The IBO is a nonprofit educational foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland. It grew out of international schools’ efforts to establish a common curriculum and university entry credential. The schools were also motivated by an idealistic vision. They hoped that critical thinking and exposure to a variety of points of view would encourage intercultural understanding by young people. They concentrated on the last two years of school before university studies in order to build a curriculum that would lead to what they called a “baccalaureate,” administered in any country and recognized by universities everywhere.
USU recognizes the International Baccalaureate program. Each student’s transcript will be evaluated individually, based on the courses completed. USU will award credits for higher-level exams only, with a minimum score of 5. Exams eligible for USU credit are listed below.
Individual departments and/or colleges may specify the exact courses necessary to fulfill program requirements. Please note that more than the minimum General Education requirements may be necessary. For instance, some departments and colleges require specific coursework for General Education, and the IBO exams may not satisfy these requirements, in which case additional courses may be required.
If, prior to (or after) taking an IBO examination, a student receives credit (including AP credit) for any coursework equivalent to the subject matter of an IBO examination, the IBO credits equivalent to the course will be deducted.
USU recognizes that other institutions have policies differing from those of USU and that those institutions may evaluate the IBO transcript differently than USU. For this reason, please note that transfer students with IBO credits posted to another institution’s transcript, but who have less than an associate degree, will have their IBO credits reevaluated based on USU’s standards.
International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) Credit Allocation
| IBO Test | Field | Minimum Score | Credits | USU Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Biology SL | Sciences | 4 | 3 | BIOL 1010 (BLS) (3) |
| Biology HL | Sciences | 4 | 4 | BIOL 1610 (BLS) (3) + BIOL 1XXX (1) |
| Business Management SL | Individuals & Society | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Business Management HL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 6 | ELEC 1XXX (6) |
| Chemistry SL | Sciences | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Chemistry HL | Sciences | 4 | 3 | CHEM 1010 (BPS) (3) |
| Computer Science SL | Sciences | 4 | 3 | CS 1030 (BPS) (3) |
| Computer Science HL | Sciences | 4 | - | Please see department for equivalency information. |
| Dance SL | Arts | 4 | 3 | DANC 1010 (BCA) (3) |
| Dance HL | Arts | 4 | 6 | DANC 1010 (BCA) (3) + DANC 1XXX (3) |
| Design Technology SL | Sciences | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Design Technology HL | Sciences | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Economics SL | Individuals & Society | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Economics HL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 6 | ECN 1500 (BAI) (3) + ECN 2010 (BSS) (3) |
| English A: Language & Literature SL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 3 | ENGL 2200 (BHU) (3) |
| English A: Language & Literature HL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 6 | ENGL 1010 (CL1) (3) + ENGL 2200 (BHU) (3) |
| English A: Literature SL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 3 | ENGL 1XXX (3) |
| English A: Literature HL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 6 | ENGL 2200 (BHU) (3) + ENGL 2XXX (3) |
| Film SL | Arts | 4 | 3 | THEA 1023 (BCA) (3) |
| Film HL | Arts | 4 | 5 | THEA 1023 (BCA) (3) + THEA 1XXX (2) |
| French B SL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 8 | Upon advisement from the languages academic advisor. |
| French B HL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 8 or 12 | Upon advisement from the languages academic advisor. |
| Further Mathematics HL | Mathematics | 4 | 6 | MATH 1210 (QL) (4) + MATH 1XXX (2) |
| Geography SL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 3 | GEOG 1300 (BSS) (3) |
| Geography HL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 6 | GEOG 1000 (BPS) (3) + GEOG 1300 (BSS) (3) |
| German B SL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 8 | Upon advisement from the languages academic advisor. |
| German B HL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 8 or 12 | Upon advisement from the languages academic advisor. |
| Global Politics SL | Individuals & Society | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Global Politics HL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 3 | POLS 2100 (3) |
| History SL | Individuals & Society | - | - | No credit awarded |
| History HL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 3 | HIST 1XXX (3) |
| Information Technology in a Global Society SL | Individuals & Society | 4 | - | Please see department for equivalency information. |
| Information Technology in a Global Society HL | Individuals & Society | 4 | - | Please see department for equivalency information. |
| Latin SL | Language Acquisition | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Latin HL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 8 | Upon advisement from the classics academic advisor in the History Department. |
| Mathematics SL | Mathematics | 4 | 4 | MATH 1050 (QL) (4) |
| Mathematics HL | Mathematics | 4 | 6 | MATH 1210 (QL) (4) + MATH 1XXX (2) |
| Music SL | Arts | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Music HL | Arts | 4 | 3 | MUSC 1010 (BCA) (3) |
| Philosophy SL | Individuals & Society | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Philosophy HL | Individuals & Society | - | - | No credit awarded |
| Physics SL | Sciences | 4 | 3 | PHYS 1010 (BPS) (3) |
| Physics HL | Sciences | 4 | - | Please see department for equivalency information (satisifes BPS requirement). |
| Psychology SL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 3 | PSY 1010 (BSS) (3) |
| Psychology HL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 6 | PSY 1010 (BSS) (3) + PSY 1XXX (3) |
| Social and Cultural Anthropology SL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 3 | ANTH 1010 (BSS) (3) |
| Social and Cultural Anthropology HL | Individuals & Society | 4 | 6 | ANTH 1010 (BSS) (3) + ANTH 1XXX (3) |
| Spanish B SL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 8 | Upon advisement from the languages academic advisor. |
| Spanish B HL | Language Acquisition | 4 | 8 or 12 | Upon advisement from the languages academic advisor. |
| Sports, Exercise & Health Science SL | Sciences | 4 | 3 | ELEC 1XXX (3) |
| Sports, Exercise & Health Science HL | Sciences | 4 | 6 | ELEC 1XXX (6) |
| Theatre SL | Arts | 4 | 3 | THEA 1013 (BCA) (3) |
| Theatre HL | Arts | 4 | 5 | THEA 1013 (BCA) (3) + THEA 1XXX (2) |
| Visual Arts SL | Arts | 4 | 3 | ART 1010 (BCA) (3) |
| Visual Arts HL | Arts | 4 | 6 | ART 1010 (BCA) (3) + ART 1XXX (3) |