Academic Credit for Prior Learning

Policy Statement

Durham Technical Community College (Durham Tech) provides its students with an opportunity to acquire meaningful credentials and secure living-wage employment through education and training. Durham Tech awards curriculum credit for prior learning (CPL) for the following learning methods:

• Apprenticeship 
• State or Industry Recognized Credentials
• Continuing Education to Curriculum Credit 
• Courses listed in high school to community college articulation agreements. 
• Military education and training 
• Standardized examinations 
• Challenge exams/Proficiency
• Public Safety Training (PST) prefix courses

In accordance with the State Board of Community College Code 1D SBCCC 800.1 through 1D SBCC 800.8 and 1D SBCC 800.10, CPL may be granted based on the following criteria:

• Documentation of prior learning meets or exceeds a demonstration of learning outcomes at the institutions’ standards for awarding credit for the corresponding curriculum course.
• Prior learning is directly applicable to a student’s declared curriculum program of study.
• CPL for advanced courses does not negate the requirement to meet requisite learning outcomes.
• CPL may be used to fulfill program requirements except for mandatory institutional requirements. Examples may include, but are not limited to, requirements of external agencies that specifically prohibited the use of CPL to fulfill the program requirements.

Upon approval by the Chief Academic Officer, continuing education courses offered at Durham Tech meeting the same standards and quality as a curriculum course may be considered to fulfill the college’s institutional credit requirements, which prescribe the minimum percentage of credit hours (25%) a student must earn through instruction offered by the institution awarding the credential.

Procedure

To be eligible to receive CPL, students must meet all of the following criteria:

• Meet all admission requirements for their program of study. 
• Be enrolled in a curriculum program to which the credit will directly apply; and 
• Request a prior learning assessment consistent with the college’s CPL procedures and provide all documentation by the published deadlines.

Any CPL awarded by the College shall be reflected in the student’s records by the Admissions, Registration, and Records Office without quality points assigned, except for allowances for graded military credit as described in 1D SBCCC 800.6.

(1) Registered Apprenticeships 

For apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs that utilized NCCCS curriculum or continuing education course work for the required related instruction, successfully completed course work is directly entered onto the student’s transcript as it occurred as credit earned. In such instances, there is no need to crosswalk credit. 

(2) Academic Credit for Professional Credentials

Academic credit may be given for adequately documented and validated industry-recognized credentials. 
Faculty who wish to consider a credential(s) for approved credit in the program must provide the following information to their dean:

• The course(s) to which the professional credential applies;
• The number of credit hours awarded;
• The name of the professional organization that validates the credential; and
• Documentation that provides evidence that the competencies required for the credential also meet the learning outcomes or competencies of the course (e.g., comparison table)

The Academic and Guided Career Pathway dean will submit the information to the Vice President, Chief Academic Officer for consideration. These credits must be approved by the Vice President, Chief Academic Officer based on content and outcomes. Once approved, the Vice President, Chief Academic Officer will forward the information to Admissions, Registration, and Records. The information will also be posted to the College’s website with the appropriate program plan of study.  Students who submit official documentation of a professional credential earned will be awarded credit for the approved course(s) associated with the program plan of study. Students must submit their documentation to Admissions, Registration, and Records (Phail Wynn, Jr. Student Services Center, Building 10, room 10-201). Once the documentation has been reviewed, Admissions, Registration, and Records will contact students via email to confirm the completion of the evaluation. Students will then be able to view any credit awarded in their student record.  

(3) Academic Credit for Noncredit Coursework 

The College awards credit to students for noncredit coursework completed at Durham Tech when there is documentation that the noncredit coursework is equivalent to a designated credit experience. 

Credit for noncredit coursework differs from credit for professional credentials and credit for experiential learning. Students interested in credit for experiential learning should contact the Admissions, Registration, and Records Office.

