Alternative Credit and Special Course Arrangement

Alternative Credit

Judson University welcomes students of all ages. Many students bring a depth of knowledge in specific subjects that may have been acquired experientially. Students who have been accepted to Judson University may convert this learning into University credit on the basis of satisfactory performance on proficiency examinations.

No more than 30 hours of military credit, no more than 30 hours of prior learning assessment, and no more than 30 total hours of credit by examination (AP/CLEP/DSST/Challenge) may apply toward degree requirements. Not all types of alternative credit are available to all programs.

Alternative credit is earned on a pass/fail system; therefore, they are not calculated into the student's GPA.

Advanced Placement Tests

AP credit is available to students in all undergraduate programs. The Advanced Placement (AP) Program is a cooperative educational endeavor of secondary schools, universities, and the University Board. Judson University awards at least three credit hours for a score of three and at least six credit hours for a score of four or higher on tests of the one-year courses. Students should request that AP test scores be sent to the Registrar's Office.
Advanced Placement Equivalency Chart

College Level Examination Program

CLEP credit is available to students in all undergraduate programs. Judson University grants credit for satisfactory scores on College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests in accordance with American Council on Education's (ACE) recommendation for acceptable score and award of credit hours. Students who have previously completed CLEP tests should request that the test scores be sent to the Registrar's Office. Students who are considering a CLEP test should consult with their Academic Advisor and the Registrar's Office to ensure the credit will apply to their academic program; students should request formal approval by completing the CLEP Approval Form in the MyJudson portal. Testing needs to be done one year prior to the student's graduation month.

CLEP Equivalency Chart - Traditional Programs

CLEP Equivalency Chart - Division of Professional Studies

DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)

DSST credit is only available to students in the Division of Professional Studies. For more information on this computer based testing or to have an official score report sent, please visit www.getcollegecredit.com or call 1-877-470-9860. Students who wish to receive credit for DSST must request official score reports be sent to the Registrar's Office. Students who intend to take a DSST must check with their Academic Advisor before registering for the test to ensure that the tests will not duplicate previous coursework by completing the DSST Approval Form in MyJudson. A student needs to be accepted and admitted to Judson in order to sign up and take a test. Testing needs to be done one year prior to the student's graduation month.
DSST Equivalency Chart

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)

PLA credit is only available to students in the Division of Professional Studies. These students can earn University credit for life's learning experiences. Prior learning assessment through portfolio writing provides recognition for prior learning acquired either formally within an institution or through a wide variety of life and work experiences, such as career involvement, personal study and community work.

Police Prior Learning Assessment (Police PLA)

Students who have completed police training are eligible to receive PLA credit for their documented training. Students must submit all current, official police training transcripts at the time of application to the University. Students who receive additional police training while enrolled at Judson University must complete the Transfer Course Approval Form in MyJudson prior to beginning training and provide official transcripts immediately upon completion. Police PLA credit awarded will count toward elective hours and cannot be counted towards the requirements for the major.

Military

Students in undergraduate programs with military experience may submit their records to receive elective credit. To receive credit for military experience, students must submit a copy of their DD214 military form and an official transcript from the branch in which they served. Upon evaluation, credit may be awarded based on the listed military occupational specialty ratings and any specified courses, which have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE). Judson University uses The Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces to determine credit awarded for military experience. A maximum of 30 credit hours of military coursework may apply to degree requirements. All military coursework will count only toward elective hours.

International Baccalaureate

In the event that an undergraduate student has earned an International Baccalaureate diploma, course credit will be granted toward the general education requirements at Judson University to a maximum of 30 semester hours as follows: a course taken at the higher level will be granted 6 semester hours of credit if the grade earned was 5 or higher; a course taken at the subsidiary level will be given 4 semester hours of credit if the grade earned was 5 or higher. Students receiving a grade of 5 or higher for an IB course may consult with their academic advisor to determine if the IB course will act as a transfer course equivalency for a course requirement. If English is taken as a foreign language, the student must still take the English placement test at Judson University to determine class placement.

