11.04.99.R0.09 Undergraduate Non-Traditional Education

Effective: August 1, 1997

Revised: July 2, 2007

Supplements System Policy: System Policy 11.04

1. Texas A&M University-Commerce (A&M-Commerce) students may receive college credit for competencies acquired through in-service training, military courses, technical education and credit by examination and/or advanced placement. In some instances, credit may be obtained in more than one of these areas.

2. In-Service

Credit can be granted for educational experiences such as service training, institutes, etc., of governmental agencies and private business. The student may have the experiences evaluated if the experience included at least eighteen (18) hours of lecture/discussion type activity or fifty-four (54) contact hours in laboratory type instruction. Application should be made in the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

3. Military Service Credit

a.  The prospective student must submit an application for admission and all required documentation to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.  The Office of Undergraduate Admissions will evaluate the American Council on Education (ACE) transcript provided by the student and accept the ACE recommendation for the coursework.  In the event that ACE recommends a course for baccalaureate credit, the Admissions Processor will post the appropriate hours as general elective credit.  If ACE does not recommend the course for baccalaureate credit, the Admissions Processor will not post the credit.

 b.  In the event a student requests credit for an ACE course to fulfill a course within the degree plan approved by the respective college, or the student requests credit for a course not recommended for baccalaureate credit by ACE, the student can appeal.
ACE Appeal Procedure:

4. Technical Education

Credit may be obtained through regionally accredited technical educational programs, including work completed in a teaching hospital which is accredited through the appropriate national agency of the field in which credit is sought. Courses in an accredited Associate of Applied Science degree program may be accepted for transfer if applicable to the student's degree plan, and the student has completed requirements and received the Associate of Applied Science degree. Other technical-vocational courses are accepted when recommended by the appropriate department head at A&M-Commerce. The student should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admissions for details.

5. Credit by Examination

A&M-Commerce awards undergraduate credit on the basis of a variety of local and nationally available examinations. The examinations include: (1) the Advanced Placement Examination (AP), (2) the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), (3) the International Baccalaureate (IB) program*, (4) the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support Examinations (DANTES), (5) the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), (6) the American College Test (ACT) of the American College Testing Program, and (7) locally administered examinations.

The Advanced Placement (AP) program provided by the College Board enables students to enroll in challenging college-level studies while they are still in high school and to obtain college placement, credit, or both, on the basis of their performance on rigorous AP examinations.  AP exams are given nationally at designated high schools during the month of May.  AP exams are graded on a scale of 0-5.  A score of 3 or higher is needed for credit. 

The CLEP program administered by the College Board and ETS helps students gain credit for prior knowledge and, subsequently, enroll in advanced courses more quickly.  CLEP offers thirty-five subject exams, which cover areas of Business, Composition and Literature, Foreign Languages, History and Social Science, Science and Math.  CLEP exams are scored on a scale of 0-80.  Upon making an acceptable score as determined by A&M-Commerce, the student is awarded a set number of credit hours in a course equivalent to the subject area in which the student took the CLEP exam. 

The International Baccalaureate (IB)* program is a rigorous pre-university program available worldwide through the International Baccalaureate Organization leading to assessment in six subject areas (Best Language, Second Language, Individuals and Societies, Experimental Science, Mathematics and Computer Science, and the Arts).  The curriculum encourages critical thinking, community service, individual research, and inquiry into the nature of knowledge.  The subject exams are scored on a 0-7 scale by a panel of international examiners.  A minimum score of 4 is required to be considered for credit. 
*In compliance with SB111, A&M-Commerce offers at least 24 hours of credit to all IB diploma candidates with subject exam scores of 4 or higher.
A matrix of all credit-by-exam programs including the exam titles, course equivalents, number of semester hours credited, and required scores can be obtained through the Office of Student Assessment.

a. Credit earned by examination may not be used to reduce residence or advanced hour degree requirements established by A&M-Commerce.

b. Credit earned by examination is not included in the computation of grade point average.

c. It is the responsibility of the student to present scores to the Office of Student Assessment for submission of the appropriate paper work to the Office of the Registrar for posting of credit on the student’s transcript. Credits earned by exam will be recorded on the permanent record after the student has successfully completed at least 12 credit hours of academic work at A&M-Commerce.

d. Credit for courses by exam received by another college or university will be accepted in transfer upon receipt of an official transcript.

e. Standards for awarding credit by exam are set by the academic department.

f. Students may repeat a course for which credit was earned by exam by enrolling in a regularly scheduled class. The grade will replace the credit earned by examination.

g. Fees for credit by examinations have been established by the Office of Student Assessment. Fees vary by examination.

6. Applicability to a Degree Program
Persons achieving credit by one or more of the above methods should work closely with the academic advisor within the major department to plan the completion of the degree program. Applicability to a degree program of credit earned through non-traditional manner will vary according to the major chosen.

7. Correspondence concerning testing programs should be addressed to the Office of Student Assessment, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Business Administration Building, Room 315, Commerce, Texas 75429.
References: Prior ETSU Policies V E 12 and B-27 approved January 7, 1974; revised November 7, 1979, January 19, 1990; March 21, 2006; Procedure A11.25.

Contact for Interpretation: Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs