Purpose
Missouri Valley University recognizes that university-level learning may occur outside the traditional classroom. Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) provides eligible students an opportunity to receive academic credit for demonstrated learning acquired through professional, military, employment, training, certification, examination, and other educational experiences.
CPL is awarded for demonstrated learning, not simply for experience, employment, training, certification, or time spent in a professional role. Prior learning must be equivalent in content, rigor, depth, and learning outcomes to appropriate Missouri Valley University coursework or curricular requirements.
Eligibility
Students requesting CPL must be admitted to and currently enrolled at Missouri Valley University at the time the request is submitted and reviewed.
Formal CPL evaluations will not ordinarily be conducted for prospective students, applicants, or individuals who are not currently enrolled at the University. General information regarding CPL opportunities may be provided before enrollment; however, such information does not constitute an evaluation, guarantee, or award of academic credit.
Credit awarded through CPL must apply to the student's program of study and demonstrate learning equivalent to the content, rigor, and learning outcomes of the applicable MVU course or requirement. All CPL is subject to University residency and degree requirements and applicable accreditation, certification, and professional licensure requirements.
CPL may not be awarded for learning for which the student has already received equivalent academic credit. Students are encouraged to request CPL as early as possible in their program. CPL normally will not be awarded for a course in which a student is currently enrolled or for a course the student has already successfully completed, except when exceptional circumstances are approved by Academic Affairs.
Methods of Evaluating Prior Learning
Prior learning may be evaluated through University-approved methods including Advanced Placement (AP), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), DSST examinations, International Baccalaureate (IB), American Council on Education (ACE)-recommended military education and training including Joint Services Transcript (JST) recommendations, other ACE-evaluated or institutionally approved education and training, approved professional certifications or licenses, departmental challenge examinations, portfolio assessment, or other assessment methods approved by the appropriate academic department and Academic Affairs.
Submission of documentation, completion of training, professional experience, licensure, certification, or length of employment does not by itself establish eligibility for academic credit. Academic credit is awarded for demonstrated learning, not for the experience itself.
Credit by Examination
Credit by examination is one method of CPL. MVU may award academic credit when a student demonstrates required learning through an approved external examination or an MVU departmental challenge examination. Credit by examination is not automatically available for every course or program requirement.
External Credit by Examination
MVU may award credit based on approved nationally or externally administered examinations, including AP, CLEP, DSST, and IB. Minimum scores, course equivalencies, and the amount of credit awarded are established by the University and may be reviewed periodically by the appropriate academic units and Academic Affairs. Students must submit official examination scores or other documentation in the manner required by the University. External examination credit is subject to the student's degree requirements, University residency requirements, and applicable program, accreditation, certification, or professional licensure restrictions. Missouri Valley University will not accept foreign-language AP or CLEP credit when the student's native language is the same as the language of the examination.
MVU Departmental Challenge Examinations
A student who believes they have already achieved the learning outcomes of an MVU course may request permission to demonstrate competency through an approved departmental challenge examination when such an examination is available. The appropriate academic department determines whether a course is eligible for challenge examination, the form and content of the assessment, and the minimum level of performance required for credit. A challenge examination must provide a reasonable assessment of the essential learning outcomes and academic rigor of the corresponding MVU course. The University is not required to develop or offer a challenge examination for every course.
MVU Departmental Challenge Examinations
A student who believes they have already achieved the learning outcomes of an MVU course may request permission to demonstrate competency through an approved departmental challenge examination when such an examination is available. The appropriate academic department determines whether a course is eligible for challenge examination, the form and content of the assessment, and the minimum level of performance required for credit. A challenge examination must provide a reasonable assessment of the essential learning outcomes and academic rigor of the corresponding MVU course. The University is not required to develop or offer a challenge examination for every course.
Eligibility and Restrictions for Departmental Challenge Examinations
A departmental challenge examination may be restricted or prohibited when the nature of the course requires learning that cannot appropriately be demonstrated through examination or when required by accreditation, certification, professional licensure, or other academic standards. Such restrictions may apply to clinical, practicum, internship, field experience, laboratory, studio, capstone, or similar courses. A student may not use a departmental challenge examination to earn duplicate credit for learning already awarded through MVU coursework, transfer credit, another form of CPL, or another approved equivalency. A student normally may not challenge a course in which the student is currently enrolled. Credit by examination may not be used solely to replace, remove, or improve a previously earned failing or other course grade. A prior unsuccessful course attempt remains part of the student's academic record in accordance with University academic policies.
Unsuccessful Examination Attempts
Failure to achieve the minimum score or performance standard required for credit does not result in academic credit and does not create a failing grade for the challenge examination on the student's transcript. The student must complete the course or another approved curricular requirement to earn the required credit. Students are permitted one attempt at an MVU departmental challenge examination for a particular course. A dean may authorize an additional attempt in exceptional circumstances.
Undergraduate Credit for Prior Learning
Undergraduate CPL may be awarded when the student's demonstrated prior learning is equivalent to undergraduate-level MVU coursework or other approved curricular requirements. A maximum of 30 credit hours of CPL may be applied toward an undergraduate degree. Academic programs may establish a lower limit or additional restrictions. The application of CPL toward an undergraduate degree is subject to all applicable MVU residency, general education, major, minor, and degree requirements. CPL may not be used to circumvent the University's established undergraduate residency requirements. Individual academic programs may establish a lower CPL maximum, restrict particular forms of CPL, or prohibit CPL when necessary to maintain academic integrity or comply with accreditation, certification, professional licensure, or other external requirements.
