Students can submit evidence that they already have met Liberal Learning Outcomes (LLOs) or outcomes required by their majors through life and/or work experience.
Students who can demonstrate achievement of specific outcomes are not required to take courses covering the mastered content, and they may receive college credit.
Prior learning may be demonstrated by:
For details, see the Academic Catalog.
Advanced Placement (AP) credit
Students who score at least three (3) on the appropriate College Entrance Examination Board Advanced Placement Examination may get credit as follows:
| AP Test Name |
Credits |
Equivalent UC Course |
| American Government |
3 |
POLS 101 |
| American Literature |
3 |
ENGL 220 |
| Art – History of Art |
3 |
ART 123 |
| Art – General Portfolio |
3 |
(contact Art Program faculty) |
| Art – Studio: Drawing |
3 |
ART 100 |
| Biology (Score of 3-4) |
4 |
NSCI 120 |
| Biology (Score of 5) |
4 |
BIOL 130 |
| Calculus - AB |
4 |
MATH 201 |
| Calculus - BC |
4 |
MATH 202 |
| Chemistry |
8 |
CHEM 101, CHEM 102 |
| Computer Science |
3 |
UNIV 111 |
| Economics – Micro |
3 |
BUSI 201 |
| Economics – Macro |
3 |
BUSI 202 |
| English – Composition |
3 |
COMM 101 |
| English - Literature |
3 |
ENGL 203 |
| French |
6 |
FREN 101, FREN 102 |
| German |
6 |
GERM 101, GERM 102 |
| Government & Politics |
6 |
POLS 101, POLS 102 |
| History – American |
6 |
HIST 251, HIST 252 |
| History – European |
6 |
HIST electives |
| Introduction to Accounting |
6 |
ACCT 201, ACCT 202 |
| Introduction to Management |
3 |
MGMT 311 |
| Music – Theory |
3 |
MUSC 101 |
| Music – Listening & Literature |
3 |
MUSC 212 |
| Physics |
8 |
PHSC 201, PHSC 202 |
| Principles of Marketing |
3 |
MRKT 321 |
| Psychology |
3 |
PSYC 101 |
| Spanish |
6 |
SPAN 101, SPAN 102 |
| Western Civilization |
6 |
HIST 211, HIST 212 |
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College Level Examination Program (CLEP) Credit
The Learning Support Office at the University of Charleston is an open CLEP testing center. Students may be exempted from one or more introductory courses, and be awarded credit for those course, based on good CLEP scores.
For more information, contact the Learning Support Office.
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Credit by Examination
Certain academic departments or programs may develop examinations that allow students to demonstrate mastery of course content. Contact the appropriate academic department to inquire about this option.
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Self-Acquired Competency (SAC)
SAC credit is academic credit for learning that occurred outside the classroom. Current students or applicants may request SAC credit by submitting a written request and a portfolio documenting mastery of the content area(s) and the outcome(s) to a faculty member or the appropriate Faculty Roundtable. A faculty member with expertise in the field will evaluate the portfolio and determine whether credit should be granted.
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National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs
The National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs published by the American Council on Education lists credit recommendations for programs and courses sponsored by non-academic organizations to employees or members. In most instances, the University of Charleston will accept these recommendations and award appropriate credit. For more information, contact the Registrar.
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International Baccalaureate Degree
Students who achieve 5, 6, or 7 in an individual higher level examination may receive credit for an equivalent course at the University of Charleston. Official transcripts must be issued by the International Baccalaureate North American Office.
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European-Patterned Education
Students may earn up to one year of credit for completing the courses and the national examination for advanced high school work equivalent to a thirteenth year of school, depending on examination results, course syllabi and subjects taken. UC requires an officially certified copy of externally issued exam results show scores for each exam subject, with an official English translation. Advanced credit is most often awarded for these programs:
- British GCE Admanced-level or AS-level examinations
- Canadian (Quebec) two-year College d'enseignement General et Professionnel
- Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations (CAPE) when two units are completed
- Danish Studentereksamen
- Finnish Ylioppilastutkinto
- French Baccalaureate exams
- German Abitur exams
- Hong Kong HKALE
- Icelandic Studentsprof — Menntaskoli exams
- Italian Maturita
- Lebanese Baccalaureate
- Netherlands Voorbereidend Wetenschappellijk Onderwijs (VWO)
- Norway Vitnemal
- Singaporean Advanced-level exams
- Swedish Fullständigt Slutbetyg från Gymnasieskolan
- Swiss Federal Maturite exams
- Other European Baccalaureate
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Educational Experiences in the Armed Services
UC often grants credit for military learning experiences based on the recommendations made by the American Council on Education (ACE), which assess the applicability of military learning experiences to an educational program. The University my modify the recommendations in accordance with institutional policies and practices.
Students seeking credit for educational experiences in the armed services must provide AARTS or SMART transcripts, verified by the services, and evaluated and endorsed by ACE.
See also the Military Science Program (ROTC) and Veterans at UC.
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