Alternative Course Credit

In addition to taking classes, there are three (3) alternative ways to earn credits toward meeting graduation requirements: (1) Transfer Credit by (a) Substitution (General Ed.) or (b) Placement Test (Major), (2) Challenge Exam for (a) course credit or (b) course waiver, and (3) CLEP test.  Please see http://www.belmont.edu/catalog/undergrad2004jun/ap_acp_clep.htm for more information.

1. Transfer Credit by (a) Substitution (General Ed.) or (b) Placement Test (Major)

(a) Transfer credit for general education courses that are well matched to Belmont courses are determined by the registrar’s office and are applied directly toward graduation credit.  However, occasionally courses don’t match exactly while the course may be suitable for credit, but Belmont doesn’t offer a similar course.  In those cases, the student must fill out a course substitution form and submit that form to their academic advisor for approval.  After approval by the academic advisor, the form is sent to the department, school, or college in which the course resides.  For example, a math course substitution will be sent to the College of Arts and Sciences Department of Mathematics.  After approval by the appropriate college or department representative, the form is sent to the Associate Dean of the CEMB for approval and then to the Registrar.  After all four approvals (advisor, dept/college, CEMB, and registrar) are complete, the Registrar will apply the transfer credit to the appropriate course for his/her graduation requirement.

(b) Transfer credit for major related courses within the CEMB must be established by placement exam.  In order to receive credit for Music Business (MBU), Audio Engineering Technology (AET), or Entertainment Industry Studies (EIS) courses, the student must pass the appropriate placement test(s) with a grade of 70% or higher.  After doing so, the Registrar will apply the transfer credit to the appropriate course(s) for graduation requirement. If failed, placement examination may not be repeated.

2. Challenge Exam (a) for course credit or (b) for course waiver.

(a) If a student feels s/he has sufficient knowledge in a particular subject, s/he may request course credit via “challenge exam.”  In order to receive course credit the student must go to Registrar and apply for a challenge-credit examination and pay the examination fee.  A faculty member will be assigned to administer the appropriate exam and the student must pass the exam with a grade of 70% (or higher).  After doing so, the Registrar will apply the credit to the appropriate course for graduation requirement.  For a challenge-credit exam, no letter grade will be given and the student will only receive a “P” (pass) credit for the course and the appropriate hours credited toward their major requirements.  However, note that should the student fail the exam, s/he will receive an “F” and his/her GPA will be affected accordingly (i.e., an “F” for a challenge-credit exam will have the same impact on GPA as actually failing the class).  A challenge-credit examination may not be repeated.

(b) If a student feels s/he has sufficient knowledge in a particular subject, s/he may request course waiver via “challenge exam.”  For a waiver by challenge, the student will not receive course credit will not be required to pay a fee.  In order to take the exam the student must go to CEMB Associate Dean’s office and request a challenge-waiver examination. A staff member will be assigned to administer the appropriate exam and the student must pass the exam with a grade of 70% (or higher).  After doing so, a waiver form for the appropriate course will be sent to the Registrar and the Registrar will waive the course from the student’s degree requirements.  For a challenge-waiver exam the student will NOT receive any hours credited toward their major requirements and must take another course in order to meet the minimum hours required for graduation (i.e. 128).  However, also note that should the student fail the exam, his/her GPA will not be affected (i.e., an “F” for a challenge-waiver exam has no impact on GPA) and the student will still be required to take the appropriate class.  A challenge-waiver examination may not be repeated.

3.  CLEP test

A “CLEP” test is an established standard test administered by the Registrar’s office.  The process for a CLEP test is similar to the course credit via “challenge exam.”  However, CLEPs are “standard” tests for well-established courses that many colleges offer as part of the common body of knowledge expected within a college curriculum (such as mathematics, sciences, and language arts).  In order to receive course credit the student must go to Registrar and apply for a CLEP examination and pay the examination fee.  As in a challenge-credit exam, credit given will be  “P” (pass) or “F” (fail) and the appropriate hours will be credited toward their major requirements.