Advanced Placement Credits

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Bioengineering students are encouraged to consider all the advanced placement credits for which they qualify. This will enable taking advanced courses when AP credits count for prerequisites, the possibility to pursue dual degree programs without a course overload in some semesters, possibly graduate earlier, or just more degrees of freedom to take courses of interest.

The rules for AP credits are sometimes complex. The credits may be as straight forward as reporting the score on the National AP exam you took, usually in your senior year in high school, the credit may require a placement exam, and in some areas you can get retroactive credit. As a general rule, only the department teaching the topic for which you seek AP credit can determine the policy. However, while the policies may appear complex, a very large number of students take advantage of AP credits enabling them to enrich their program. The following are the guidelines for AP credits in the areas most common to Bioengineering students.

1. Biology

BE students are not required to take Biology until the second year of the program. However, students with AP credits in various subjects including math, chemistry or physics may have room and are often able to take Biology in their first year.

If you do not have AP credits in Biology, you should take BIOL 121 (1.5 course units, including lab). If you come to Penn with AP credit in Biology (which counts as BIOL 091), you should take either BIOL 121 (including lab) or take the departmental placement exam for BIOL 121.

BIOL 101 does NOT fulfill BE Biology requirements.  You must take BIOL 121 or pass the BIOL 121 placement exam.

BIOL 091 does not fulfill BE Biology requirements. However, BIOL 091 can count towards technical electives or as a free elective in the BE curriculum.

If you take the placement exam offered by the Biology Department and obtain AP credit for the lecture part of BIOL 121, you should take only the laboratory, BIOL 123 (0.5 course unit), to satisfy the BE first biology course requirement and proceed to the next level biology requirement in the BE curriculum, which is BIOL 202.  Or, if you pass the department’s placement exam and receive credit for the lecture part of BIOL 121, you can petition (a petition is required) to take another more advanced natural science course in place of the BIOL 123 lab.  Please note that if you get AP credit for the lecture part of BIOL 121, while fulfilling BE requirements it will replace the credit for BIOL 091 according to the Department of Biology rules.

In addition, whether you are pre-med or not may influence what biology courses you take. Consult the premed office on what courses to take and whether to use BIOL 091 towards degree requirements.

Additional information about biology courses and advanced placement may be found at www.bio.upenn.edu/programs/undergraduate/ (click on the link to “information for new students), and
www.bio.upenn.edu/programs/undergraduate/manual/main/06.ap/

Special rules apply for students taking the International Baccalaureate Exam, which enables more advanced placement credit. If you are in this or a similar category, check with the Office of Academic Programs (Towne 111) how to obtain the credit.

2. Mathematics

If you receive a 5 on the Math BC exam, you will get credit for Math 104 and should register for Math 114.

The Mathematics Department also offers placement tests and credit for all calculus levels. Depending on your level of calculus and confidence you may consider taking the tests and receive the credit. You can get retroactive credit for Math 104 if you start with Math 114. You can take the placement test for Math 104 to gage your ability to start with Math 114.  Please look up the details of the courses and official rules posted on the Mathematics Department site

www.math.upenn.edu/ugrad/advising.html

and

www.math.upenn.edu/ugrad/transfer.html

The Math Department suggests that students with NO calculus experience start with Math 103 instead of 104. If you think this may apply to you, please contact the Academic Programs Office immediately by email apo@seas.upenn.edu, or call 215-898-7246. We recommend that you register for 104, but also do some preparatory work over the summer before you matriculate. If you do not start the calculus sequence in the first semester of your freshmen year, you will have trouble meeting prerequisites for later engineering courses.

3. Chemistry

If you have a 5 on the Chemistry AP Exam, then you will receive 1 course unit for Chem 091.  CHEM 091 can be used in place of CHEM 101 and fulfills the first course of BE Chemistry requirements.  Or you can upgrade your chemistry AP (CHEM 091) to CHEM 101 and/or CHEM 102 by taking the placement exam.  The placement exam is explained at www.chem.upenn.edu/chem/undergraduate/advanced.php.

