Some of the courses required in your program of study may come through transfer credit from previous college courses, but there may also be areas where you have already completed college-level learning from on-the-job training or work experience that can translated into credit. Our goal is to help you save time and money by making sure you receive credit for this knowledge, and can focus on new learning opportunities.
To earn your Bachelor’s degree at Lesley, you must complete a total of 120 credits. The Center for the Adult Learner can accept a maximum of 90 credits earned outside of Lesley University. All credit options will be discussed with your advisor during the degree planning process.
You may earn credit towards your degree in four ways:
Transfer College Credit
Students have the opportunity to apply credit earned from other schools to their Lesley degree. Credits are eligible for transfer only if they meet the following criteria:
- Must be from an accredited institution recognized by Lesley University
- Must have received a grade C or better
Students are required to provide an official transcript in order to process the credit transfer. In some cases, students may be asked to provide a course description to support the official transcript.
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
By completing Lesley’s Prior Learning Assessment course, students may receive a maximum of 45 credits for learning experiences that took place outside of the classroom, through work experience, training programs, or volunteer opportunities.
Lesley’s PLA course helps students identify learning outcomes and develop a portfolio that documents learning content so that they may demonstrate how previously acquired knowledge aligns with the learning necessary to earn college-level credit.
Throughout the 3-credit course, faculty work closely with students to ensure that their portfolio content is accurately documented and reflects the requirements of the college level credit for which they are applying.
Standardized Examinations
In developing a Preliminary Degree Plan, an academic advisor will discuss the possibility of a student receiving course credit by taking standardized exams that test college-level knowledge. Depending on the student’s score, the exam results may be used to meet some of the Lesley University course requirements within a degree plan. Lesley University accepts exam scores from the following nationally recognized exam programs:
- College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
- Excelsior College Examinations (ECE)
- Thomas Edison College Examination (TECEP)
- DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST)
- Advanced Placement Program (AP)
Students may have acquired college-level learning from non-college professional development programs, training experiences offered by an employer, professional associations, community-based organizations or military experience.
This non-college learning might have been evaluated for college credit by the American Council on Education (ACE) CREDIT program. You can find more details about this program at www.acenet.edu. If such an evaluation exists, Lesley can accept the recommended credits into a student’s degree plan.
In addition, recommended credits by the American Council on Education (ACE) for formal military training, and/or a military occupational rating or specialty, can also be accepted by Lesley into a student’s degree plan. Learn more at www.militaryguides.acenet.edu.