Admissions - Credit by Examination

College credit earned by currently enrolled students who successfully complete approved advanced placement examinations, CLEP and DANTES examinations, and Tech Prep articulations will have credits recorded on their academic records without an additional fee. Credit will not be awarded for courses that are prerequisites to subsequent courses that have been completed, or for courses that have been failed or previously audited.

College Advanced Placement (High School Students)
Applicants who have taken advanced placement courses in high school should request that the official scores be sent to Admissions & Records. Grades of 3, 4, or 5 on an advanced placement examination will be granted college credit for the appropriate courses.

Experiential Learning
MSU - Great Falls College of Technology (MSUGF) recognizes that learning occurs outside of the college setting. The outcome of this learning is often the acquisition of skills and/or knowledge which may be equivalent to learning at MSUGF and other institutions of higher education. MSUGF may award credit for this learning through the MSUGF Experiential Learning Policy. This policy is based on the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) Policy 2.3.

• Credit may be granted only for documented learning which ties the prior experience to the theories and content of the relevant academic field(s).
  
  
• Credit may be granted only for documented learning which falls within the regular curricular offerings of the institution.
  
  
• Credit for prior experiential learning may be granted only at the undergraduate level.
  
  
• The applicability of Experiential Learning Credit toward specific degree program requirements is subject to departmental/institutional approval.
  
  
• Experiential Learning Credit will be based on the following evaluation methods.
  
  • Portfolio
  • Challenge Exams
  • Proof of Competency
    

  NOTE: The department chair or faculty, delegated by the department chair, will develop the criteria of the portfolio, challenge exams, and/or proof of competency.
  

• Credit for prior experiential learning should not constitute more than 25% of the credits needed for a degree or certificate.
  

• No assurances are made as to the number of credits to be awarded prior to the completion of the institution’s review process.
  

• Credit may be granted only to enrolled students and is to be identified on the student’s transcript as credit for prior experiential learning.
  

• Credit for prior experiential learning cannot duplicate other credit awarded.
  

• Experiential Credit will be treated in the same way as transfer credit. A “P” (pass) will be assigned, and it will not count toward the students’ GPA.
  

• Materials and documents submitted for consideration of credit for experiential learning must comply with all MSUGF and Montana University System Policies. No experiential learning credit is guaranteed.
  

• Credits granted for experiential learning at MSUGF may transfer to other institutions. Students should check with the transfer institution regarding transferability.
  

• All submitted materials and documents become part of the students’ academic record and will not be returned.
  

• Credit awarded for experiential learning will become part of the students’ academic transcript.
  

• The student is responsible for providing the appropriate documentation as required by the guidelines and/or criteria established by the faculty member, program director, or department chair for the award of credit for experiential learning.
  

• Students will be assessed an experiential learning fee for each course substitute attempted through the award of Experiential Learning Credit. This fee will be 1/3 of the cost for the tuition of the course had the student enrolled in it through traditional means.

• Experiential learning credits do not count towards enrollments in evaluating financial aid status.
  

The following checklist will help guide faculty and students through the Experiential Learning evaluation process and the required form.

• A student interested in earning experiential learning credit for a particular course or courses should consult their advisor and/or the faculty member (faculty sponsor) responsible for the courses in question. Upon consultation and initial consent of the faculty sponsor and the student’s advisor (if applicable), complete the “Student Information” and “Experiential Learning Course Substitution Information” portions of the form.
  
  
• Next, the faculty sponsor and student will collaboratively decide which evaluation process (portfolio, proof of competency, or challenge exam) will be used for the evaluation of the student’s prior learning to illustrate equivalency of the courses being substituted. Check the appropriate box in the “Evaluation Process for Assessment of Award” section.
  
  
• Collaboratively the faculty sponsor and student will then identify the criteria, components, materials, documents required, and activities that must occur to complete the evaluation process. The faculty sponsor will provide the student with documentation outlining objectives, timelines, materials needed, and other pertinent information to establish clear expectations for the process.
  
  
• Next, print the form with the top three portions completed. The student must sign and date in the appropriate areas.
  
  
• The faculty sponsor and advisor (if applicable) must then confer and agree to approve the plan for assessing the student’s prior learning for the award of experiential learning credit. If both approve, they must print their name, sign and date the form.
  
  
• The faculty sponsor then submits the form to the Registrar. Upon reviewing the form for accuracy and completion, the Registrar will assess the student fee associated with this process, sign and date the form, and return to the faculty sponsor.
  
  
• Once the student completes and submits a challenge test, proof of competency, or a student portfolio for review, the faculty sponsor will make a determination of whether to approve the award of credit for the student’s experiential learning. The faculty sponsor will then confer with the department chair and they will make their recommendation. If both are in agreement, each will print their names, sign and date the form.
  
  
• Next, the faculty sponsor submits the completed form, criteria for the assessment process, and supporting documents (e.g. challenge test score, documents for proof of competency, or portfolio) to the Registrar. The Registrar will notify the student of the successful award.
  
  
• Finally, the Registrar reviews the completed form and submitted materials. If all are in order and both the faculty sponsor and department chair have agreed to approve the award of credit for experiential learning, the Registrar will post the award to the student’s academic transcript and notify the student of the completed process.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and DANTES
Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology awards credit toward graduation for successful performance in certain subject examinations of the CLEP and DANTES programs. Students may arrange to take these examinations at designated centers. Passing grades and the awarding of credit is determined by the American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations.

MSU – Great Falls College of Technology
Test identification numbers:

• CLEP 7691
• DANTES 9472
  
• ACT 2432
• SAT 4482
  

Tech Prep Credit
Tech Prep provides high school students an opportunity to earn credits toward one-year or two-year certificates or degrees at Montana State University-Great Falls College of Technology while still in high school. This is a cooperative program carried out under articulation agreements between secondary and postsecondary institutions that have made a commitment to the program. Counselors and instructors at participating high schools have information available for interested students.