Credit and Transfer Student Policies

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Units/Hours

  • Didactic courses: 15 academic hours equal 1 semester unit
  • Hands-on courses and labs: 30 academic hours equal 1 semester unit
  • Independent study: 45 academic hours equal 1 semester unit
  • Clinical training: 30 academic hours equal 1 semester unit

NOTE: For purpose of verification of massage training by NYSED, NY regulations require the college to use a 14:1 ratio instead of the normal academic 15:1 ratio. However, classroom hours and tuition charges are based on the 14:1 ratio.

Pacific College of Health and Science meets the minimum standards in the definition of a credit hour defined by the U.S. Department of Education in 34 CFR §600.2. Pacific applies the credit hour, defined by the Carnegie unit, to all courses offered by the college. The Carnegie formula requires two hours of outside work for every hour of in-class didactic instruction. This formula directly relates to assignments, both in, and out of classes. Pacific College courses are based on semester hours. Semesters are 15 weeks long. One credit hour is equivalent to one hour of guided instruction (50 minute class) and a minimum of two hours of out-of class student work each week for all courses, face-to-face and online.

Transfer Credits

Notice Concerning Transferability of Credits and Credentials Earned at Our Institution

The transferability of credits you earn at Pacific College of Health and Science is at the complete discretion of an institution to which you may seek to transfer. Acceptance of the degree or certificate you earn in any Pacific College of Health and Science program is also at the complete discretion of the institution to which you may seek to transfer. If the credits or degree or certificate that you earn at this institution are not accepted at the institution to which you seek to transfer, you may be required to repeat some or all of your coursework at that institution. For this reason, you should make certain that your attendance at this institution will meet your educational goals. This may include contacting an institution to which you may seek to transfer after attending Pacific College of Health and Science to determine if your credits or degree or certificate will transfer.

 General Transfer Credit Policy

  1. Individual programs may have specific transfer credit requirements that supersede the general transfer credit policy below. Please refer to the program-specific transfer credit policies that follow or speak with an admissions representative for more information. Eligible applicants will receive an official transfer credit evaluation detailing how their previous coursework applies to their intended program of study. Final credit decisions rest with Pacific College of Health and Science and are final.
  2. Transfer credit may be awarded for equivalent coursework documented by an official transcript that indicates the units or hours of training in each subject. Degree-level may determine transferability. For example, undergraduate courses may not be transferrable to graduate-level coursework.
  3. Only coursework completed at an accredited or candidate institution of an agency recognized by the Secretary of Education may be transferable.
  4. A grade of “Pass” or “C” (2.0) or above is required for transfer. (Requirement varies by program).
  5. Credit must have been earned within the last five years unless the applicant provides acceptable evidence of continuous activity within the last two years in the specific field for which transfer credit is requested.
  6. Transfer credit may be granted for a limited number of courses to individuals who have passed a state-recognized licensing examination. (Requirement varies by program).
  7. Transfer credit is officially recorded by the end of your first term.
  8. Courses taken at Pacific College of Health and Science branches are interchangeable and not considered transfer credit.
  9. Coursework taken at another institution after admission to Pacific College of Health and Science is not transferable unless approved in advance in writing by the transfer analyst team.
  10. Coursework transferred is not included when computing grade point average.

Pacific College of Health and Science has not entered into an articulation or transfer agreement with any other college or university at time of publication.

Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine Transfer Credits

Transitional-Doctorate of Acupuncture (T-DAc)
Transitional-Doctorate of Acupuncture with a Chinese Herbal Medicine Specialization (T-DAcCHM)

  • No more than 5 units of transfer will be granted. (PCHS acupuncture graduates are exception).
  • Only graduate-level courses completed with a grade of C or better are eligible.
  • A minimum of 17 units must be completed at Pacific College of Health and Science.

