Preparation (ASTP), or Associate in Engineering (AE) degree are guaranteed to have met the general education requirements at the receiving university.

Transferring to a North Carolina university prior to completion of the AA, AS, or AE degree means that each core course will be transferred individually and you will be required to complete the general education core of the receiving university.

All courses earned with a C or higher transfer for the Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) students, but the degree is not guaranteed to fulfill all general education requirements at the four-year university. The general education requirements of the AFA are Universal General Education Transfer Component (UGETC) courses, so all choices should fulfill some part of the receiving university’s general education requirements. 

UGETC courses are guaranteed to fulfill some of those lower division requirements. So will many courses listed in the area of “Additional General Education Hours,” but there is no guarantee. Check with your university to be certain. Be careful when selecting your math and science courses to be certain that they not only fulfill lower division requirements but also the requirement for your desired major.

Can I use AP, IB, CLEP, and DSST tests to fulfill program requirements?
The IB/AP/CLEP/DANTES Credit (PDF) document provides guidelines used by the Admissions Office in determining credit awarded for International Baccalaureate Degree Programme (IB), Advanced Placement (AP) tests, College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests, and Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES) Subject Standardized Tests (DSST). Students’ AP, IB, CLEP, and DSST course credit will transfer if they complete the Associate in Art, Science, Engineering, or Fine Arts degrees. If you transfer before completing the degree, then the university will apply its own criteria for awarding credit.