Experiential Credit
1.1 Experiential credit allows students to receive Graduate School credit for relevant, well-documented learning experiences outside of the traditional classroom setting. These experiences may include (but are not limited to) research experience and work experience.
1.2 Students enrolled in the Graduate School can petition for experiential credit by submitting a portfolio that demonstrates their learning and mastery of specific courses.
PROCEDURE
2.1 Petition and Portfolio Submission
2.1.1 Students interested in applying for experiential credit must complete the Experiential Credit Petition Form and develop a comprehensive portfolio that showcases the relevant learning experiences.
2.1.3 The portfolio should include supporting documentation such as certificates and industry licensures, transcripts, performance reviews and commendations, letters of recommendation, artifacts and work examples, and any other materials that demonstrate the student's proficiency in the desired courses.
2.1.2 The form and portfolio should be submitted to the Associate Dean of the program, who will conduct an initial review and forward the materials to the programmatic subcommittee of the Curriculum Committee.
2.2 Programmatic Subcommittee Review
2.2.1 The programmatic subcommittee will review the submitted portfolio within a reasonable timeframe.
2.2.2 The subcommittee will assess the portfolio based on evaluation rubric that consider the following criteria:
- Relevance: The extent to which the learning experiences align with the knowledge, skills, and experiences outlined in the Graduate School’s curriculum for the program, including the extent to which the learning experience is comparable to a designated credit experience and consistent with the Graduate School’s mission.
- Depth and breadth: The depth and breadth of knowledge acquired through experiential learning.
- Quality of evidence: The quality and reliability of the supporting documentation provided in the portfolio.
- Mastery of outcomes: The extent to which the student demonstrates mastery of the program’s student learning outcomes.
2.2.3 The subcommittee may request additional information or clarification from the student if deemed necessary.
2.3 Determination of Experiential Credit
2.3.1 Based on the review, the programmatic subcommittee will determine whether to grant the experiential credit and the number of credits to be awarded.
2.3.2 The decision will be communicated to the student in writing, along with a rationale for the determination.
2.3.3 If the experiential credit is granted, it will be recorded on the student's academic transcript with an experiential credit denotation, indicating the courses covered and the number of credits earned toward the Graduate School degree.
2.4 The maximum number of experiential credits will vary across programs; however, students must still meet the minimum percentage of credits that must be earned through instruction by the Graduate School (reference the Credit Hour Policy for more information).