The American College Of Dubai

* Note: Some institutions require MAT 122 Business Calculus.

Transfer Option Engineering, Computer Science And Science Students

*  Foundation courses for engineering and science students.

Transfer Option For Other Specializations

Students interested in obtaining a degree or preparing for careers in other fields can begin at least the first part of their studies at the College. Such fields include:

Students interested in the above fields should start with the General Education requirement courses found in all of these specialization curricula. These requirements should be supplemented by other subjects, chosen in consultation with the students' academic advisors.

The General Education requirement normally includes some or all of the following courses:

Note:

Students can transfer at any point during the first two years, depending on their individual needs and the requirements of the institutions to which they are transferring.

Exact sequencing of courses will be arranged with the assistance of ACD's academic advisors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q Can I transfer my credits to ANY university in the United States?

A There are approximately 3600 universities in the United States. Most of these universities will accept your credits including some of the best universities in the United States like Bentley, Florida State University, Texas A & M, Ohio State, etc.

Q Will ALL my credits transfer?

A YES, WITH THE FOLLOWING RESERVATIONS Remedial courses such as Bridge English Workshop, Essentials of Math and Fundamentals of Algebra will usually not transfer to the United States.

Pre-Calculus and Basic Programming are considered remedial subjects for engineering students. However, students must understand that doing a remedial course in the subject in which they are weak is of vital academic importance. If they do not master the basic principles of the subject they will not be able to make it through college.

Students need a sound knowledge of Mathematics and English for both Business and Engineering.

In addition, some subjects taken at the College that are not directly related to your field of specialization in the US may not transfer. Each university's curriculum is different and the subjects you have taken must fit with the US University's curriculum.

If a subject does not fit, you may not receive credits for it. The College often selects a general or generic program for students because it does not know which university they will be attending. Sometimes this leads to students choosing subjects that are not included in the curriculum of a particular university. For this reason the College always recommends that you apply to more than two universities so as to enhance your transfer prospects. Any grade below 'C' (70%) in any subject will usually not transfer.

Q What can I do to improve my chances of transferring all of my credits?

A Do not try to choose advanced courses in your specialization in your first two years because the first two years are reserved for General Education Requirements at most universities and these will not accept advanced courses done during this period. So if you are planning to transfer after two years, concentrate mostly on the General Educational Requirements. However it is important to understand that different universities may have slightly different General Education Requirements. The credits that you have completed at the College may satisfy the requirements of one university but not another. This can lead to credit loss in one form or another. For this reason you should apply to a number of universities and transfer to the one that will accept all or most of your credits.

Maintain a GPA of above 3.00 (B or above) to improve your chances of acceptance in universities of good academic standing. Check the internet for the university and the program in which you are interested and consult your advisor who will try to give you courses that are identical to those in your program. This can only be done when you are certain of the university that you want to attend and it is the best way to ensure that all your credits will transfer. Ensure that you have a firm commitment of credit acceptance before you make a final decision as to the university you will attend.

Be aware that transfer of credits is a problem that is encountered by students in American institutions whether in the US or overseas when they transfer from one College to another. This difficulty is due to the disparity in the academic curriculum among the different universities in the US.

British universities differ greatly from those in Canada and United States as do those of Australia, New Zealand and India which are modelled to some extent on the British pattern. From the point of view of transferring, the crucial point to remember is that these universities offer a degree after three years of specialization following admission with the requisite "A" levels as an entry qualification. For students coming from the American system, this means they can transfer to these institutions only after their first or second year of college; transfer will be difficult at any other time.

British, Australian and New Zealand universities will view the US freshman year as the equivalent of "A" level - their basic requirement for admission. Thus, since specialization begins early in the course of study, they will accept only those subjects completed in the second year of the U.S. system as equivalent to the first year of a normal three-year honours degree program. In short, if you transfer to a British university after one year at ACD, you will enter the first year of a three year program. If you complete two years at ACD, you will enter a British university as a second year student with two more specialized years to complete before you are eligible to graduate. Credit by credit or module by module will not be evaluated towards the degree; only blocks of work done on a yearly basis with good examination results will be acceptable for transfer in the degree curriculum.

The above stipulation should not cause the student at ACD any problem. It simply means you must plan your transfer only at the end of your freshman or sophomore year.

The College has agreements with a growing number of universities modelled on the British system in UK, Australia, New Zealand and India that will welcome your applications for transfer. See the Transfer Counselling office for an updated list. Many of these agreements specify the number of credits that can be transferred as well as any conditions which may apply.

A. Illustrative list of British Universities

• Middlesex University.
• The British American College, London.
• Regents College.
• The University of Greenwich.
• Richmond University.
• Griffith College, Dublin.
• University of Westminste

B. Illustrative list of Australian Universities

• University of New Castle.
• Deakin University.
• Melbourne Institute of Technology.
• Edith Cowan University.
• University of Canberra.