Doctor of Acupuncture (DAc)
Doctor of Acupuncture with a Chinese Herbal Medicine Specialization (DAcCHM)
Master of Science in Acupuncture (MSAc)
Master of Science in Acupuncture with a Chinese Herbal Medicine Specialization (MSAcCHM)

  • To transfer from a master’s to a doctorate program, students must meet the 90-semester unit minimum required for admission to the doctoral program before transferring into the doctorate program.
  • If a student has completed more than 50% of the master’s program, they will need to complete their master’s degree and enroll in the transitional doctoral completion program.
  • Students will be responsible for the DAc/DAcCHM co-requisite requirements.

Students in the DAcCHM/MSAcCHM program are qualified to sit for the California Acupuncture Licensure Exam and are subject to the following California Acupuncture Board (CAB) regulations:

  • Subject to relevant state regulations and licensing agency rules, applicants may receive transfer credit for up to 50% of the total program credit requirements. Of that 50%, no more than 25% of the program clinical training requirements may be accepted as transfer credit.
  • Up to 100% transfer credit may be awarded for courses completed successfully in biology, chemistry, physics, psychology, anatomy, physiology, pathology, nutrition and vitamins, history of medicine, medical terminology, clinical science, clinical medicine, Western pharmacology, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, practice management, and ethics at a school which is approved under Article 4, Section 94770 of Chapter 7 of Part 59 of the Education Code or by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

DAc, DAcCHM, MSAc, and MSAcCHM Transfer Credit Exceptions

Pacific College of Health and Science does not grant transfer credit for the following courses: Advance Clinical Internships and Advanced Needle Techniques.Transfer students must take either Clinical Observation or a Clinical Assistantship course at Pacific College of Health and Science prior to entering any level of clinical training.

Transfer credit for Practice Management and Ethics is only granted for comparable courses taken at accredited acupuncture colleges. Other prior business courses are not transferable.

Certificate in Chinese Herbal Medicine (CCHM) for Licensed Acupuncturists
Facial Applications for Cosmetic Acupuncture (FACE) Certificate

  • No transfer credit policy

Asian Holistic Health and Massage Transfer Credits
Associate of Applied Science Holistic Health Science (AAS HHS)
Associate of Occupational Studies Massage Therapies (AOS MT)
Certificate of Massage Therapy/Asian Bodywork (CMT/AB)

  • San Diego: transfer credit maximum is 50% of a CAMTC-school approved program
  • New York: transfer credit maximum is 25% of program or approximately 250 hours

MSAcCHM Degree Students in Massage Programs Policy

Master’s degree students can receive extensive transfer credit from the master’s degree toward earning the massage therapist certificate. They are awarded a tuition rebate toward the cost of massage licensure. If master’s degree students complete the massage classes instead of using their transfer credit, they receive a rebate towards the cost of massage licensure.

 Health and Human Performance and Health Education Transfer Credits Master of Science Health and Human Performance (MSHHP)

  • No more than 6 units of transfer credit will be granted.
  • Only graduate-level courses completed with a grade of C or better are eligible. A minimum of 30 units must be completed at Pacific College of Health and Science.

Bachelor of Science in Public Health Education and Promotion (BS PHEP)

  • No transfer credit policy.

Nursing Transfer Credits

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN): Holistic Nurse Coach or Holistic Nurse Educator

  • The consideration for transferring in of credits to replace any MSN course includes course content, complexity, assessment standards, and inclusion of holistic aspects.
  • Courses must have been taken within the past five years at a programmatically accredited master’s in nursing program with an earned grade of “pass” or “B-” or above to be transferable. Courses must also be graduate level and comparable to Pacific College of Health and Science MSN courses.
  • Applicants may receive transfer credit for up to 25% (or 10 credits) of courses.
  • Courses taken to fulfill requirements of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-to-BSN Completion Option) may not be used to fulfill requirements for the MSN.
  • Specialty track courses are not eligible to receive transfer credit.

