2020-2021 Catalogue

Wesleyan College offers the following options for awarding academic credit where appropriate.

1. Credit for prior learning. Wesleyan College supports the idea that learning outside the classroom can be college level and under certain circumstances warrant academic credit. Students who are enrolled in a degree program may earn a maximum of 15 semester hours of academic credit for prior, college-level learning experience by submitting a portfolio documenting relevant knowledge gained through such experience. Preparation of the portfolio, however, does not guarantee credit will be awarded. The student must demonstrate having attained the knowledge, competency, and/or analytical and synthesizing abilities equivalent to those she would have gained in the college classroom. Such credit is granted on a Credit/No Credit basis. Letter grades are not awarded.

Portfolio Guidelines: This process requires a student to prepare and submit an analysis of her learning to support her claim that she has specific skills, knowledge, values, attitudes, understandings, achievements, experiences, competencies, training, or certifications that align withspecific course objectives. The portfolio developed should not only describe the relevant experience but should also identify how the student has met the particular learning outcomes.

The student will include a critical self-assessment of what college-level learning has been acquired through selected non-traditional experience. This experience might include a variety of work, training, reading and research, civil and military service, or life learning. 

Most students who take advantage of this policy receive credit in an applied knowledge area such as management, marketing, technology, finance, arts, communications, public relations, etc.

A student must complete a portfolio for each class she is seeking credit for that will include the following:

a. Cover letter explaining the portfolio and the contents of the portfolio.
b. Course title, description and learning outcomes for the course (these may be obtained by a faculty member who teaches the course or the Department Chair.)
c. Detailed explanation of the relevant experiences a student has had that satisfy the course outcomes. Students should reflect on the nature of the experiences and what was learned. For instance, for work experiences, students are asked to consider the skills, concepts, principles and/or ideas that student learned or improved upon during the work period.  Just listing a title of a position or tasks completed is not enough to document the learning that has occurred.
d. Any artifacts that might support the claims made in the explanation (e.g., certificates, letters from employers or other experts, job descriptions, licenses, programs listing the student as a participant or conductor, or work samples).
e. Letter of support from the faculty member or department in which the course is taught.

Process:
1. A student must submitthe Credit for Prior Learning request form and fee to have the portfolio evaluated.  
2. The student must work with her academic advisor onthe development of the portfolio and a faculty member who teaches the relevant course.
3. A student has two semesters (fall, spring)to complete the portfolio once the application has been submitted.
4. A student should submit the completed learning portfolio to her academic advisor for review.
5. The academic advisor will submit the portfolio to the Provost’s office.
6. Provost sends the completed portfolioto a sub-committee of three members of the curriculum committee (selected by the Provost).
7. The sub-committee meets with the Provost within two weeks of receiving the completed file to determine a recommendation on the amount of credit to be awarded.
8. The Provost provides a memo to the Registrar indicating courses and credit hours to be awarded.

2. Transfer Credit. Credit will be considered from institutions accredited by the following agencies:
•    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) Western Association of Schools and Colleges
•    Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
•    Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
•    New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
•    Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
•    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
•    WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

Credit from an institution of higher education accredited by an institutional accreditor not listed above will be reviewed on a case by case basis.

Courses at the undergraduate level with a final grade of "C" of higher and related to applicable programs of the offerings at Wesleyan College are considered. Coursework at the graduate level is not considered for transfer.

A student can receive credit for a maximum of 90 semester hours. Credit from a junior college may not exceed 60 semester hours. Credits earned in a quarter system are converted to semester hours by multiplying the quarter credits by .667. The final 30 semester hours of coursework must be taken at Wesleyan unless prior approval is granted by the Registrar.

Transfer coursework classified as a 'core requirement' may also be applied towards Wesleyan's General Education requirements. Coursework may be accepted as a substitution or as a direct course equivalent. Individual course substitutions may be assigned to Wesleyan's General Education categories as deemed appropriate by the Registrar and the most closely associated Program Director.

Students earning an Associate of Art's degree from an institution of higher education accredited by an agency listed above does not have to take additional general education courses at Wesleyan College to earn the bachelor's degree. Associate of Science degrees are reviewed on a case by case basis. Associate's degrees from an institution of higher education accredited by an institutional accreditor not listed above are reviewed for waiver on a case by case basis.

Credit hours awarded for transfer are included in the student's cumulative hours earned. Grades earned in transfer courses accepted for credit are not reflected in a student's Wesleyan cumulative grade point average and transcript.

For senior honors to be awarded upon graduation, grades accepted for transfer credit will be computed in the honors GPA, but the student may not receive a higher honor at graduation than that merited by her academic performance at Wesleyan.

If a student wishes to appeal credit equivalency, she may submit a Transfer Credit Appeal form along with the course description and syllabus to the Registrar. The Registrar and the most closely associated Program Director will consider the appeal.

Please refer to the Academic Credit Options section in the Wesleyan Catalogue for other ways to earn credit such as credit for prior learning, credit by exam, rigorous high school programs, and departmental challenge.

International transfer credit is awarded on a case by case basis. A course-by-course credit evaluation from a professional evaluation agency indicating credit hours and grades converted to the semester system of higher education in the United States is required before credit is considered.

Wesleyan College has articulation agreements or memorandums of understanding with the following institutions and organizations:
 
Andrew College
Auburn University    
Georgia Military College
Georgia Technical Institute
Guangzhou University
Lingnan University
Louisburg College
Mercer University
South China Normal University
Technical College System of GA

3. Credit by Examination. Wesleyan College has an established program for awarding credit by examination. The general conditions related to awarding credit, the applicable testing programs, and standards for awarding credit are outlined below.

General Condition for Awarding Credit by Examination:

A. A maximum of thirty (30) semester hours will be accepted from the combined sources of College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge International Examinations (A-Levels), and Departmental Examinations.

B. No student will be permitted credit by examination for a course after she has enrolled in the course.

C. Credit earned by examination will be recorded on the student's record by course, course number, and semester hours earned. No grade or grade points will be assigned.