Many ACD students transfer to four-year degree granting institutions to obtain their degree, which makes the transfer process crucial to their academic career. These specialized requirements must be completed at a four year university that offers a degree in that particular field. The transfer process works in the following way:

Credits earned at one institution are transferred and accepted as credits towards the degree at another institution. Colleges and universities in the United States will generally accept credits from other institutions if the student has earned a "C" grade or higher in the subject and the institution to which a student transfers has equivalent coursework. It should be noted, however, that transferring from one institution to another is a complicated process, since each institution has different requirements for its degree that graduating students must meet. In general the specialized requirements for a degree program should be completed at the university from which the student intends to graduate.

Students enrolled at the College receive its official transcript that lists the subjects, grades, and credits of all work undertaken in any and every semester. Students normally receive credits for the subjects taken at the College from almost any university that accepts transfer students and that is willing to accept the applicant. Since most universities do accept transfer students, students at the College have a vast choice of universities from which to choose. It should be remembered, however, that applicants must demonstrate superior academic ability to be accepted at many universities and that the transfer process is always subject to the restrictions noted above.

It should be emphasized that the College does not necessarily recommend specific institutions for its transferring students. The provided list indicates the range and the quality of the institutions available. The choosing of a university is a highly personal matter and much of the decision depends upon the aim, objectives and abilities of the individual applicant. Moreover, many of the well known universities, often major research institutions, are not necessarily the best choices for international students looking for excellence in teaching or a personalized environment. The choice of a university depends upon the needs of the student and the requirements of the university.

Students wishing to apply to degree-granting institutions outside the UAE must meet the respective entry requirements. The College provides guidance and direction for all transferring students and helps them with the paperwork involved. Students are advised to seek the advice of the College counsellors when making their decision as to where to transfer. Such concerns as cost, entry requirements, degree available and international student facilities at U.S. universities are specialized areas of knowledge that are best obtained from the College.

Over the years, students from the College have transferred to an impressive list of U.S. and Canadian universities, among them are some of the most distinguished in North America. A representative, but not exhaustive list, includes:

The above is an illustrative list only. Please check with your Counselor if the university of your choice does not appear above.

The University Transfer Program is one of the most important and popular offerings at ACD. It enables UAE-based students to complete in Dubai much of the basic coursework required by all universities abroad in almost every academic area of choice before physically transferring to the university,locally or overseas, from which they intend to earn their degree. At the heart of the program is the US educational notion that all students should be exposed to a wide range of general subjects before specializing in any one field.

The general subjects, often called the general education requirements, are common to nearly all American university curricula during the first and second years. It is believed that these combinations of courses will provide students with the social, technical and academic competence that they will need before the specialization required during the final two years of a Bachelor Degree.

English Composition

Composition I and Composition II

Humanities

English Literature, American Literature, Art and Humanities, Philosophy, Religion and Public Speaking

Social Sciences

History, Sociology, Social Psychology, General Psychology, Economics, Anthropology, World Politics and International Relations

Science and Mathematics

Science: Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry or Physics

Mathematics: Finite Mathematics, College Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Statistics Those students wishing to specialize in certain disciplines should choose their electives with their own area of specialization in mind.

Option A in Business Studies Students should include the following subjects in their electives and choices: Economics I, Economics II, Introduction to Business, Accounting I, Accounting II, Managerial Accounting, Business Law, Finite Mathematics, Statistics, Information Technology and others.

Option B in Engineering and Science Students should take the following subjects during their tenure at the college: Calculus I, Calculus II, Calculus III, Chemistry I, Chemistry II, Physics I, Physics II, Computer Programming and Introduction to Engineering. A list of the various subjects with their respective credits including a short description of each subject can be found at the back of the brochure.

The subjects taken should be as similar as possible to those required for the degree at the university to which the student wishes to transfer.

Detailed information on the requirements of specific universities can usually be found at the College's Administrative Office.

Other Options

Students interested in obtaining a degree or preparing for careers in the fields listed below can begin at least the first part of their studies at the College. They can then transfer their credits to obtain their degree in most fields of study, including the following :

Transfer of Students from ACD:

Being part of the US university system, allows students from ACD to transfer to most US universities throughout the world so long as these institutions accept transfer credits for their degrees, which include the vast majority of US and Canadian institutions. In addition, ACD has special transfer agreements with a number of well-known universities, which offer special concessions and transferability to ACD students. For a list of these institutions, check the list at the Counseling Office.

How to Apply Abroad and Transfer

ACD provides a comprehensive handbook to transfer students in order to prepare them for their embassy/consulate visa interview.

Each student has an interview with the Transfer Counselor who reviews his/her file and prepares it for submission to the US, Canadian or British Consulates.

Students are advised to visit the websites of their target universities to determine whether there is a close match with their own capabilities and aspirations.

Each student is given adequate resource material to prepare his/her case for a proper visa application.

Pre-departure counseling sessions are provided.

Important Note:

The decision to accept transfer students is under the sole purview of the institution to which the student applies for admissions. Except for those institutions that have formal agreements with ACD, the transferring of credits of every applicant is judged on a case-by-case basis by the accepting university.