If a student uses AP for college credit for say, calculus and physics (or whatever), and a graduate course requires the student to have completed a college level course in those… will the graduate school accept the APs as well?
Maybe. For medical schools, for example, the student would need to take a higher level course in required prerequisite courses if an AP is used for college credit.
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This is what it says:
…college- level courses of Physics (with lab) and Trigonometry.
The graduate program in question may answer the question on its web site, or you may have to ask directly.
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This varies by school. So no easy answer here. Some colleges treat APs the same as having taken their equivilent course if you got a sufficient score. Others do not. For example, at my S23’s college for math they will count the AP score but only after you have already completed a higher level math class and gotten a decent grade. Otherwise you can’t count the AP math score. Similar in physics with the difference being the math department actually counts the credits received toward the major requirement while physics does not – only uses it for higher level placement. And neither count the AP as fulfilling a requirement for a grad level course, but the point is moot since you needed to complete a course at the college to get the credit anyway.
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At least 4 of the undergrad schools we have looked at indicate they will take AP calculus and AP physics as credit for courses that would otherwise need to be taken as degree completion requirements. There is no requirement in undergrad to do higher levels than these. I’m just wondering if it makes sense to do so if it’s not going to satisfy the grad school requirements (which will vary by school presumably too).
The undergrad major may have, for example, calc for a math requirement and that’s enough for a history major or a dance major, but not for a chemistry or physics major. Can that history major apply for a masters in history with the AP credits? Probably. Could that history major apply for med school? Sure, but may need more than the required courses from undergrad (and take them while an undergrad or post graduating.
My niece needed a calc class as an undergrad because she was in the honors program. She hated it so didn’t take any more calc than the one required class. She then went on to a masters in some kind of international studies with a lot of data collection and interpretation required. Not sure, but I bet she had to take more math once in grad school.
My kid got AP credit. She took a higher level of that course because she knew she would need that for her professional program.
You really need to inquire with the grad program whether a higher level of an AP credit course is needed. Those grad programs will let you know.
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And it will depend on the field of study.
Even if a kid can apply for a psych grad program based on having taken AP Stats back in HS and gotten college credit…this student will be at a significant disadvantage once the heavy data/research components kick in. I don’t think students want to be relying on a class they took 5 years ago (and never took a higher level course in the subject) once they get to grad school. For anything that’s at all math/data related (and that includes several business subjects-- take it from me, don’t start an MBA program and skip calc, stats, etc. Even in marketing, which used to be “math-lite” it is now heavy data analysis!) you want to have fresh skills, honed in a college class, not a leftover from HS.
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That was part of what I was thinking too.
Based on other posts, the likely graduate/professional program of interest is an MArch program, and the OP is a California resident.
There are three public MArch programs in California, according to School Search - NAAB Website .
- CPP: requires “college- level courses of Physics (with lab) and Trigonometry” and does not mention AP scores at M.Arch - Master of Architecture . Ask directly about it.
- UCB: requires “completion of college-level or equivalent calculus and introductory physics” with at least C- grades. Allows 5 on AP calculus AB, 3 on AP calculus BC, and 3 on AP physics B to fulfill these prerequisites. Since AP physics B has been discontinued, ask directly about AP physics 1 and/or 2. See https://ced.berkeley.edu/arch/degrees-admissions/master-of-architecture
- UCLA: says that “applicants must have taken at least one college-level course in each of the following areas: Newtonian physics; mathematics (covering algebra plus geometry or trigonometry); a university survey of the history of architecture (minimum one semester or two quarters) encompassing examples from antiquity to the present; and drawing or basic design. Applicants should contact the graduate adviser for further information on these prerequisites”. See Architecture – M.Arch. | UCLA Graduate Programs .
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Agree with what all the other have said. It’s going to depend by school and by program. IMO AP classes/credits work best when they’re outside the intended field of study and will qualify for non-core credit or if it gets an “introductory” course out of the way.
I wouldn’t want to be in position to have 4-5 years between taking Calculus in high school, having it waived in undergrad and then needing to take it in a grad program.
Might be worth a couple of emails to grad programs and then go with the most conservative approach based on what you hear back.
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