Prior and Experiential Learning

In order to be eligible for the Graduate Portfolio, you must be matriculated into one of the specific graduate programs that include credit for prior learning experience within the degree program. Once you express an interest with the academic pathways team at gradpriorlearning@umgc.edu, a prior learning specialist will work with you to discuss planned targeted courses; provide an application and self-assessment; and discuss the process for completing a portfolio.

These are the specific graduate courses that are currently eligible for the Graduate Portfolio program. Please note: Some of these courses are part of related graduate certificate programs as well.

* Indicates that an active and current industry certification may satisfy that course requirement.

First, you will need to work with a prior learning specialist to target the right course for your needs. You cannot target any courses, certifications, or previous learning/experience that you have already attempted and/or completed for credit. You must target an approved UMGC graduate course in your program.

For each Graduate Portfolio, you will need to provide documentation that will involve a great deal of graduate-level writing, including the following:

• Documentation of learning that meets the outcomes of the course you plan to target
• Providing an experiential resume
• Following rubrics designed to meet specific learning expectations
• Verification letters
• Examples of experiences that include specific program-related templates, skills, documents, articles, or projects, that can verify your learning

Your portfolio will be reviewed by a faculty member who is a subject matter expert in the field and be assessed to determine whether you can receive academic credit for the portfolio.

You do not need to take a required credited course for the Graduate Portfolio program. Upon confirmation of program eligibility, you will be placed into a D2L classroom self-led space (non-credited course) by the academic pathways team.  Within that classroom, you will be given direction and resources to complete a portfolio for submission to be reviewed by a faculty evaluator who is a subject matter expert in the course you have targeted.

Compared to tuition costs, you can save money by submitting a portfolio for review.

The cost of the program is $250 per Graduate Portfolio submission. Each portfolio is designed to target one course.

There is no additional cost associated with enrollment into the self-led course.

It is recommended you work on a portfolio within a 6–8 week timeframe, but you will have the dates of a specific semester/term to complete the work. The completed portfolio must be submitted by the end date of the semester/term.

You are limited to earning up to 12 credits for most master's programs or up to 6 credits for most graduate certificates via successful completions of the Graduate Portfolio program.

These credit amounts align with what most master's programs (12) and graduate certificates (6) at UMGC accept in transfer credit/credit from other sources.

You cannot do a portfolio for a course in which you are already receiving/have received credit for an industry certification in transfer. That certification should be considered first for transfer towards the specific graduate program.

Please see UMGC's graduate credit transfer credit evaluation information for more details. You can also contact a prior learning specialist about certifications that you hold to see if they can be used to satisfy a program requirement.