Higher Education
Many people make the decision to return to higher education after working in a particular industry for a while. Their interests and abilities have developed over the years and may get bored with the field and want to move on and try something different or simply want intellectual stimulation.
Career and/or Salary Advancement
There is no guarantee that having a terminal degree will earn the big salary, but there are several states and companies that compute salaries based on education. The education can count for several years of experience. The 2002 U.S. Census Bureau showed that income goes up dramatically as ones education increases:
- $23,556 per year - with less than a high school diploma
- $29,000 per year - with a high school diploma
- $36,000 per year - with a two-year degree
- $53,000 per year with a four-year degree
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, March 2002
CLEP - College Level Examination Program
The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a College Board program that allows students to earn college credit by demonstrating their mastery of college-level material in introductory subjects. The College-Level Examination Program or CLEP provides students of any age with the opportunity to demonstrate college-level achievement through a program of exams in undergraduate college courses. CLEP exams do not relate to a specifically designed college-level course taught in high school. Rather, CLEP exams test mastery of college-level materials acquired in a variety of ways--such as through general academic instruction, significant independent study, or extracurricular work.
CLEP examinations cover material taught in courses that most students take as requirements in the first two years of college. A college usually grants the same amount of credit to students earning satisfactory scores on the CLEP examination as it grants to students successfully completing that course.
Many examinations are designed to correspond to one-semester courses; some, however correspond to full-year or two-year courses. Each exam is 90 minutes long, and, except for English Composition with Essay, is made up primarily of multiple-choice questions; however, some exams do have fill-ins.
Visit the the College Board web site to practice with prior test questions to improve your essay-writing and problem-solving skills.
Departmental Exams (local campus)
Credit by examination may be given for selected courses that are regularly taught for credit and described in the college catalog. The instructor who administers the examination will determine that the student meets the standards that would have been expected if the student had done the course work. Students are charged a fee for the exam for which credit may be granted. Check with institutions' catalogs for more information or contact a transfer specialist.
International Credentials
Students who have completed courses in another country may need to have their transcripts evaluated for use at their current institution. Colleges and universities differ in how they accept these courses.
Contact your transfer specialist or admissions counselor for more information, or go to the following web site: National Association of Credential Evaluation Services http://www.naces.org/
For information about Prior Learning credits accepted by individual Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, visit Prior Learning Assessment Survey in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.
Source: Minnesota Transfer
Portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of work, usually accompanied by commentary that explains the reasons why certain items (artifacts) were included in the portfolio. Students put together a portfolio in order to demonstrate knowledge achievement in areas identified through prior learning.
ACE
The American Council on Education's College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT) connects workplace learning with colleges and universities by helping adults gain access to academic credit for formal courses and examinations taken outside traditional degree programs.
If you have ever taken courses through your employer or from training providers, completed a union apprenticeship program, earned a certification, or served in the military, you may have earned possible college credit to apply towards a degree program. Search the National Guide for courses that have been recommended for college credit by visiting their web site at https://www.acenet.edu/nationalguide/
Credit for Approved Training
Through the Early Childhood Assessment Program, you can earn college credits for trainings that are not sponsored by Metropolitan State University but have been assessed and approved for prior learning credit. You are eligible to apply for credit if you have participated in an approved training. For more information about the Early Childhood Assessment Program, please visit our website at www.metrostate.edu/ecap
There are several other higher education institutions that offer college credit for the National CDA. For a listing of those information, please visit http://www.elect.mnscu.edu/07_cda.php