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-to-BSN Completion Option)

  • Licensed RNs who have earned an associate degree or diploma in nursing from a programmatically accredited (ACEN, NLN CNEA) will be granted 34 credit hours of proficiency credit for prior nursing course work.
  • A total of 60 credits of general education coursework is required for the degree. Nine of these credits must be taken at Pacific College of Health and Science. The remaining 51may be transferred in or taken at Pacific College of Health and Science:
    • 6 credits of English
    • 6 credits of Communication
    • 6 credits of Behavioral Sciences (psychology or sociology)
    • 6 credits of Humanities (3 credits ≥300 level), (philosophy, history, literature, art, religion, music, foreign language, etc.)
    • 27 credits of any Arts and Sciences discipline (6 credits ≥300 level)

Holistic Nursing Certificate (HNC)

  • No transfer credit policy

Bachelor of Science in Nursing (Prelicensure Option)

A minimum of a grade of B- must be obtained in and must have been taken within the last 5 years for the following courses to be transferred:

  • MA102: College Algebra
  • BIO110/BIO110L: Human Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab
  • BIO210/BIO210L: Human Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab
  • BIO315/BIO315L: Microbiology with Lab

In addition, the following courses, with their accompanying lab, must always be transferred together:

  • BIO110/BIO110L: Human Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab
  • BIO210/BIO210L: Human Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab
  • BIO315/BIO315L: Microbiology with Lab

For example, you cannot transfer in BIO110 Human Anatomy and Physiology I and just take BIO110L Human Anatomy and Physiology I Lab or vice versa.

All other non-general education courses transferred to PCHS must have a minimum grade of C.

NR (Nursing) courses may not be transferred. BIO400: Psychoneuroimmunology may not be transferred.

The program accepts transfer credits from approved alternate course credit providers for specific courses in the following categories:

Accepted Transfer Credits:

  • Writing and Communications Courses
  • Social Sciences
  • Arts and Humanities Courses
  • Science Courses: Introductory courses in Biology and Chemistry, and Nutrition.
  • Mathematics: Algebra and Statistics

The college does not accept transfer credits from approved alternate course credit providers for the following courses:

  • Anatomy and Physiology/Labs
  • Microbiology
  • Pathophysiology
  • Psychoneuroimmunology

Applicants may receive transfer credit for up to 57 credits for general education coursework.

Medical Cannabis Transfer Credits

Medical Cannabis Certificate (MCC)

  • No transfer credit policy

Non-Traditional Credits & Prior Learning Assessment

In order to meet the pre-requisite requirement of 60 or 90 credits earned (dependent on your chosen program), we will accept credits earned from the following organizations and national testing programs:

  • College Board Advanced Placement (AP)
  • College Board College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
  • American College Testing Proficiency Examination Program (ACT/PEP)
  • Berlitz Language Evaluation
  • StraighterLine
  • Study.com
  • U.S. Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) program
  • Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES/DSST) tests

Non-traditional credits can also be earned toward transfer credits and general education requirements, as well as pre- and co-requisite requirements. For these requirements, we will accept credits earned from the following organizations and national testing programs:

  • College Board Advanced Placement (AP)*
  • College Board College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
  • American College Testing Proficiency Examination Program (ACT/PEP)
  • U.S. Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) program
  • Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES/DSST) tests

*To receive credit, students must submit an original copy of their scores directly from the College Board. We cannot accept AP scores from high school or college transcripts. Each AP examination with a score of 3, 4 or 5 will be granted three (3) undergraduate credits; credit will not be given for scores of 2 or 1.

For Straighterline & Study.com, only the following courses are pre-approved to use toward transfer credits needed, general education, pre- and co-req requirements:

  • General Chemistry
  • General Psychology
  • General Biology
  • College-level Math

*Any other courses can be submitted case-by-case for approval from our academic teams.

Auditing Classes

Students may choose to audit a class for which they already have credit for a reduced fee. (See fee pages or ask the Academic Dean or Student Advisor.) Auditing classes outside a student’s major or minor program coursework, for which a student does not already have credit, is also possible at full tuition. Academic dean or student advisor approval is required. Auditors must respect the priority access of credit students to teachers’ time. Auditing is permitted on a space-available basis only. Students in the nursing programs are not permitted to audit NR-designated courses.

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