Credit by Non-Traditional Means

The total of credit by non-traditional means may not exceed 38 semester hours. MGCCC will award no credit by non-traditional means for courses or programs not offered within the current curriculum of the college.

I. Credit for College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) enables colleges to evaluate achievement and award credit. A wide range of college-level examinations is offered by CLEP to anyone who wishes to participate. The CLEP exam can only be taken once every six months. Scores on the tests are reported to the student and the appropriate college, employer, or individual:

1. Credit for the CLEP Examinations will be awarded if the scores meet or exceed the minimum ACE recommended scores standard. Students taking CLEP tests before July 1st 2001 should refer to the college catalog for the year the test was taken for scoring requirements.
2. All courses listed in the Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Catalog are eligible for credit if CLEP has an established examination in that subject. Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is an approved limited CLEP testing site. See the campus Assessment Center proctor to schedule a CLEP examination.
3. To receive credit through CLEP a person must enroll in MGCCC to take additional semester hour credit courses.
4. The appropriate course numbers and semester hour credit awarded through the use of CLEP will be placed on the student’s transcript under the heading “credit awarded by CLEP.” Grade of CR is recorded.
5. Students must consult university of their choice for specific transferability of CLEP credit.
6. Credit for the CLEP Subject Examinations will be awarded in the following courses: (Students in the School of Nursing and Health Professions programs should consult department chairperson about acceptable credit.)

*CLEP General Examinations

II. Advanced Placement

Students entering Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College will be allowed credit on the Advanced Placement Examination administered by the College Entrance Examination Board and sponsored by participating high schools.

For an Advanced Placement score of 4 or 5, 6 or 8 semester hours will be awarded if offered by the college in the subject area. For scores of 3, 3 or 4 semester hours will be awarded if offered in the subject areas.

III. International Baccalaureate (IB)

At Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC), students awarded an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma can receive credit for IB exams administered by the International Baccalaureate Organization (www.ibo.org). For IB scores of 4 or above on both higher-level and standard-level examinations, 3-8 semester hours of credit will be awarded in the subject area if offered by the college. Credit for subjects not offered at MGCCC may be considered by contacting the Office of Admissions and Records, who will submit a request to the appropriate Dean of Teaching & Learning.

IV. Credit by Departmental Examination

1. Credit may be obtained in courses on the basis of departmental examination only for courses other than those for which the CLEP credit is available. Exceptions must be approved by the Department, Dean of Teaching & Learning and the Vice President.
2. Permission to take a departmental challenge examination must have the approval of all members of the department who teach the course and the appropriate Dean. Cost for these examinations will be at the rate of 30% of part-time tuition rate per credit hour. No other tuition will be charged for the course. For courses with labs, a performance test may also be required at the discretion of the department concerned.
3. To receive credit through Credit by Examination, a person must enroll in MGCCC to take additional semester hour credit courses.

V. Credit for Life Experience Program

The credit for life experience process begins with the student meeting with the department chair in the area that the credit will be requested at the campus he/she is attending.

A. Prior Learning Portfolio

A prior learning portfolio is a written record presented by the student requesting college credit for learning outside the classroom. Credit is given only for college-level learning. Portfolios will require the following elements:

1. Identification and definition of specific prior learning for which college credit is being requested.
2. An essay or narrative explaining how this prior learning relates to the student’s desired degree program, from what experiences it was gained and how it fits into his overall education and career plans.
3. Documentation that the student has actually acquired the learning he is claiming. This documentation must address each of the course objectives/learning outcomes as defined on the course syllabus for the course that the student is requesting credit for life experience.
4. A credit request listing exactly how much credit the student expects in each subject area.

B. Portfolio Review

1. The portfolio review will be done by the department chairs college-wide. In addition, the designated campus instructor that is teaching the course where credit is being determined will also be a member of the portfolio review committee.
2. The deadline dates for the student to apply for a portfolio review will be August 1 (review to be done prior to the beginning of fall semester), November 1 (review to be done prior to the spring semester), and April 1 (review to be done prior to the summer semester).
3. To be eligible for portfolio review, a student must be admitted and registered or a continuing MGCCC student.

C. Additional Requirements

1. If a CLEP exam is available in the subject area for which the student is requesting credit, the student must take the CLEP exam in order to earn any college credit. The portfolio method is not an option.
2. The maximum number of credits that a student can earn through the portfolio method is credit for three specific MGCCC courses with a maximum of 15 credit hours.
3. On the MGCCC transcript, the credit awarded will be designated as Credit for Life Experience/Portfolio.
4. The student receiving college credit for life experience must sign a statement indicating knowledge that this credit is applicable at MGCCC but may not be recognized by other institutions of higher learning.
5. The student will be charged a non-refundable fee of $49.50 per credit hour for a portfolio review.

VI. Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES)

Courses on the college level taken through DANTES are acceptable for credit as awarded provided the minimum recommended acceptable score is attained. Courses that are not specifically applicable to a particular program may be counted as elective credit.

The DANTES Subject Standardized Testing Program is an extensive series of examinations in college subjects that are comparable to the final or end-of-course examination in undergraduate courses. ACE recommends three college credits for each examination with four college credits awarded for some science courses. The DSSTs recommends three college credits for each examination. The DSSTs are:

Business

Business, Introduction to

Computing, Introduction to

Financial Accounting, Principles of

Organizational Behavior

Personal Finance

Human Resource Management

Supervision, Principles of

Humanities

Art of the Western World

Ethics in America

Introduction to World Religions

Public Speaking, Principles of

Technical Writing

Mathematics

Business Mathematics

College Algebra, Fundamentals

Statistics, Principles of

Science

Astronomy

Physical Geology

Physical Science I, Principles of

Social Sciences

Anthropology, General

Contemporary Western Europe

Human/Cultural Geography

Lifespan Developmental Psychology

Technical

Criminal Justice

Law Enforcement, Introduction to

VII. Credit for Military Service Experience and Training

Upon presentation of an official transcript of military experience (Community College of the Air Force – CCAF, Joint Services Transcript – JST, Coast Guard Institute- CGI), a student may have credit awarded as recommended for the lower division category or the career/technical category. In instances where a transcript is not available, students may submit copies of form DD214.

Credit for Service Schools will be awarded in accord with the recommendations of the American Council on Education in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces. This credit will be awarded as recommended for the lower-division category or the career/technical category as determined by the evaluating officer.

VIII. Credit in Certain Law Enforcement Courses

Credit may be allowed for completion of specific courses, programs, academies and workshops following departmental recommendation and approval by the Dean of Teaching & Learning and the Vice President. Specific credit recommendations are:

Basic Law Enforcement Course for Sheriffs or Basic Law Enforcement Course for Police:

IX. Credit for Approved Apprenticeship Programs

MGCCC, in partnership with sponsoring companies, coordinates specific apprenticeship programs designed to meet the training needs of apprentices as outlined by the Bureau of Apprenticeship Training of the U.S. Department of Labor. Participants in these programs are employed by a sponsoring company and must meet all apprenticeship entry requirements specified by the Bureau of Apprentice Standards. Apprenticeship programs vary in length from 4,000 to 8,000 clock hours, including work experience training and classroom instruction. Classroom instruction includes related studies needed to perform on-the-job skills. Apprenticeship instructors monitor work experience training and insure rotations are maintained. Upon satisfactory completion of the apprenticeship, the participant is classified as a journeyman with the sponsoring company.

A person who has satisfactorily completed an approved apprenticeship program may receive a maximum of 30 semester hours of credit toward the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree. Other requirements for the AAS degree are outlined under “Graduation information.”