Graduate Credit for Prior Learning
Graduate CPL may be considered in limited circumstances when a student demonstrates prior learning equivalent in content, rigor, depth, and learning outcomes to graduate-level MVU coursework. Professional experience, length of employment, position or title held, licensure, certification, or completion of professional training does not independently establish eligibility for graduate academic credit. Graduate CPL may be evaluated through approved advanced professional certifications, military or professional education, portfolio assessment, departmental examination, or another assessment method approved by the graduate program and Academic Affairs. Unless a lower limit is established by the graduate program, CPL may account for no more than 20% of the total credit hours required for the graduate degree. Individual graduate programs may establish a lower CPL maximum or prohibit CPL when required by the academic structure of the program or by accreditation, certification, or professional licensure requirements. Graduate CPL may not be used to circumvent University or program residency requirements. Graduate transfer credit and CPL are evaluated separately. The amount and combination that may apply toward a graduate degree will be determined by the dean, in consultation with the graduate program director, within University and program requirements. The combination may not be used to circumvent residency requirements, and programs may establish more restrictive limits when academically or professionally appropriate. All graduate CPL remains subject to Academic Affairs approval.
Relationship to Transfer Credit
Transfer credit and CPL are distinct. Credit earned at another appropriately recognized postsecondary institution and documented on an official transcript is evaluated under the University's transfer-credit policies, not through CPL.
CPL recognizes demonstrated university-level learning acquired outside traditional transcripted coursework. A student may not receive both transfer credit and CPL for substantially equivalent learning or the same MVU course equivalency. All non-MVU credit remains subject to University residency, degree, program, accreditation, certification, and professional licensure requirements.
Transcript and Grade-Point Average
Approved CPL, including credit by examination, will be recorded on the student's academic transcript using the appropriate institutional designation. CPL does not carry a letter grade and is not included in the calculation of the student's Missouri Valley University grade-point average.
CPL Assessment Fees
Missouri Valley University may assess fees for CPL evaluation methods that require individualized academic assessment. CPL assessment fees compensate for the evaluation of prior learning; they are not tuition and do not constitute payment for academic credit.
There is no fee for submitting an initial CPL request or for the preliminary determination of whether the student's prior learning is appropriate for formal assessment. There is no MVU CPL assessment fee for credit awarded through established equivalencies that do not require individualized faculty assessment, including AP, CLEP, DSST, IB, ACE recommended military education and training, and previously established MVU approved equivalencies. Students remain responsible for fees charged by external organizations.
When CPL requires individualized faculty review, portfolio assessment, competency demonstration, or an MVU departmental challenge examination, the student will be assessed the applicable evaluation or examination fee established by the University. Students will be informed of the applicable fee before formal assessment begins. Once a formal individualized assessment or challenge examination has begun, the applicable fee is nonrefundable regardless of the outcome. Payment of an assessment fee does not guarantee academic credit.
CPL credit itself is not subject to tuition. No additional tuition or per-credit charge will be assessed solely because CPL has been awarded, and no additional fee will be charged solely for posting approved CPL to the student's academic record.
Financial Aid Considerations
CPL does not constitute enrollment in a course and may not count toward enrollment status for financial aid purposes. Students receiving financial assistance should consult the Office of Financial Aid regarding the potential impact of CPL on their individual aid eligibility.
Academic Review and Approval
CPL requests are evaluated by the appropriate academic department or qualified faculty member and are subject to approval through Academic Affairs. For undergraduate CPL, the appropriate academic department or faculty member evaluates the demonstrated learning and recommends the appropriate course equivalency or application of credit. For graduate CPL, evaluation occurs through the appropriate graduate program and requires approval by the dean and Academic Affairs.
The University retains final authority to determine whether prior learning is appropriate for assessment; whether demonstrated learning is equivalent to MVU coursework or curricular requirements; the number and type of credits awarded; how awarded credit applies to the student's program of study; and whether additional restrictions are necessary because of accreditation, certification, professional licensure, residency, or other academic requirements.
Reconsideration of a CPL Decision
A student who believes a CPL determination was based on an error in the evaluation of submitted materials may submit a written request for reconsideration to the dean. The request must identify the specific basis for reconsideration and include supporting documentation. The Dean may consult with the evaluating faculty member, academic department, graduate program director, Registrar, or other appropriate University officials. The decision of Academic Affairs regarding the award and application of CPL is final.
Institutional Documentation and Review
Missouri Valley University will maintain appropriate documentation of CPL determinations in accordance with University record-retention practices. Documentation should identify, as applicable, the method of assessment, course or curricular equivalency, number of credits awarded, evaluating academic unit or faculty member, and required institutional approvals.
Established CPL and credit-by-examination equivalencies should be periodically reviewed by the appropriate academic unit to ensure continued alignment with University curricula, learning outcomes, and applicable accreditation, certification, and professional licensure requirements.
Institutional Authority
Credit for Prior Learning is not guaranteed. The award of CPL reflects verified academic learning and is subject to the same expectations for academic quality and integrity that apply to credit earned through traditional Missouri Valley University coursework. Missouri Valley University reserves the right to establish additional procedures, documentation requirements, program restrictions, examination standards, and assessment standards necessary to administer CPL consistently and protect the academic integrity of University degrees and credentials.