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Standard Number 3.4.4: The institution has a defined and published policy for evaluating, awarding, and accepting credit for transfer, experiential learning, advanced placement, and professional certificates that is consistent with its mission and ensures that course work and learning outcomes are at the collegiate level and comparable to the institution's own degree programs. The institution assumes responsibility for the academic quality of any course work or credit recorded on the institution's transcript.Full Compliance Georgia Southern University has defined and published its policies for evaluating, awarding, and accepting credit for transfer. Transfer admission policies are described in the 2004-2005 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog (p. 22—for undergraduate transfer admissions, and p. 238—for graduate credit by transfer). The undergraduate transfer admissions policies clearly state that a satisfactory academic record (generally a minimum of a 2.0 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale) from a degree-granting, regionally accredited institution is required for admittance into Georgia Southern. The policies further outline how admission will be evaluated based on the number of credits completed at the prior institution, the overall cumulative GPA, the high school attended (if fewer than 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours have been completed), or a GED equivalency, if applicable. If fewer than 30 semester hours or 45 quarter hours have been completed, students are also required to meet all current requirements for regular freshman admission to Georgia Southern University and be eligible to return to their previous institution. GED transfer students are required to complete at least 30 semester hours (45 quarter hours) of transferable work with a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. The policy explicitly reads: “Applicants will not be eligible for admission if they are under current dismissal from any other institution.” These guidelines preclude Georgia Southern from admitting any students who are academically unprepared to succeed in the University's rigorous academic programs, thereby supporting the University's mission of academic excellence.
Additionally, in keeping with the student-centered theme expounded upon in the Mission Statement, the director of Admissions may also require the applicant to meet any or all of the following: presentation of transcripts of high school work and meeting freshman admission requirements; a personal interview; and presentation of results for any psychological, achievement, or aptitude test that the college may prescribe. In this manner, Georgia Southern maintains the ability to consider all of the experiences a student brings with him or her to Georgia Southern University in evaluating the transfer admissions portfolio.
Under Transfer Credit/Military Credit ( 2004-2005 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog , pp. 22-23), the policies for accepting Advanced Placement , CLEP, DANTES , Military Credit, and Extension are articulated. Essentially, a maximum of 30 semester hours may be transferred under certain guidelines including having a grade of “C” or higher. Military service experience may be awarded for up to 14 semester hours upon receipt of official documentation—if appropriate to the degree programs offered at Georgia Southern. The University relies upon the following resources in evaluating military service; one is the American Council on Education Military Guide ; a second is the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC). Again, these practices highlight Georgia Southern's commitment to ensuring that students admitted are both academically prepared and of diverse backgrounds as well as that course equivalencies are comparable to Georgia Southern curricula.
As indicated above, Georgia Southern University is a participant in the Advanced Placement (AP) Program, the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, and the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) of the College Entrance Examination Board . Credit by examination is awarded through nationally or regionally accredited agencies or departmentally approved proficiency examinations. Policies for awarding credit by examination are in accordance with various higher education associations; including the American Council on Education, The College Board, Servicemembers Opportunity College as well as other approved agencies. All credits earned are from the institution's CORE curriculum offerings or courses appropriate to the major and the proficiency exams are constructed and evaluated by the faculty of that discipline. Furthermore, Georgia Southern University maintains several transfer credit arrangements and articulation agreements with other institutions including several off-campus locations such as, the Brunswick , Liberty , Coastal Georgia and Dublin Centers . (See also the 2004-2005 Undergraduate and Graduate Catalog , pp. 14-15.) These agreements support the University's outreach efforts articulated in its mission and document Georgia Southern's commitment “to advancing the State of Georgia and the region through the benefits of higher education, offering baccalaureate through doctoral degrees and a variety of outreach programs.” The East Georgia at Statesboro Pilot Admissions Program is yet another illustration of how the University's admissions policies provide additional educational opportunities within the region. Under this program, students in the surrounding counties attend the East Georgia College program and then transfer to Georgia Southern after completing 30 transferable hours.
Responsibility for assuring that the academic quality of any course work or credit recorded on the University's transcript rests with Admissions and the Registrar's Office working cooperatively with the departmental/school unit based on the guidelines published by the Board of Regents “ Principles for Reviewing Transfer Credit ” and the American Association of College Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO) standards. The Registrar's Office maintains a transfer credit database that is used in collaboration with Admissions to demonstrate the comparability of other institutions' courses to those at Georgia Southern. This database tracks accreditations and ensures consistency in the evaluation of data (see Georgia Southern Transfer Course Equivalents S1 Level ). Additionally, the Board of Regents provides a document, “ Transfer of Core Curriculum Credit Between University System of Georgia Institutions ,” to reflect the institutional culture and to ensure that students meet agreed-upon general educational outcomes as referenced in the Academic Affairs Handbook (§ 2.04.04). The University System's Council on General Education developed the common set of outcomes to assist institutions in assessing their core curricula. Furthermore, the department/school of the prospective student's major must approve all course work transferred in or accepted for credit toward the degree. All of these practices ensure that course work meets the collegiate standard level and is comparable or parallel in nature to the curricula offered at Georgia Southern.
Similar policies are in place for the evaluation and acceptance of transfer credits at the graduate level. The primary differences are that only a maximum of six graduate semester hours may apply toward a Georgia Southern master's or education specialist degree and, in addition to coming from a degree-granting, regionally accredited institution, the student must have received a grade of “B” or higher. Also, no credit that was earned over seven years prior to the projected or completion term of the degree the student is pursuing is eligible for consideration. Credits are carefully evaluated by the respective departments/units to ensure comparability to Georgia Southern curricula. These policies are in place to ensure that Georgia Southern recruits academically prepared students capable of achieving success in the University's graduate programs. As with the undergraduate policies, the University strives to recruit a diverse student pool and maximize outreach efforts. 13 The source used in determining a school's accreditation are the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO) Transfer Credit Practices of Designated Educational Institutions (see http://tcp.aacrao.org ). Code and password available through the Registrar's Office. |
