Political Science

AP Credit Policy

(Revised June 2008)

The Political Science Department will consider requests for awarding credit to students entering Reed who receive either 4 or 5 on the comparative or American politics advanced placement exams. ALL PETITIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THE END OF THE SOPHOMORE YEAR. The department will not consider AP petitions after this point.

The Department notes that Divisional and Group requirements are managed by the HSS Division and Administration committee, and petitions for AP credit for these requirements must go to these committees, though the Department will consider submitting a recommendation with the AP petition. In general, the department would consider supporting recommendations that meet the criteria below.

  1. The AP credit cannot count toward the 30 course total, but can be used to count toward departmental requirements.
  2. A student who has taken the AP Comparative Politics exam and received a 4 or 5 can:
    • Take Pol220 if they so desire
    • Use this to waive at least one 200 level course in Political Science. Note this means that said student must still take two political science courses, but need not be concerned that one be a 200 level.
    • Use this course to waive the three 200-level course requirement for the major; the student may take only two 200 level courses, but still must take seven political science courses.
    • Use this course as a prerequisite (Pol220) for UD courses
  3. A student who has taken the AP American Government exam and received a 4 or 5 can:
    • Use this to waive at least one 200 level course in Political Science. Note this means that said student must still take two political science courses, but need not be concerned that one be a 200 level.
    • Use this course to waive the three 200-level course requirement for the major; the student may take only two 200 level courses, but still must take seven political science courses.
    • Use this course as a prerequisite ("a 200 level POL") for UD courses

NOTES:

A student who has taken BOTH the AP exams can only waive ONE of the three required 200 level Political Science courses. Said student must still take TWO 200-level courses, and FIVE other courses, in order to graduate with a Political Science major.

The AP Comparative exam is viewed as comparable to Pol220, but the AP American Government exam is NOT comparable to Pol210, and will not substitute as 210 for the purposes of prerequisites.