How many classes can one take at another college for the price of one class at RPI? Originally, I planned to take a few summer classes at RPI—I would not have to worry about transfer problems and I already have a place at which to stay for the summer. I signed up for two summer classes on SIS and then decided to bring myself to reality. I picked up the phone and asked the bursar’s office the price per summer credit. Of course, the $905 per credit price, or $3,660 for the class, did not shock me, but it did indeed disillusion me from the view that I would not have to go through the hassle of consulting deans, advisors, and other schools to transfer credits.
I did some research and found a Discrete Structures class at UMass-Lowell that I could possibly use to fill my applied math elective. At a total cost of $735, how could I go wrong? Well, I found out that only three credits would transfer to RPI, even though Discrete runs for a total of 40 contact hours at RPI during the summer and 37 contact hours at UMass-Lowell. If the amount of time differs by only a total of three class hours, why shouldn’t the course I want to take at UMass-Lowell transfer in as four credit hours?
So I did more research and found a four credit Discrete class at Boston University for $1692, only $937 more than the other Discrete course—quite a significant cost to gain one extra credit. This class runs a total of 48 class hours—maybe if I take this class, the school should transfer five credit hours in, because RPI’s Discrete class obviously cannot be equivalent if it runs eight hours less. Isn’t that a nice dream?
Despite this minor annoyance, I believe I can take the less expensive course. I e-mailed my advisor to see if I could use the three transfer credits to fill the applied math requirement. He answered my question promptly and told me that as long as I have enough credits to meet my major’s requirements for graduation, then no problem exists. (If you are dissatisfied with your advisor, I highly recommend David Nichols, the ECSE undergraduate advisor.)
If you would like to transfer credits from summer classes, I recommend acquiring “Form 8” in the registrar’s office and then getting the courses approved for transfer before taking the classes. E-mail the chair or dean of the department for which the credits apply. I e-mailed Dean Sam Wait, Chair Donald Drew, Professor Harry McLaughlin and H&SS Director Elizabeth Large with my questions and received responses within a few days.
In answer to my original question of how many classes one can take at another school for the price of an RPI class, I can take 4.9 summer classes at UMass-Lowell and 2.1 classes from Boston University. Knowing this information really puts into perspective the amount of money one must pay to obtain an RPI degree.