The awarding of curriculum credit for completion of noncredit coursework is built upon the following mutually, supporting forms:

• Continuing Education (CE) Course of Study to Curriculum (CU) Credit Equivalency Form – This form is completed by the appropriate Academic and Guided Career Pathway dean, in consultation with the Program Director or faculty member most qualified to judge for any course designated for articulation credit. Course competencies include, but are not limited to, a comprehensive demonstration of all learning outcomes and course content. *Please see the last page of the printable version of this procedure.
• Employee Credentials Request and Approval Form (available via the Employees shared folder or by request from Human Resources) – This form records all courses in which the designated faculty member is credentialed to teach and must be submitted with the Continuing Education (CE) Course of Study to Curriculum (CU) Credit Equivalency Form. Parts 4 and 7 must be completed, and all relevant credentialing documentation for the designated faculty must be attached to the form. 

Application Process 

Students who wish to have a noncredit course considered for credit must contact Admissions, Registration and Records for referral to the appropriate program director. Employees who wish to have a noncredit course considered for credit should first contact the Academic and Guided Career Pathway dean. Students and employees should be aware that course articulation is not automatic, and the process typically takes as long as sixteen (16) weeks depending on whether a course has already been deemed appropriate for articulation. Please note, specific accrediting bodies may prohibit some programs from awarding credit. 

Articulation Process

1. The appropriate Academic and Guided Career Pathway Dean, in consultation with the program director or faculty member most qualified to judge for any course designated for articulation credit, will complete the credit equivalency form. The dean will also document issues such as accreditation that might impact articulation. 
2. The Academic and Guided Career Pathway dean will forward the completed documentation to the Vice President/Chief Academic Office, Academic and Guided Career Pathways. He or she will review the documentation and request additional information, if necessary
3. Upon approval, the Vice President/Chief Academic Officer, Academic, and Guided Career Pathways will forward the documentation to Admissions, Registration, and Records for processing. Upon awarding of credit, Admissions, Registration and Records will return all documentation to Curriculum Development, Assessment and Compliance.
4. The Vice President/Chief Academic Office, Academic, and Guided Career Pathways will notify the Academic and Guided Career Pathway dean of the decision. If a student initiates the request, the dean will notify the student.

Noncredit to credit equivalency information will be posted to the College’s website with the appropriate program plan of study. Articulated credit is applied toward the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) requirement that at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the credit hours required for a Durham Tech degree must be earned through instruction offered by the College. 

Credit Awarding

Upon completion of a previously approved CE course, a student will submit the Credit for Prior Learning Request Form to be processed by the Admissions, Registration and Records office.

(4) High School to Community College Articulation

The statewide articulation agreement comprises specific high school Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses that match the knowledge and skills taught in similar community college courses. The articulation agreement ensures that if a student is proficient in his/her high school course, the student can receive college credit for that course at any North Carolina community college. This streamlines the student's educational pathway by eliminating the need to take multiple courses with the same learning outcomes. 

Eligibility

NCDPI high school courses that appear in the High School to Community College Articulation Agreement are eligible for Combined Course Library curriculum course credit. College and high school partnerships that result in local articulation agreements similarly apply at the local college level. Students meeting the following eligibility requirements should present their high school transcripts along with the additional required items to the College’s assigned Student Services staff member. In addition to the statewide articulation agreement, local articulation agreements can be developed to build strong partnerships between high schools and individual community colleges. Students who have completed a high school course that is listed in the High School to Community College Articulation Agreement will receive credit for the associated community college if they meet the following criteria:

• Grade of “B” or higher in the high school course.
• A score of 93 or higher on the standardized CTE post-assessment.
• Students must enroll within two years of high school graduation date.
• Students must provide official high school transcript and CTE post-assessment scores.
• Meet all admissions requirements for their program of study.
• Be enrolled in a curriculum program to which the credit will directly apply; and
• Local articulation agreements may have different criteria to award credit.
• Official high school transcripts must be submitted to the Office of Admissions Registration and Records for evaluation.

