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 both standard-level, and higher-level exams with a minimum score of 4. 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 for exams taken after July 1, 2024
ART IBO Examinations
| IBO Test | Score | Credit | USU Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dance SL | 4-7 | 3 | DANC 1010 (BCA) (3) |
| Dance HL | 4-7 | 6 | DANC 1010 (BCA) (3) + up to 3 - 1000-level DANC elective credits |
| Film SL | 4-7 | 3 | THEA 1023 (BCA) (3) |
| Film HL | 4-7 | 5 | THEA 1023 (BCA) (3) + 2 - 1000-level THEA elective credits |
| Music SL | 4-7 | 3 | 3 - 1000-level MUSC elective credits |
| Music HL | 4-7 | 3 | MUSC 1010 (BCA) (3) |
| Theatre SL | 4-7 | 3 | THEA 1013 (BCA) (3) |
| Theatre HL | 4-7 | 5 | THEA 1013 (BCA) (3) + 2 - 1000-level THEA elective credits |
| Visual Arts SL | 4-7 | 3 | ART 1010 (BCA) (3) |
| Visual Arts HL | 4-7 | 6 | ART 1010 (BCA) (3) + 3 - 1000-level ART elective credits |
SOCIAL SCIENCES IBO Examinations
| IBO Test | Score | Credit | USU Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business Management SL | 4-7 | 3 | 3 - 1000-level BUS elective credits |
| Business Management HL | 4-7 | 6 | 6 - 1000-level BUS elective credits |
| Economics SL | 4-7 | 3 | 3 - 1000-level ECN elective credits |
| Economics HL | 4-7 | 6 | ECN 1500 (BAI) (3) + ECN 2010 (BSS) (3) |
| Geography SL | 4-7 | 3 | GEOG 1300 (BSS) (3) |
| Geography HL | 4-7 | 6 | GEOG 1000 (BPS) (3) + GEOG 1300 (BSS) (3) |
| History HL | 4-7 | 3 | 3 - 1000-level HIST elective credits |
| Psychology SL | 4-7 | 3 | PSY 1010 (BSS) (3) |
| Psychology HL | 4-7 | 6 | PSY 1010 (BSS) (3) + 3 - 1000-level PSY elective credits |
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION IBO Examinations
| IBO Test | Score | Credit | USU Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language - AB initio SL | 4-7 | 8 | LANG 1010 + LANG 1020 |
Language - Ab initio: Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish is currently offered in Utah high schools. If the institution teaches the language, 1010 and 1020 credit in that language is awarded. If the institution does not teach the language, elective credit in foreign language is awarded.
Students should speak with the language department for guidance on placement into language courses.
| IBO Test | Score | Credit | USU Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language B SL | 4-7 | 8 | LANG 1010 + LANG 1020 |
| Language B HL | 4-7 | 12 | LANG 1010 + LANG 1020 + LANG 2010 |
Language B: Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Spanish is currently offered in Utah high schools. If the institution teaches the language, 1010 and 1020 credit in that language is awarded. If the institution does not teach the language, elective credit in foreign language is awarded.
Students should speak with the language department for guidance on placement into language courses.
LANGUAGE & LITERATURE IBO Examinations
| IBO Test | Score | Credit | USU Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language A: Language & Literature - English SL | 4-7 | 3 | ENGL 2200 (BHU) (3) |
| Language A: Language & Literature - English HL | 4-7 | 6 | ENGL 1010 (CL1) (3) + ENGL 2200 (BHU) (3) |
Language A/Lang & Lit: English is only language currently offered in Utah high schools.
| IBO Test | Score | Credit | USU Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language A: Literature - English HL | 4-7 | 6 | ENGL 2200 (BHU) (3) + 3 – 2000-level ENGL elective credits |
Language A/Lit: English is only language currently offered in Utah high schools.
MATHEMATICS IBO Examinations
| IBO Test | Score | Credit | USU Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Math: Analysis & Approaches SL | 4-7 | 4 | MATH 1050 (QL) (4) |
| Math: Analysis & Approaches HL | 4 | 6 | MATH 1050 (QL) (4) + MATH 1060 (2) |
| Math: Analysis & Approaches HL | 5-7 | 4 | MATH 1210 (QL) (4) |
| Math: Application & Interpretation SL | 4-7 | 3 | 3 - 1000-level MATH elective credits (satisfies QL requirement) |
| Math: Application & Interpretation HL | 4 | 4 | MATH 1050 (QL) (4) |
| Math: Application & Interpretation HL | 5-7 | 6 | MATH 1050 (QL) (4) + MATH 1060 (2) |
SCIENCE IBO Examinations
| IBO Test | Minimum Score | Credits | USU Credit Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology SL | 4-7 | 3 | BIOL 1010 (BLS) (3) |
| Biology HL | 4-7 | 4 | BIOL 1610 (BLS) (3) + 1 - 1000-level BIOL elective credit |
| Chemistry SL | 4-7 | 3 | 3 - 1000-level CHEM elective credits |
| Chemistry HL | 4-7 | 3 | CHEM 1010 (BPS) (3) |
| Computer Science SL | 4-7 | 3 | CS 1030 (BPS) (3) |
| Computer Science HL | 4-7 | 3 | 3 - 1000-level CS elective credits |
| Environmental Systems and Technology SL | 4-7 | 3 | 3 - 1000-level ENVS elective credits |
| Physics SL | 4-7 | 3 | PHYS 1010 (BPS) (3) |
| Physics HL | 4-7 | 8 | PHYS 2010 (4) + PHYS 2020 (4) |
| Sports, Exercise & Health Science SL | 4-7 | 3 | 3 - 1000-level KIN elective credits |