Earning Credits through Experiential Learning or Professional Experience
For some students, professional experience or life experience may be accepted as university credit and be recorded as such onto the student’s Lindenwood transcript. Credit earned in this fashion is referred to as credit for experiential learning.
The following skills or experiences may be considered equivalent to university credit for purposes of receiving experiential learning credit:
- Professional skills acquired on the job
- Participation in business seminars
- Experience in community affairs
- Professional training in particular fields
- Non-credit-bearing coursework that contains academic content.
Notes: (1) Credit is awarded only for university-level knowledge and the learning gained from the experience. Experiential learning credit is not granted for non-university level learning, having completed routine professional tasks, having acquired outdated or forgotten knowledge, or for private experiences.
(2) Limits for experiential credits earned may be imposed on the acquisition of such credit for certain technical skills and specialties.
(3) Credit is not given for learning that duplicates a university course the student has already taken.
Students may request to receive up to 27 hours of credit for experiential learning, depending on the requirements of their degree programs. The total number of credit hours awarded for experiential learning may vary according to the time spent on particular activities and the nature of the learning experience.
Students may satisfy some of the requirements for their majors through experiential learning credit; however, at least 50 percent of all coursework toward the major must be taken at Lindenwood University.
Note: Lindenwood cannot guarantee the way in which any other university might interpret transfer credit earned from the Experiential Learning Credit program.
Students having the experience or credentials below may apply for experiential learning credit without submitting an additional portfolio of supporting documentation. (Any documentation that is required for the final approval of credit is listed along with each item below.) The application for University credit for the following credentials will be evaluated upon presentation of proof of the required certification or transcripts.
The American Council on Education (ACE): Lindenwood University accepts the recommendations for credit as set by ACE. To earn experiential learning credit, the student must provide the ACE transcript or certificate verifying that the experience or training is or has been recognized by ACE.
- Registered nurse (RN): Up to 12 hours of credit may be awarded. Official transcript from a school of nursing and RN program required.
- Licensed practical nurse (LPN): Up to 6 hours of credit may be awarded. Official transcript from an LPN program required.
- Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) or Radiologic Technician: Official transcript from accredited school of MLT or school of radiology and completion of an accredited course of medical laboratory required.
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B): Up to 12 credit hours may be awarded for the completion of training and certification for EMT. Student must present official current license.
- Paramedic (EMT-P): Up to 39 credit hours may be awarded for the completion of the training and certification for the EMT-P paramedic. Student must present official current license.
- Respiratory Therapist (RT): Up to 12 hours of credit may be awarded for the completion of training and certification in respiratory therapy. Official transcript from accredited school of RT required.
- St. Louis or St. Charles Police Academies: Up to 15 hours of credit may be awarded to graduates of the St. Louis or St. Charles Police Academies. Copy of certification or official transcript required.
- Real estate sales license: Up to 3 hours of credit may be awarded. Copy of license required.
- Real estate broker’s license: Up to 3 hours of credit may be awarded. Copy of license required.
- Life insurance license (completion or training) and certification for life insurance licensure: Up to 3 hours of credit may be awarded. Students may be eligible for an additional three credit hours in an area of specialization. Copy of license required.
- Stockbroker’s license completion of training and certification for a stockbroker’s license (series 6 or 7): Up to 6 hours of credit may be awarded. Copy of completion certificate required.
- Certified legal assistant: Up to 24 hours of credit may be awarded. Copy of certificate required.
- Certified professional secretary in selected business and economic areas: Up to 14 hours of credit may be awarded. Copy of completion certificate required.
- YMCA leadership development courses: Up to 5 hours credit hours may be awarded. Submission of YMCA transcript required.
Training courses offered by specific companies or corporations may also be awarded credit for experiential learning. For a list of these companies and eligible courses, check with the registrar or the experiential learning coordinator.
The fee for posting to a Lindenwood transcript experiential learning credit for having any of the certifications, licenses, or credentials listed above is $90 per credit hour. Credit will not be applied to the transcript until the fees are paid.
The following organizations have agreements with the University that permit for the application of experiential learning credit as follows:
- Boeing: Boeing employees who have completed Boeing’s V.I.P. or Learning Together Program courses may be eligible to have such experience posted to a Lindenwood transcript for credit for a fee of $25. A maximum of up to 12 credit hours may be transcribed onto the student’s Lindenwood transcript for these experiences. A copy of a certificate of completion of either of the Boeing programs is required.
- Center for Financial Training: Lindenwood University agrees to provide direct transfer credit for designated college-level coursework offered by the Center for Financial Training (CFT) at no charge. A complete listing of CFT course equivalences and acceptable transfer credit may be obtained from the Registrar’s Office or the experiential learning coordinator. CFT credits are treated like transfer credits from any accredited college or university.
- Military Service: Students seeking an experiential learning award for military experience, formal courses taken in the military, or for proficiency in a military occupational specialty (MOS) must provide official military records. Military credits are posted to a student’s transcript at no charge, based on the recommendations of the American Council of Education. For credit derived from military experience or from formal courses taken through the military, veterans should submit a DD Form 95, DD Form 214, AARTS and/or SMARTS transcripts, depending on the branch of the military, or a transcript of in-service training.
If the student does not have one of the professional credentials listed on these pages or does not have credit from a course that is specifically listed as being accepted for experiential learning credit, that student may be required to create a portfolio in order to earn university credit for his or her experience before that credit is posted to the student’s Lindenwood transcript.
The portfolio must validate the student’s experience by providing proof (by certificate, diploma, syllabi, letters of testimony, and/or samples of work accomplished) that such experience led to university-level knowledge. An essay describing the knowledge gained in the learning experience must accompany all other documentation provided.
The experiential learning coordinator will help the student develop a portfolio. The coordinator will identify potential experiences that may be posted to the student’s transcript as university credit and discuss the organization of the portfolio with the student.
Students wishing to receive experiential learning credit in their majors must apply for this credit before taking courses in their majors. Once the portfolio has been approved, the student will be charged a portfolio fee of $300 and $90 per credit hour. Credit will not be applied to the transcript until payment is received. Financial aid may be applied to experiential learning, but the student must be enrolled in classes at the time the request for funding is made.