Credit for Military Experience Through Prior Learning
UMGC will review your military transcripts for experience to determine transfer credit based on recommendations from the American Council on Education. Other options for earning credit for experience include Prior Learning Portfolio, Course Challenge, or Workplace Learning, depending on your program of study.
Portfolio
Through Portfolio, you can receive as many as 30 credits for your military experience by identifying and documenting the college-level learning you gained from that experience.
You enroll in a 3-credit course and create a portfolio describing and documenting your learning experiences. Your portfolio is then evaluated by faculty members, who determine the amount of credit you can be awarded. If you later want to target more courses, you can enroll in a noncredit course to continue working on your portfolio. Depending on the number of credits you receive, you can save a great deal on your program because credit awarded through Portfolio assessment are evaluated for a fee that is much lower than the cost of tuition.
Course Challenge
Your military experience may have given you the education and information you need to receive credit for a UMGC class without even taking it. Through Course Challenge, you can earn credit for a wide range of undergraduate courses at UMGC simply by passing the equivalent of a final exam for the course.
Workplace Learning
You can also earn credit for taking on a new project or learning a new skill in the service or on the job. To participate in the program, you'll enter a learning agreement with the military or your employer and a faculty mentor. You'll submit academic assignments about your Workplace Learning experience and earn up to 6 credits each semester for up to 15 credits total.