Shared Narrative Content > Earning Credits through Experiential Learning or Professional Experience

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 contain 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credit is not granted for non-university level learning, having completed routine professional tasks, having acquired outdated or forgotten knowledge, or for private experiences.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, a student must complete the greater of 18 credit hours or 40 percent of all course-work toward the major must be taken at Lindenwood University.

Note: Lindenwood cannot guarantee how 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.

• 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.
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT-B): Up to nine credit hours may be awarded for the completion of training and certification for EMT. Student must present official current license.
• Information Technology Certifications: Up to 27 credit hours may be awarded for current certifications from ITIL, Cisco, Microsoft, CompTIA, EC Council, copy of certification or official transcript required.
• Life insurance license (completion or training) and certification for life insurance licensure: Up to three 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.
• 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 science required.
• Paramedicine: Forty-five (45) credits will be granted to students entering the paramedicine degree (experienced track) based on the candidate’s professional experience as a licensed paramedic. Proof of current national registry or state paramedic license is required for admission to this track, and prior to awarding credits. A $500 administrative fee is charge in lieu of a per credit charge for experiential credit. All students in this track will be charged the fee regardless of how previous paramedic education credit was obtained. 
• Real estate broker’s license: Up to three hours of credit may be awarded. Copy of license required.

• Real estate sales license: Up to three hours of credit may be awarded. Copy of license required.

• 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.

• Up to 27 Lindenwood experiential credit hours may be awarded to undergraduate students who have completed a certified police officer training academy. After submitting police academy training certificates along with transcripts verifying contact hours, students will be awarded Lindenwood credit hours as follows:

• 200 - 499 Academy contact hours = 12 Lindenwood credit hours awarded

• 500 - 799 Academy contact hours = 15 Lindenwood credit hours awarded

• 800 - 899 Academy contact hours = 21 Lindenwood credit hours awarded

• 900 and above Academy contact hours = 27 Lindenwood credit hours awarded

Hours for In-Service training are not accepted, and experiential learning credit will only be applied as free electives and not toward any requirements for the Criminology and Criminal Justice (CCJ) program of study unless a given student has declared CCJ as the minor. For students who have graduated from an academy with 900 or more contact hours, a total of 15 credit hours may be applied toward the police academy emphasis area of the CCJ degree. The remaining credits will apply toward experiential learning free electives. Additionally, credits will not be applied retroactively, meaning students who complete a police academy training program, while enrolled, as a student at Lindenwood University, will not satisfy the experiential learning credit requirements. Experiential learning is reserved for those who have completed services and gained experience in the appropriate area. However, students may enroll in the St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy partnership course and earn 15 credit hours of the police academy emphasis area of the CCJ degree, even if the student chooses to attend a separate accredited police academy, as described above for the emphasis area.

• Stockbroker’s license completion of training and certification for a stockbroker’s license (series 6 or 7): Up to six hours of credit may be awarded. Copy of completion certificate required.
• YMCA leadership development courses: Up to five 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.

Students who wish to have experiential learning credit posted to their Lindenwood transcript must pay a fee of $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 the application of experiential learning credit as follows:

• 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, Joint Services 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 the 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 plus $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.