Nashville State Community College
Catalog
Advanced Standing
Matriculated (enrolled) students at Nashville State Community College may meet some course requirements for graduation through course waivers and substitutions; college transfer credit; credit by examination; the college-level examination program; advanced placement examinations; professional certification exams; prior work experience; high school, career, and vocational education experience; PONSI; and U.S. Military training and experience. Documentation of any of these alternate methods of meeting requirements must be filed in the Records Office prior to the beginning of the semester in which the student will graduate. If this documentation is not on file, the student's graduation date may be delayed. (Students who are not enrolled at Nashville State Community College are not eligible for any advanced standing program).
College Transfer Credit
Credit may be awarded to transfer students when the following standards are met:
1. Official college or university records are on file in the studentÕs NSCC academic record.
2. Credits earned more than six years prior to enrollment at NSCC may be reviewed
and evaluated by the appropriate Dean or Coordinator.
3. The student matriculates (enrolls) at Nashville State Community College.
If a student has earned credit for a course at a prior institution with fewer than the number of hours required for the equivalent course, credit may be given for that course if the material covered is sufficiently equivalent to the NSCC course. In all cases, a student must have earned a minimum number of semester hours to meet the graduation requirements for degree or certificate. Grades earned at another institution are not used to compute a student's grade point average at NSCC.College Board Advanced Placement Examinations
NSCC will award advanced standing credit to entering students based upon Advanced Placement Examination results. Scores ranging from 3 to 5 will be awarded appropriate credit. Students take the Advanced Placement exams at their high schools. No fees are charged for awarding this credit. Official College Board AP exam scores should be submitted to the Records Office for processing.
Advance Standing Credit Awards
For College BoardAdvance Placement Examinations
Art-History of Art ART 1030 Biology BIOL 1110
4BIOL 1110 & BIOL 1120 Chemistry CHEM 1110 CHEM 1110 & CHEM 1120 Economics ECON 1111 ECON 1111 & ECON 1121 English-Literature & Composition ENGL 1010 ENGL 1010 & ENGL 1020 French-Language FREN 1010 FREN 1010 & FREN 1020 Government and Politics POLI 1111 History-United States HIST 2010 HIST 2010 & HIST 2020 &Mathematics - Calculus AB MATH 1910 4
Mathematics - Calculus BC MATH 1920 Mathematics-Statistics MATH 1530 Music Theory MUS 1020 MUS 1020 & MUS 1025 Physics B PHYS 2010 PHYS 2010 & PHYS 2020 Physics C PHYS 2110 PHYS 2110 & PHYS 2120 Psychology PSYC 1111 Spanish-Language SPAN 1010 SPAN 1010 & SPAN 1020 College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
CLEP is a program of "credit by examination" which offers individuals an opportunity to earn college credit without enrolling in specific college courses. College-level competencies may have been acquired through personal reading, formal study, job experience, volunteer experience, correspondence courses, military training, or advanced high school courses.
CLEP exams are offered each Tuesday and Thursday morning (excluding holidays) at 9:00 a.m. in the NSCC Testing Center. Appointments should be made in advance.
The total cost is $80 per examination: CLEP charges $65 per exam and prefers it be charged to American Express, MasterCard, or Visa. NSCC charges $15 per exam for test administration and requires it be paid by check or money order.
For additional information about the NSCC CLEP test, contact the Testing Center at 615-353-3564. For information regarding obtaining CLEP Scores, please contact CLEP at 1-800-257-9558 or visit their Web site at www.collegboard.com/clep.Clep Examinations and Equivalencies (pdf file)
Professional Certification Exams
Students may receive advanced standing credit by successfully completing recognized professional certification exams. Official examination results should be submitted to the Records Office if the exam is completed after the student has been admitted to NSCC.
Equivalencies for the Certified Professional Secretary Exam
After an individual has completed 15 credit hours in the Office Administration program, certain credits are available based on verification of successful completion of the Certified Professional Secretary examination. The following credits will be awarded:
AIS 1181 Business Software Applications 3
ACCT 1010 Survey of Accounting 3
or
ACCT 1104 Principles of Accounting 3
BUS 2400 Principles of Management 3
OAD 1117 Business Communications 3Course Waivers and Substitutions
An advisor may recommend that a student request a course waiver if the student has had training or experience in a subject area. A course waiver is appropriate if the material has been mastered through means other than formal academic course work or in a course closely related to the course in question. A course substitution is appropriate only if material has been mastered through a similar course within the college or if co-op credit has been earned as defined in the college catalog. There is no fee for course waivers and substitutions. Course waivers may reduce the total credit hours or number of courses required for the degree or certificate, but in no case can the number of credit hours required for the Associate's degree be fewer than 60.
