Prerequisites
Have you completed coursework or have prior experience that can be used as course credit? If so, we are here to help you make sure you can use that experience to access courses and programs at Southwestern College..
Prerequisites are courses or qualifications that must be satisfactorily completed before you may register for another course or enter a program. They can be satisfied in a number of ways: other courses at Southwestern, courses taken elsewhere, prior exams, or even an evaluation by an instructor. Find out more about how you can earn prerequisite credit below.
Steps to Satisfy Prerequisites
- Please read the SWC course description or program requirements carefully in the Southwestern College Catalog to make sure that you are registering for the courses you need to meet your educational goals.
- If possible, set up an appointment with a counselor to develop a Student Educational Plan (SEP) and determine the classes you need to take.
- If you believe you have the skills required to enter a course and are able to document those skills; refer to the accordions below:
Ways to Satisfy Prerequisites
Processing of evaluation requests can take 3 - 5 business days. Please submit your requests at least a week before your registration appointment to avoid registration delays. In order to access many of the forms below, login with MySWC is required, so make sure you are logged out of all personal Google accounts.Coursework from Other Institutions
Coursework from another regionally accredited college or university must be completed with a satisfactory grade of "C" or better.
Most requests require proof of the passing final grade in the course as officially posted by the institution. Documentation must contain the student's name and the institution's name visible on the same report as the course and grade information.
If you are using a course that is "in progress," you can submit it for evaluation and provisional permission to register. Students are responsible for providing documentation of passing final grade before the first day of class (or risk being dropped).
To submit a request to have your course(s) evaluated to satisfy the requirements for a specific course, use the External Course Prerequisite Evaluation Request Form.
Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate scores
We accept certain Advanced Placement exam results of 3 or higher and some International Baccalaureate exam scores of 5 or higher to satisfy course requisites or to give higher placements. We follow the External Exam Credit guidelines in the Course Catalog in using exam scores to clear prerequisites.
The Prerequisites Office does not give course credit for exam results. Students seeking course credit should use the Student Petition to request credit for their AP and IB exam scores.
To submit a request to have your scores evaluated to satisfy requisites for a specific course, use the External Assessment Prerequisite Evaluation Request Form.
Language, Art, Performance, and Other Skills Acquisition Courses
For some language, art, or skills acquisition courses, students can satisfy some prerequisite through certifications, departmental review of a portfolio of work and/or audition.
For these courses, please contact the faculty in the relevant discipline for a placement evaluation. Email SWCPrerequisites@swccd.edu for help identifying faculty members to complete a placement evaluation.
Once the evaluation is complete, the Southwestern College faculty member will complete an Instructor Skills Memorandum to Assessment and send it to the Prerequisites Office from their Southwestern College email address to communicate that a successful demonstration of skill has been completed by the student. The Prerequisites office will use the information in the Skills Memorandum to update the student's record to allow enrollment at the level communicated by the faculty member.
Program Enrollment Prerequisite Evaluation (PEPE) Request
Documentation of completion of prerequisites and General Education requirements for the applications to the Southwestern College Police Academy, Surgical Technician and/or Nursing Programs can be requested by completing the Program Enrollment Prerequisite Evaluation Request form.
Please make sure that all required courses have been completed and that final grades are posted and available before submitting the form. In-progress coursework cannot be evaluated for these programs. Incomplete forms will not be processed. Please read all form instructions completely and carefully before submitting the form.
Requisite Challenge Process
Students may submit a challenge of a requisite that cannot be satisfied through previous coursework or external examination results for consideration by the Department Chair and/or School Dean for the following reasons:
- Students can document and/ or demonstrate that they already have the required skills to be successful in the course without the requisite class or an equivalent.
- The requisite represents an undue delay in meeting the students' educational goals because the college has not made the requisite course reasonably available (usually within the last year or more).
- The student wishes to take a prerequisite course concurrently with another course and can demonstrate the necessary knowledge or ability to succeed in both courses simultaneously.
- The requisite is being applied in a way that is unfair or contrary to college policy and state regulations
For each of these reasons the student is required to provide compelling evidence to support the challenge.
If you feel that you have a challenge that meets one of the above criteria, the Requisite Challenge Form is available in the Assessment Office. During remote operations or at other times, students can email the Faculty Coordinator, Ryan Lennon, at rlennon@swccd.edu for the appropriate forms and help in filing your challenge.
The approximate processing period for completed challenges is 10 working days during spring and fall semesters. The processing time is increased to 15 working days during summer or other break periods. Please be sure to initiate challenges with enough time to meet registration deadlines.