Challenge Exams

Challenge Exams have been developed by Judson University faculty for some courses to allow students to demonstrate college-level content understanding through examination. Students should discuss challenge exam options with the appropriate Department/Division/Program Chair. See Financial pages in the catalog for fees.

Auditing

Students in all programs are permitted to audit courses without credit or grade contingent upon permission of the course instructor and the Registrar. Students auditing a course generally attend lectures but are not required to submit coursework or take exams. Audited courses will be recorded on student transcripts with a grade of AU and zero credit hours earned. Students that do not attend at least 60% of the classes will receive a “W” for the course. To change a course from credit to audit, or from audit to credit, students must complete and submit an Audit Request Form to the Registrar's Office by the end of the first week of the course. Audited courses do not count towards graduation or full-time status. The audit tuition rate will be charged if the audited course creates an overload (over 18 hours) or if the student is at part-time status.

Special Course Arrangements

A maximum of ten hours of "Special Course Arrangements" may be applied to degree requirements. A fee will be charged to the student's account in addition to tuition for each special course (see Financial pages of the catalog). A Special Course Arrangement must be approved by the student, the sponsoring professor, the Academic Advisor, the Department/Division/Program Chair(s) of the course and the major, and the Chair of the Division of Professional Studies (for DPS programs) or the VP of Academic Affairs (for all other programs). All approvals must be submitted to the Registrar's Office at least one semester prior to the term in which the course will be taken.

The student should complete the Petition for Special Course Arrangements with the guidance of their sponsoring professor and Department/Division/Program Chair. The Chair should submit the completed form to notify the Registrar's Office once it is approved. Special Course Arrangements include the following:

  • Readings in the Departmental Field (course number 290/490):
    • The student must be in good standing and have completed one semester at Judson.
    • The course may not serve as a substitute for any major, minor or general education requirement.
    • The student must read 300 pages and submit 10 pages of written work for each semester hour enrolled.
    • An approved reading list must be attached to the petition.
  • Individualized Study of a Regular Course of Offering (same course code as regular course):
    • The sponsoring instructor and the student must determine how the course objectives will be attained.
    • The sponsoring instructor, the Academic Advisor and the student are to give rationale on this petition as to why this course must be taught on an individual basis. The Advisor must explain why the requirement cannot be met by a course substitution or a reading.
  • Directed Research (course number 188/288/388/488):
    • The student must be in good standing and have completed one semester at Judson.
    • The subject may not duplicate that of a regularly offered course.
    • The student must invest a minimum of 45 hours of work for each credit hour approved.
    • The student must provide a typewritten statement to the Department/Division/Program Chair which includes:
      • A title, credit hours, the purpose and scope of the project and a statement of background in the project area
      • A description of how the project will be conducted
      • A description of the final product, what it will be and how extensive (regardless of the nature of the project, a paper is usually one component of the final product)
      • A bibliography
  • Independent Study (course number 486):
    • A minimum major GPA of 3.0 when applying and 75 semester hours must be earned before the term of the independent study.
    • The subject may not duplicate a regularly offered course.
    • The student must invest a minimum of 45 hours of work for each credit hour approved.
    • The student must provide a typewritten statement to the Department/Division/Program Chair which includes:
      • A title, credit hours, the purpose and scope of the project and a statement of background in the project area
      • A description of how the study will be conducted
      • A description of the final product, what it will be and how extensive (regardless of the nature of the project, a paper is usually one component of the final product)
      • A bibliography

Irregular Courses

Courses sometimes do not fit the term calendar, such as summer study tours. Students are billed for such courses when they register for them and they will receive grades and credits at the close of the official grading period following the conclusion of the courses. Students wishing to register for such courses must secure advance approval of the Academic Advisor and the Department/Division/Program Chair.