(5) Military Credit for Prior Learning 

SBCCC 800.6 states “At minimum, colleges shall award Credit for Prior Learning based on military education and training consistent with the standards adopted by the appropriate Military Prior Learning Academic Panel.” Additionally, the SBCCC notes that “A college may award Credit for Prior Learning for military training and education related to occupations and/or courses for which standards have not been established by an approved Military Prior Learning Academic Panel consistent with its local Credit for Prior Learning policy pursuant to the following:

• Air Force: Community College of the Air Force transcripts are evaluated by the college registrar or designated college official as a traditional college transcript.
• Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard: Colleges should refer to recommendations from the American Council on Education for occupations and courses not currently evaluated by the Military Prior Learning Academic Panels or documented on the Community College of the Air Force transcript. History Note: Authority G.S. 115D-5; Eff. April 1, 2021”

To meet the SBCCC requirements, Durham Tech will use the spreadsheet provided by the Military Prior Learning Academic Panel to determine which courses veteran students will receive credit for upon applying and providing the college with their DD-214. This spreadsheet lists different jobs, or Military Occupational Specialties (MOS), within the military and assesses the education attained at different ranks within these jobs to best identify which courses students who performed these jobs in the military should receive academic credit for based on their military education.  
Students whose MOS is not listed on the spreadsheet and/or who want the college to consider their full military education and training beyond their MOS for credit need to submit their Joint Services Transcript in addition to their DD-214 to the college for evaluation. The Joint Services Transcript includes recommendations from the American Council on Education for course credit based on completed and documented military training.

(6) Credit for Standardized Examinations

Durham Tech shall award CPL for the following standardized examinations based on score earned as defined.

• Advanced Placement (AP) – Durham Tech shall award credit to a student who earns a score of “3” or higher on an AP exam. Course credit is awarded based upon the academic program of study.
• Cambridge Assessment International Education Examinations - Students shall earn college credit if a grade of e/E or better (which is the equivalent to a grade of C in the United States) is earned on the Cambridge International AS and A Level Examination.
• College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) - Colleges shall award credit to a student who scores at or above the credit granting score of 50 or higher recommended by the American Council on Education at the time the college evaluates the student’s official score report.
• DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) - Colleges shall award credit to a student who scores at or above the credit granting score recommended by the American Council on Education at the time the college evaluates the student’s official score report.
• International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme – Colleges shall award credit for scores of 5 and higher. Additionally, IB courses are offered at the Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL)

(7) Credit by Exam

Credit by exam is a departmental or institutional examination for a community college course which demonstrates that a student’s subject matter proficiency is equal to or greater than the corresponding proficiency the student would have achieved had he or she completed the actual course. The examination may be handwritten, computer-based, oral, practical, or a combination of these administration methods. Students may receive credit by examination for selected courses.

NOTE: The CE grade is only applicable toward the completion of a Durham Tech credential. The course is not transferable to another institution.

Refer to each program’s credit by examination page for additional information.
To qualify for credit by examination, students must:

• be enrolled in a credit program and registered for the course for which they wish to receive credit by examination; and
• score at least eighty-five (85) percent on the examination. (The required passing score may be higher for certain courses.) The examination may be taken only once, and a student failing the examination must complete the course for a grade.

No more than ten (10) percent of the total credit hours required by a student’s plan of study may be earned by examination without prior approval from the Vice President of Academics and Guided Career Pathways/Chief Academic Officer.

The following groups are not eligible for credit by examination:

• Students graduating with a CE grade as part of the sixty (60) University Transfer program hours. The CE grade is not transferable under the Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA);
• Veterans who are financing their education through veterans’ benefits are not eligible for credit by examination because their eligibility requires attendance throughout the duration of the course.
• Career and College Promise (CCP) students. Credit by examination is not an option for high school students.

Students interested in receiving credit by examination should contact the appropriate program director at least five (5) calendar days prior to the start of the term. The program director will provide the student with an application and information about the process, including deadlines and whether a pre-test is required. The student must complete their examination within the first fourteen (14) calendar days of the term. They must submit their application to the program director and obtain approval within the first seven (7) calendar days of the term. 

The program director will submit the student’s application, exam, and results to the dean. Upon approval, the dean will forward the documentation to the Vice President/Chief Academic Officer, Academics and Guided Career Pathways. Upon approval, the Vice President/Chief Academic Officer, Academics and Guided Career Pathways will send a copy of the documentation to Admissions, Registration, and Records. Admissions, Registration, and Records will verify the student’s enrollment and course registration; ensure that the ten (10) percent limit of credits earned by examination has not been exceeded; assign the CE grade; and maintain all related documentation. 