To process a course waiver or substitution, students should initiate the appropriate substitution form through their academic advisors. The Dean in the academic area in which the course is offered must approve the waiver or substitution, and the Records Office will complete the substitution process.Credit by Examination
Credit by Examination permits students to earn full credit for NSCC college-level courses through successful completion of comprehensive examinations. Program requirements differ. Students should consult the appropriate dean for requirements in their major.
To be eligible for Credit by Examination, a student:
1. Must be currently enrolled in classes at NSCC;
2. Must meet any prerequisite requirement established for the course for which the exam is requested;
3. May not pursue Credit by Examination where credit in an equivalent or more advanced course has been earned, or a course successfully completed (including audited courses); and
4. Must apply for and complete the examination within seven calendar days beginning with the first day of class of the current term.
To apply for Credit by Examination, a student must obtain the Request for Credit by Examination form from the Records Office. The student must possess and demonstrate the requisite knowledge and skills for the course being challenged and receive the advisor's approval to take the exam. The student then submits the form to the Dean responsible for the discipline of the exam requested. Permission to take the challenge examination may be denied if the advisor or Dean determines that the student does not have a valid basis for the request. The decision of the Dean is final.
Upon approval by the Dean, the student must pay the $75.00 examination fee (non-refundable) to the Business Office and present the receipt to the instructor responsible for administering the exam.
For successful completion of Credit by Examination, a student must achieve a minimum of 75% on the examination. The credit will be recorded on the student's academic transcript as "Advanced Standing - Credit by Examination" and does not affect the student's GPA.
Students currently enrolled in the course for which they successfully complete Credit by Examination will be dropped from the course and receive full refund of payments related to the course.
Credit by Examination is limited to a maximum of 20 semester hours and does not apply toward residency requirements for graduation. Students intending to transfer should consult with the college or university to which they are applying about the transferability of Credit by Examination hours.Credit for Prior Work Experience (Portfolio Assessment)
If students pursuing a degree or certificate have work experiences that has provided a background similar to that of a course in their major curriculum, they may request that the department responsible for the course evaluate the work experience for credit purposes. Students should provide the department with evidence of work performed, e.g., copies of drawings, reports, or other documents, which would verify the type of work performed and/or a letter from the employer verifying the time that they were employed and did perform the work. A maximum of 10 hours of credit can be obtained for prior documented work experience. If the work experience is adequate for credit, the Dean will submit the necessary form to the Records Office for processing.High School and Vocational Education Experience
A student who has high school, vocational, or other credit that may relate to the program of study being pursued at NSCC, may be eligible for advanced standing credit. NSCC has formal articulation agreements with many high schools that outline the possibilities of credit for work at the high school level.
The student must request review by the Dean responsible for the course or courses that relate to the previous educational experience. This educational experience will be evaluated by the Dean to determine if the experience provides mastery of 80 percent of the competencies contained in the course required in the student's major. The student must provide an articulation application, high school transcript, and/or documentation of the type of work performed in the course.
NSCC has articulation agreements with the Tennessee Technology Centers. In addition to single course advanced standing, block transfer credit is also available under the General Technology A.A.S. degree program.The National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI)
Credit may also be granted for appropriate educational experience listed in the Directory of the National Program on Noncollegiate Sponsored Instruction and in The National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs by the American Council on Education. If the educational experience is adequate for credit, the Dean will submit the necessary form to the Records Office for processing.U.S. Military Schools
Nashville State Community College recognizes and awards credit for military service schools in which the student has satisfactorily completed a course and for which NSCC has an equivalent course. Then training is evaluated using the American Council on Education's Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.
If necessary, other recognized publications may be consulted in the evaluation of armed service schools. No more than 50% of the credit hours required to obtain an Associate's degree or certificate may be earned through military service schools.The student must provide the Records office the required documentation for the evaluation of military training.