Credit Transfer Policy

The policies and guidelines listed below apply to the Division of Graduate & Professional Studies. Applicability of transfer credit may vary by program.

Transfer Credit from Accredited Institutions
Hospital Based Schools
Military Credit
Credit-By-Examination
National Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction (National PONSI)
American Council on Education Credit Recommendations
Advanced Placement (AP)
Experiential Learning Portfolio
 Guidelines for Transfer Credit Applicability

Transfer credit

The Division of Graduate & Professional Studies will grant transfer credit from accredited colleges or universities with a course grade of "C" or better, provided the course is applicable. In order to gain transfer credit, official transcripts from all schools attended must be forwarded to:

Enrollment Services
Graduate & Professional Studies
Saint Joseph's College
278 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, ME 04084-5263

The maximum number of credits that may be awarded by transfer and/or portfolio process is:

Baccalaureate Degree: 95 semester-hour credits
Associate Degree: 33 semester-hour credits
Certificate Program: 6 semester-hour credits

Official Transcripts: An official transcript is one that has been received directly from the issuing institution. It must bear the college seal, date, and an appropriate signature. An official transcript issued to a student may be considered official provided the transcript remains unopened in a sealed envelope from the issuing institution.

Hospital-based schools

The Division of Graduate & Professional Studies will grant transfer credit from Hospital Based Schools. Transfer credit guidelines apply and official transcripts are required. If the school in question has closed, the State Department of Education in your state should have record of the current custodian of records for the school.

Programs covered include Schools of Nursing, Radiologic Technology, Practical Nursing and Anesthesiology. Saint Joseph's College will also consider credit for graduates from Medical Technician Training, Midwifery Training, and Nurse Practitioner Training programs.

Official Transcripts should be mailed to:

Enrollment Services
Graduate & Professional Studies
Saint Joseph's College
278 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, ME 04084-5263

Military credit

Credit will be granted for military service school courses and skills if the American Council on Education recommends the awarding of credit. The following information must be obtained:

The information listed above may be obtained by one of the following methods:

Army:
Students entering the army on or after January 1984 must submit an AARTS (Army/ACE Registry Transcript System). Transcripts may be requested by fax from AARTS Operation Center, Commercial 913-684-2011 or Autovon 552-2011.

Marines, Navy and Coast Guard:
Credit may be given in accordance with ACE Guide recommendations. Students who are active duty or Reserve Sailors/Marines must submit a Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART). Requests may be faxed to DSN 992-1291 or COM 850-1281. Transcripts listing completed Marine Corps correspondence courses may be obtained from the Marine Corps Institute, Arlington, VA 22222-0001 or call toll free 1-800-MCI-USMC.

Community College of the Air Force:
Air Force personnel, both active and veteran, must submit a CCAF (Community College of the Air Force) transcript. Transcripts may be obtained from CCAF/RRR, 130 West Maxwell Blvd, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL 36112-6613. CCAF will not accept fax requests for transcripts.

Veterans
Veterans who do not have access to an official ACE Registry transcripts must submit an official record and initiate the request for evaluation. Veterans and reserve personnel must submit a certified copy of the DD214. Saint Joseph's College generally follows ACE credit recommendations for all skill levels. Credit is not awarded for Basic Training or for vocational/technical level recommendations.

Official transcripts should be sent to:

Enrollment Services
Graduate & Professional Studies
Saint Joseph's College
278 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, ME 04084-5263

Credit-by-examination

Saint Joseph's College will award credit for passing scores on the following exams. Students may receive up to 30 undergraduate credits through examinations. Saint Joseph's College CLEP identification number is 3764 and the DSST identification number is 8668. See the credits through examinations table.

National Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI)

Established with the goal of increasing access to higher education for working adults, PONSI is a program of the Board of Regents of the University of the State of New York. National PONSI reviews formal education and training programs sponsored by non-collegiate organizations, makes credit recommendations, and promotes academic recognition of these recommendations nationwide. PONSI member organizations include corporations, labor unions, professional and voluntary associations, government agencies, hospitals, proprietary vocational schools, and other non-degree granting organizations. The courses and programs that have been evaluated cover a variety of subject areas, including accounting, art, auditing, banking, botany, computer science, counseling, criminal justice, early childhood education, electrical engineering, finance, health services administration, insurance, information technology, management, mathematics, maritime transportation, nautical science, nuclear engineering technology, nursing, office information systems, and psychology. Saint Joseph's College will award appropriate credit based on PONSI recommendations. For more information on member institutions past and present, you can visit their web site at www.nationalponsi.org . Official documentation of course completion is required for credit to be awarded according to PONSI suggestions and should be mailed to:

Enrollment Services
Graduate & Professional Studies
Saint Joseph's College
278 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, ME 04084-5263

ACE National Guide to Education Credit for Training Programs

The College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT) helps adults obtain academic credit for formal courses and examinations taken outside college and university degree programs. For nearly 20 years, educational institutions have trusted CREDIT to provide reliable information to make credit award decisions.