Students who achieve the minimum passing score must not drop the related course; they must remain on the roster to receive credit for the course. Students who fail to pass the examination must complete the course to receive credit.

(8) Public Safety Training

Public Safety Training (PST) courses are designed to provide a means for colleges to award credit towards degree completion to public safety personnel who have documented professional training and/or certifications that are relevant to their declared program(s) of study. Examples of public safety training include but are not limited to Certifications/CE to CU, Police Officer/Firefighter/Emergency Medical, etc. PST credit is limited to NCCCS curriculum programs that include the PST prefix in the “Other Major Hours” section of the official System-wide curriculum standard.

Eligibility

• Students must show evidence of successful completion of certification(s) and/or training that aligns with one or more PST courses in the Common Course Library. Evidence should include description and length of training.
• Be enrolled in an associated certificate, diploma, or degree program to which credit will be awarded.
• No student may receive CPL credit for the same training and/or credentials more than once. 
   

Definitions

Academic Credit – Curriculum credit 

Advanced Placement (AP) – A program of college-preparatory courses for high school students administered by The College Board, an educational nonprofit organization. Standardized AP exams are used to assess student mastery of course content. Students receive scores on a “1” to “5” scale, with “5” being the highest.

Approved Course – A course that has been reviewed with regard to the professional credential competencies and is both comparable and meets the program and industry standards

Articulation – The process by which noncredit coursework is matched with curriculum coursework for the purposes of granting students earned credit for successful completion of competencies shared by curriculum programs and Continuing Education courses.

Cambridge Assessment International Education Examinations – A series of internationally recognized college-level examinations administered by Cambridge Assessment International Education, a unit of the University of Cambridge. 

College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP) – A credit-by-examination program offered by the College Board, an educational nonprofit organization. The program allows students from a wide range of ages and backgrounds to demonstrate their mastery of introductory college-level material.   Colleges shall award the same amount of credit to a student who scores satisfactorily on the relevant CLEP exam as a student who successfully completes the related course.  

Credit – Academic credit that appears on a student’s transcript. This credit may not necessarily be applied toward a degree.

DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) – Credit-by-examination tests developed by the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), a United States Department of Defense program.  Colleges shall award the same amount of credit to a student who scores satisfactorily on the relevant DSST as a student who successfully completes the related course.

International Baccalaureate® (IB) Diploma Programme – A college-preparatory program for students age 16-19 administered by International Baccalaureate®, an international educational foundation. Standardized IB exams are used to assess student mastery of course content. Students receive scores on a “1” to “7” scale, with “7” being the highest. International credentials must be obtained from a recognized international institution that is validated by a US credentialing agency. A grade of (70) percent or higher must be earned for the courses being considered for credit.

Military Education and Training – Education and training that has been documented on a transcript issued by one or more branches of the United States Armed Forces. This education should appear on a veteran’s Joint Services Transcript.

Military Prior Learning Academic Panels – Panels of academic faculty approved by two- and four-year Systems Offices (the Military Credit Advisory Council) which are authorized to determine standards for awarding credit for identified subject areas.

Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) – This is the name given to individual jobs within the military. Nurses, vehicle mechanics, chaplains, truck drivers, IT specialists, and medics would each have different a different MOS identifier as these are different jobs. MOS designators are usually a number followed by a letter. The MOS designator for a medic, for example, is 68W.

Noncredit Coursework – Noncredit coursework is intended for students who want to gain general knowledge, learn a new skill, upgrade existing skills, enrich their understanding on a wide range of topics, or develop personal interests. Noncredit courses may not be applicable toward a degree. Upon completion of a noncredit course, students can earn a noncredit vocational certificate of completion or competency and may receive a grade of pass or no pass.

North Carolina High School to Community College Articulation Agreement – An agreement between the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the North Carolina Community College System. The articulation agreement ensures that when a student is proficient in a high school course included in the agreement, the student can receive college credit for that course at any North Carolina community college.

Standardized Examination – Any form of examination that requires all test takers to answer the same questions, or a selection of questions from a common bank of questions following established protocol and that is scored in a standard or consistent manner.