Texas Tech University General Business Transfer and Academic Planning Guide

Degree Plan Evaluation and Course Transfers

• Sample Degree Plan Overview: The degree plan for Texas Tech University (TTU) categorizes credits using a color-coding system to track student progress from various institutions such as Texas A&M, Palo Alto College, and Northwest Vista.

  • Yellow: Indicates courses that have been successfully transferred and are completed.
  • Green: Indicates courses that are currently in progress or registered for future completion.
  • White: Indicates remaining requirements that must be completed at the community college or university level.

• Transcript Highlights and Transfer Breakdown:

  • English Requirements: One English requirement is satisfied by a course taken at Texas A&M. A second English course, taken at Palo Alto College, satisfies the Language, Philosophy, and Culture core requirement.
  • Political Science: Two requirements are satisfied by courses from Texas A&M and Palo Alto College.
  • Accredited Electives: Criminal Justice and University $101$ from Texas A&M satisfy general elective credits.
  • In-Progress Requirements: History courses, creative arts, and second sequences of English and History are currently listed as green (in progress or future).

• Specific Course Equivalencies and Requirements:

  • Mathematics: Math $1330$ is a mandatory requirement for admission into the General Business program at TTU. The Texas common code for this course is Math $1324$. Students at Northwest Vista should register for Math $1324$ to satisfy the Math $1330$ requirement.
  • Life and Physical Sciences: The degree plan requires two science courses. Students must coordinate with advisors to ensure specific courses (e.g., Biology $1322$) map correctly to university requirements.
  • Accounting: The major requirement for Accounting $2300$ at TTU can be satisfied at Northwest Vista by taking either Accounting $2301$ or Accounting $2401$.
  • Database Coordination: The university uses a transfer equivalency guide to check for course equivalents. If a course has not been transferred by a student previously, the advisor must manually verify the database or coordinate to establish an equivalent.

Institutional Credit Limitations and Residency Requirements

• Transfer Credit Maximums: Texas Tech University has specific caps on the number of transferable hours allowed toward a Bachelor's degree:

  • Two-Year Institutions: A maximum of $80$ transfer credits can be accepted from community colleges or two-year institutions.
  • Four-Year Institutions: An additional $10$ credits can be accepted from four-year institutions.
  • Total Transfer Maximum: The absolute maximum combined transfer credit limit is $90$ credits.

• University Residency Requirement: To earn a Bachelor’s degree from TTU:

  • The total credits required for the degree is $120$.
  • Since the maximum transfer limit is $90$ credits, a student must complete a minimum of $30$ credits at Texas Tech University.
  • This equates to approximately $10$ courses that must be taken through the university to satisfy residency requirements.

GPA Management and Admissions Criteria

• General Business Program Admission Requirements:

  • Completion of Math $1330$ (or equivalent).
  • Completion of at least $15$ credit hours.
  • A minimum transfer GPA of $2.75$.

• GPA Recovery Strategies:

  • Grade Replacement: The most efficient method for raising a GPA affected by failing grades ($F’s$) is to retake the specific courses at the institution where the original grade was received (e.g., Texas A&M).
  • Elective Retakes: Retaking a course such as Math $1314$ at San Antonio College or Psych $2301$ at Texas A&M can replace a zero-point grade, thereby raising the overall GPA. Even if these courses do not satisfy major-specific requirements, they can be applied toward general elective requirements.
  • Pre-Business Pathway: If a student does not yet meet the $2.75$ GPA requirement for the General Business program but maintains a GPA of at least $2.0$, they can be admitted into the "Pre-Business" category while working to satisfy the higher threshold and math requirements.

• Projected GPA Improvement: Attaining grades of $A$ in current courses (History $1302$, Intro to Cinema, and Creative Writing) and retaking Math $1324$ for an $A$ can mathematically raise a student's GPA to approximately $2.02$, facilitating entry into the Pre-Business track.

Texas Tech University Online Learning and Support Infrastructure

• Eight-Week Session Structure: TTU divides the standard $16$-week fall and spring semesters into two distinct eight-week sessions:

  • Early Fall / Late Fall: Students typically take two courses in the first eight weeks and two courses in the second eight weeks.
  • Full-Time Status: By completing four courses (totaling $12$ credits) across the two sessions, a student maintains full-time status for financial aid purposes while only focusing on two subjects at a time.

• Asynchronous Learning: The online format is asynchronous, meaning there are no required login times for lectures. However, students must adhere to concrete deadlines for assignments, tests, and projects (e.g., Sundays at $9 \text{PM}$).

• Student Support Roles:

  • Enrollment Service Specialist: Guides the student through the application process, transcript requests, and virtual orientation.
  • Online Student Advocate (OSA): Assists students from orientation through graduation. OSAs handle specific program details, major changes, and the processing of minors.
  • Minors: Requiring a minimum of $18$ credits, minors are coordinated through the OSA. Choosing a minor may result in exceeding the $120$-credit minimum for a Bachelor’s degree if transfer courses do not align.

Questions & Discussion

• Samantha's Question: "I don’t think I did [receive the degree plan]. Oh, it went to my personal email. There it is… I guess I'm just trying to complete as many transferable credits as possible at Vista before transferring… I'm trying to map out exactly which courses I should take?"

  • Advisor's Response: The advisor shared their screen to review the plan, explaining the yellow, green, and white color-coding. They emphasized staying in contact every semester to verify equivalencies in the database before registering at Northwest Vista.

• Samantha's Question: "What's the maximum amount of transfer hours that I can take? And what are the minimum hours that have to be completed at Tech?"

  • Advisor's Response: The limit is $80$ credits from a two-year and $10$ from a four-year for a total of $90$. Students must complete $30$ credits ($10$ classes) at TTU out of the $120$-credit total.

• Samantha's Question: "I have like six $F’s$ from a really long time ago… it's still tanking my GPA… I did wanna know what the minimum transfer GPA is for Texas Tech?"

  • Advisor's Response: The specific Business program requires a $2.75$. However, with a $2.0$, a student can start in "Pre-Business." The advisor recommended retaking specific courses at the original institutions to replace the failing grades on the transcript.

• Samantha's Question: "Would I be close at all to a minor with everything else that I've taken?"

  • Advisor's Response: A minor requires $18$ credits. The Online Student Advocate (OSA) handles these details. The advisor promised to send a link to available minors in a follow-up email.

• Samantha's Question: "Is it different than typical online classes?"

  • Advisor's Response: Yes, it utilizes an asynchronous eight-week structure divided into two sessions per semester, which is often more manageable for students working full-time.