USNA Course Validation Policy
Most validation occurs during plebe summer but a few midshipmen validate upper level courses at other times. Midshipmen who wish to validate courses for which opportunities were not provided during plebe summer may visit the department concerned to make appropriate arrangements. To be considered for validation of any course, a midshipman must have had equivalent college level experience elsewhere. Automatic validation for high AP or IB test scores is indicated below. Validation may also be achieved by good performance on the plebe summer validation tests listed below.
| Department | Validation opportunities during plebe summer | Validation requirements for upper level courses |
| Division of Engineering and Weapons | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering | No validation tests are administered during plebe summer. | Interview, test |
| Electrical Engineering | ||
| Mechanical Engineering | ||
| Naval Architecture, Ocean, and Marine Engineering | ||
| Weapons and Systems Engineering | ||
| Division of Mathematics and Science | ||
| Chemistry | Tests administered for Chemistry 1 and Chemistry 2. Biology AP=5 or IB>6 validates Biology 1. | Interview, test |
| Computer Science | No validation tests are administered during plebe summer. “A” or “B” (taken prior to 2004) AP >= 4 validates. | |
| Mathematics | Tests administered for Calculus 1 ("AB" AP>4 validates), Calculus 2 ("BC" AP>4 validates) and Calculus 3. Statistics AP>4 validates SM219. | |
| Oceanography | No validation tests are administered during plebe summer. | |
| Physics | Tests administered for Physics 1 and Physics 2. | |
| Division of Humanities and Social Sciences | ||
| Economics | Test administered for Introductory Economics. Micro+Macro AP>8 validates. | Interview, test |
| English | Tests administered for English 1 (AP=5 or IB=7, Literature or Language, validates) and English 2. | |
| History | No validation tests are administered during plebe summer. AP World History plus either AP European History or AP American History >10 validates | Syllabus, transcript, and interview. |
| Political Science | No validation tests are administered during plebe summer. American Government AP>4 validates. | |
| Language Studies | Tests administered for French 1&2 (AP>3 validates) and French 3&4 (AP>4 validates). Tests administered for German 1&2 (AP>3 validates) and German 3&4 (AP>4 validates). Tests administered for Japanese 1&2 and Japanese 3&4. Tests administered for Russian 1&2 and Russian 3&4. Tests administered for Spanish 1&2 (AP>3 validates) and Spanish 3&4 (AP>4 validates). | Interview, test |
| Division of Officer Development | ||
| Leadership, Ethics, and Law | No validation tests are administered during plebe summer. Introductory Psychology AP>4 validates. | Syllabus, transcript, interview |
| Division of Professional Development | ||
| Seamanship and Navigation | No validation tests are administered during plebe summer. | Interview, test |
Last update: 8 May 2012
