Transfer Student Entry

into the Department of Decision Sciences

We Welcome Transfer Students

If you've taken the necessary prerequisite courses, you apply as a transfer student into any of the programs within the Department of Decision Sciences (DSCI). Nearly 40% of students in this department are transfer students. Programs available to transfer into are:

How to Transfer

Transferring to any of our DSCI programs is an easy, one-step process with our new Direct Admission process. This streamlined process is in effect for student enrollments beginning in Fall 2026 for all DSCI programs.

How to Apply

Start by applying to Western as a transfer student. Review the Western Washington University Office of Admissions deadlines and requirements.

Within your application, you can declare your major for any of our DSCI programs. Admission to Western includes admission to the major you’ve selected. Declaring your major allows you to access major-restricted courses for which you would otherwise not be able to enroll. Also, after you declare you will be assigned a faculty advisor for your program.

Learn More

To apply or to learn more about the applying to a major, deadlines or criteria by which applicants are judged, refer to the admissions pages for each program found in the Program Admissions section.

Did you know?

Foundation Courses

Transfer students may complete some or all required foundation course equivalents at their community college before enrolling at Western, saving time and money. Any remaining courses can be completed after enrollment, and students may be admitted to DSCI even if all foundation courses are not yet finished.

Academic Clubs

You'll have access to more than a dozen business-oriented academic clubs within the College of Business and Economics. These are a few of the clubs popular with DSCI students:

Nearly

40%

of students in the College of Business and Economics are transfer students, primarily from Washington State community colleges

Recent graduates of DSCI programs have an employment rate of

85.2%

assessed 6 months post-graduation

Source: Western OIE Factbook

Median earnings one-year post graduation for recent DSCI graduates

$65,000

among the highest in the College of Business and Economics

Source: Western OIE Factbook

Hear from past transfer students

Transferring Credits

"Transferring from a community college to WWU's DSCI program was far easier than I thought it would be. They took all my community college credits and made the process of applying to the major very simple."

Rishi Burt-Iyer, transferred to Western DSCI in 2023
Management Information Systems and Business Analytics

Building Confidence

“Transferring was a big step, but it opened doors I never imagined. I've met amazing people, gained incredible experiences, and realized I'm capable of so much more—you can too!”

Truc Nguyen, transferred to Western DSCI in 2025
Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management

Access to Opportunities

"The biggest benefit of transferring to the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management program with DSCI was the access to real opportunities: projects, internships, and connections that made school feel directly tied to my career goals."

Kenyon Woodley, transferred to Western DSCI in 2023
Major: Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Minor: Business Analytics

Kenyon Woodley, DSCI Transfer Student is majoring in Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management and a minor in Business Analytics

A group of DSCI student studying together around a table

Program Admissions

Business Analytics

Management Information Systems

Operations Management

Manufacturing & Supply Chain Management

Course Transfers

We know how important a smooth transition is. And we understand that your confidence in knowing which courses will transfer from your institution to Western is a crucial aspect of this.

Students completing a Business DTA degree at a Washington community college can be confident knowing that your program already includes all general education courses and most of the foundation courses required for Western's Business Administration (BA) major.

Students directly transferring from Western's partner colleges who complete the Business DTA and meet eligibility requirements (such as minimum GPA) can qualify for a Guaranteed Transfer Admission pathway.

Students transferring from other Washington institutions or with degrees other than the Business DTA may want to consult Western's Transfer Course Equivalency Guide to identify which courses at their current institution are accepted as equivalent to Western's prerequisite and foundation courses.

Tips for using the Equivalency Guide

Once on the Transfer Course Equivalency Guide page, scroll to the bottom of the page to the View GUR Guide or Prerequisite Equivalencies section.

Select your institution from the Choose an institution drop-down menu.
Then, select the Show Business Equivalencies button. You'll see the list of the business prerequisite equivalent courses available at your school.

Regardless of where you are studying in Washington State, we recommend meeting with an academic advisor at your current institution. They can help ensure that your course selections align with Western's requirements and support a smooth transfer into the BA program.

Out of state students can request an evaluation of their coursework for transferability by submitting a Transfer Equivalency Form.

FAQs

Earning a Business DTA from your community college is the most efficient option when transferring into a Business Administration (BA) program at Western because the plan of study includes courses certified as equivalent to:

All general education / general university required courses at Western
Most of the College of Business and Economics foundation courses in the BA program

In addition, most 100-level courses taken at your institution are accepted as electives.

Other DTAs and AAS degrees can also transfer, but you may need up to about one extra year (three quarters) to finish the BA program compared with students who complete a Business DTA. Please feel free to contact us if you’d like more details or have any questions.

Students transferring to Western with a DTA in Business Administration can generally expect to complete in 2 years by attending 6 regular quarters.

Students transferring to Western with a DTA other than business can generally expect to complete in 2 years plus 1 additional quarter (7 regular quarters in total).

Students transferring to Western with an AAS can generally expect to complete within 3 years.

Transfer students must first apply to the university. Transfer students who have confirmed admission to Western may declare their major prior to registering for their first quarter. Declaring allows transfer students to access major courses for which they would otherwise not be able to enroll. Also, after you declare you will be assigned a faculty advisor for your program.

Prospective Students

Decision Sciences Programs

Apply to WWU as a Transfer Student