If you get credit for CHEM101, either by taking the course or the placement exam, you cannot use the credit for CHEM091.

Scores of 6 and 7 on the IB exam, and "A" on the "A-levels" are considered equivalent to a 5 on the AP exam. You will receive credit for Chem 091, which can be used in place of CHEM 101 or upgraded to CHEM 101 and/or CHEM 102 by taking the placement exam (see AP information above).

If you use CHEM 091 in place of CHEM 101, you will still have to take the CHEM labs 053 & 054, unless you received lab waivers from the Chemistry department.  If you receive lab waivers and/or take and pass the CHEM 101 and CHEM 102 placement exams, you may choose either to take the labs or replace the labs with another science or engineering course (you must submit a petition in order to do this).  The labs are 0.5 cu each and nearly all courses are 1.0 cu, so one course can replace two labs.

Premed students must take the Chemistry lectures (101 & 102) and labs (053 & 054) or get actual AP credit for them and should not deviate from the standard premed curriculum without consulting Penn’s Premed Office.

4. Physics

The Physics courses have two designations: Physics 150 (1.5CU) and 151 (1.5CU), which include a laboratory, and Physics 140 (1 CU) and 141 (1 CU), which consist of the same lecture part as 150 & 151, but have no laboratory.

As of the class matriculating in September 2005, Bioengineering does not require the Physics labs. Unless you are a premed student or have another program that requires the labs, you need to enroll in Physics 140 (fall) and 141 (spring). If you are a premed student or need the labs for another program, you should enroll in Physics 150 and 151.

AP credits: Students taking the national AP tests --  only Physics-C AP credits are recognized by the School of Engineering and Applied Science. Other students should follow instruction on the Physics Department WEB site and some notes below.

For a 5 on Physics-C, Mechanics and Electromagnetism, the AP credits are for Physics 93 and 94 respectively (1 course unit each). This is equivalent to the lecture part of Physics 150 and 151 and also fulfill the BE requirement for Physics 140 and 141. Occasionally, students may receive AP credit for an unusually strong high school physics lab. The credit for the lab is for Physics 50 and 51 (0.5 course units each). To document this you would have to bring along your lab notebooks, assignments, lab reports, etc. Consult the Physics web page for more information, www.physics.upenn.edu/undergraduate/transcre.html

If you receive credit for Physics 93/94, or the Physics lectures by virtue of transfer credit or international exams, and need the lab because you are a premed student or it is a requirement in a second major, degree or program, you may take Physics 50/51 to get credit for the lab(s) corresponding to the AP credit(s)

Upperclassmen, especially sophomores, who receive AP credit for Physics 93/94 or the lecture part of Phys 150/151 and have not yet taken the lab, may replace the lab(s) with any engineering course. The labs are 0.5cu each and nearly all courses are 1.0 cu, so one engineering course can replace one or both physics labs.

Premed students must take the labs or get actual AP credit for them and should not deviate from the standard premed curriculum without consulting Penn's Premed Office. The Physics labs (0.5 CU each) can count as one of your technical electives, so you do not lose the CU.

Premed Students should also review Penn's premed site at http://www.vpul.upenn.edu/careerservices/gradprof/healthprof/
and links within.

Students who have taken the International Baccalaureate Exam or have taken physics in a foreign institution may get credit for Physics 140/150 and 141/151or upgrade their credits by taking placement exams. Bring your lab manuals, notebooks and other supporting material for possible credit for Physics 50 and 51. If you are in this or a similar category, check with the Office of Academic Programs (111 Towne) how to obtain or apply for the credits and look up the Physics Department web site at www.physics.upenn.edu/undergraduate/transcre.html

5. AP credits in other subjects

Many BE students get AP credits in various areas including English, History, Environmental Science, and many other subjects. These credits can fulfill science, social sciences and humanities (SSH) and other requirements, or count in the free electives category. But, please keep in mind that only the departments teaching specific subjects can approve AP credits or give placement tests. If you have any questions about AP credits please go to the Office of Academic Programs (Towne 111) for guidance.


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