Pitfalls

If you earned an Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) from a Colorado community college, your remaining MSU Denver General Studies requirements are waived.

Make sure MSU Denver has your final official transcript showing your degree was awarded.

If you transferred before completing your AA or AS, individual GT Pathways courses can still count toward corresponding General Studies requirements.

Note: Ethnic Studies & Social Justice (ESSJ) is a separate graduation requirement.

Some colleges teach Introductory Psychology as a two-course sequence. MSU Denver’s PSY 1001 covers it in one course.

If you completed only part of a two-course sequence, your credit may appear as PSY 8888 instead of PSY 1001.

PSY 8888 still means you received transfer credit, but it does not by itself fulfill PSY 1001.

If you’re a Psychology or HDFS major or minor, check your DPR and ask an advisor if you’re unsure.

Transfer courses do not always automatically appear under the correct requirement.

For example, you might see an unfamiliar course number beginning with 8, such as PSY 83250 – Child Psychology. That course may still be able to satisfy the same major requirement as an MSU Denver course such as PSY 3250.

An advisor may need to review the course and have it applied to the correct requirement.

Before retaking a course, ask us first. Taking the MSU Denver version of a course for which you already have corresponding transfer credit could replace the transferred course on your record rather than give you additional credit toward graduation.

A lower-division transfer course may satisfy the same major requirement as a 3000- or 4000-level MSU Denver course, but it still counts as lower-division credit.

That matters because Psychology and HDFS have upper-division requirements.

When choosing future courses, consider upper-division options that can help you meet both your major and overall degree requirements. An advisor can help you plan strategically.

Having 60, 70, or more transfer credits doesn’t necessarily mean you’re close to graduating.

What matters is how those credits fit into your degree, including:

• Major requirements
• General Studies
• Upper-division credits
• Prerequisites
• MSU Denver residency requirements
• Senior Experience
• Other graduation requirements

Instead of only asking, “How many credits transferred?”, also ask, “How do my credits apply to my degree?”

You may arrive with junior or senior standing based on your total credits but still be earlier in the Psychology or HDFS course sequence.

Both programs require PSY 2310 (Statistics) and PSY 3010 (Research Methods). Psychology majors also complete PSY 3011 (Research Methods Laboratory).

Talk with an advisor about these courses early. Waiting too long can limit your options later, especially for Psychology Senior Experience courses.

Contact an advisor if:

• A transfer course is missing.
• A PSY course has an unfamiliar number.
• The course doesn’t fulfil the requirements you expect.
• Your DPR says you need something you think you’ve already completed.
• Your General Studies still appear incomplete after earning a qualifying Colorado AA or AS.
• Something simply doesn’t look right.

Don’t assume you need another course. Sometimes a transfer course needs further evaluation or needs to be manually applied to the correct requirement.

If you still have General Studies requirements, you don’t necessarily need to finish all of them before working on your major.

Work with your advisor to balance:

• General Studies
• Major requirements
• Prerequisites and course sequences
• Upper-division credits
• Course availability
• Your workload and other commitments

The goal is to keep making progress while leaving yourself as many options as possible.