Through a rigorous and judicious process, credit recommendations are made for courses and examinations offered by all types of organizations, including business and industry, labor unions, professional and voluntary associations, schools, training suppliers, and government agencies. Saint Joseph's College recognizes these recommendations and will award advanced standing credit when applicable.

View course providers

Official documentation of course completion is required for credit to be awarded and should be mailed to:

Enrollment Services
Graduate & Professional Studies
Saint Joseph's College
278 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, ME 04084-5263

Advanced Placement

Following the recommendation of the American Council on Education (ACE), the College will award credit for Advanced Placement grades of 3 or higher on any Advanced Placement Exam. To receive credit, an official grade report must be sent directly to Saint Joseph's College. To request a grade report, send a letter with your name, gender, birth date, AP number or SS#, the year(s) you took the AP Exams, and the name, city, and state of the college(s) to receive your transcript. Send your request and a check made out to AP Exams ($15 for each transcript) to AP Exams, P.O. Box 6671, Princeton, NJ 08541-6671

Official transcripts should be sent to:

Enrollment Services
Graduate & Professional Studies
Saint Joseph's College
278 Whites Bridge Road
Standish, ME 04084-5263

Experiential Learning Credit

Saint Joseph's College views the submission of an Experiential Learning Portfolio as a learning process in and of itself. Students who choose to validate their prior learning in this way are expected to demonstrate a synthesis of practical and theoretical knowledge. The process itself encourages students to reflect upon their experiences in a focused manner, thereby, facilitating a new learning experience.

The portfolio format is intended to produce a thoughtful, coherent piece of work. Each participant in this process can expect to devote as much time to this project as he/she would spend on the equivalent credits of course work.

Not all submissions will warrant the granting of credits. The portfolio must be strongly correlated to the body of knowledge inherent in the courses for which credits are petitioned. Students may use the portfolio format for courses that can't be satisfied through a proficiency exam (see Credit-by-Examination). The maximum number of semester hours that may be earned through the submission of an Experiential Learning Portfolio are: bachelor's degree, 18, and associate degree, 9. Certificate program students may not submit portfolios for credit. Portfolio submission is only for matriculating students.

Credits may be awarded for knowledge acquired through personal and/or professional experience. Such knowledge may have been acquired through a combination of on-the-job experiences, non-collegiate workshops, or non-degree courses. All relevant experiences must be presented in a manner that will relate those experiences to what was learned from them.

Contact your academic advisor for a full set of guidelines.

Guidelines for transfer credit applicability

Natural Sciences
Includes all science courses except behavioral and social sciences.
Examples: Anatomy and Physiology, Microbiology, Bacteriology, Biological Sciences (Botany, Zoology, Animal Behavior), Environmental/Ecology, Entomology, Chemistry, Physical Sciences (Geology, Physics, Earth Science, Astronomy, Geography)

Social Sciences
Broadly defined as human and behavioral sciences
Examples: Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work (including Human Services and Social Welfare courses), Political Science (including American Government)

Philosophy
Examples: Philosophy , Logic
Not Acceptable: Medical Ethics

Ethics
Examples: Ethics
Not Acceptable: Medical Ethics

Theology
Examples: Bible Studies, Theology, Religious Studies

Humanities
Examples: Theater/Drama/Film (History or Appreciation), Music (History or Appreciation), Art (History or Appreciation), Literature, Mythology, Foreign Language, History, Philosophy, Theology , Humanities survey courses
Not Acceptable: Education courses, Applied art (Ceramics, drawing, sculpture, photography, silkscreen, watercolor), Applied music courses (chorus, piano, French horn, etc.), Speech or Public Speaking or Broadcasting
Journalism courses, Writing courses (grammar, business writing, tech. writing, creative writing, etc.), Political Science