Faculty Handbooks and Policies

Degree Audit Substitution Instructions


Faculty Handbooks & Policies
Penn State Altoona Program Coordinators
Student requests for degree audit substitutions generally fall into one of the following categories:
  1. Substitution of one Penn State course for another
    (Example: Substitute CHEM 011 as a General Education Natural Science)
  2. *Substitution of transfer credits accepted as a specific Penn State course to meet another Penn State requirement
    (Example: Substitute 3 transfer credits of SOC 174 as a GS in General Education)
  3. *Substitution of general transfer credits in place of a non-specific Penn State requirement
    (Example: Substitute 3 transfer credits of HIST as a GH in General Education)
  4.  
    1. Substitution of general transfer credits in place of a specific Penn State course
      (Example: Substitute 4 general transfer credits of STAT to satisfy 4 credits of STAT 200)
    2. Waiver of any requirement

* Transfer course cannot be used to satisfy a requirement at the 400 level

Procedures if substitution request is in categories #1, 2, 3 above
  • The program coordinator will secure a current real-time degree audit and identify on the audit the course to be substituted and the degree requirement to be satisfied.
  • The audit will be signed and dated by the program coordinator and forwarded to the registrar's office for entrance on the degree audit.
  • The registrar's office will notify the student and the program coordinator via email of the approved degree audit substitution.
Procedures if substitution request is in category #4 above
  • The student will consult with his/her academic advisor, complete the official Course Substitution Request form, attach the appropriate documentation, and submit it to the program coordinator for consideration.
  • If the program coordinator supports the substitution request, s/he will sign the form and forward it to the appropriate division staff assistant for routing to a faculty discipline coordinator for review.
  • The discipline reviewer will sign the form and return it to the division staff assistant who, in turn, will forward it to the division head of the student's academic program. 
  • If approved, the form will be forwarded to the registrar's office for entrance on the degree audit, and the registrar's office will notify the student and the program coordinator via email of the approved degree audit substitution.
  • If not approved, the division staff assistant will notify the program coordinator who will then notify the student.