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- Prior Learning Credits
Prior Learning Credits
Advanced Placement allows incoming students at WGTC to receive course credit based upon previous experience, formal or informal, and results in advanced standing within a technical certificate, diploma or degree program. Advanced Placement includes the following:
Transfer Credit
As part of the admission process, any official transcripts received are evaluated for possible transfer of credit. Ordinarily, institutions from which credits are transferred must be accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. As a general rule, credit will be given on a course equivalent basis. Transfer credit will be considered for courses completed with a “C” or better from a college, university, or other accredited postsecondary institutions. A student who receives transfer credit must be aware that the awarding of this credit by WGTC does not guarantee that institutions subsequently attended by the student will also accept these credits. Course transfer credit is recorded as “TR” (“A”, “B”, or “C”) on the transcript and does not require the payment of course fees. This credit is not included in the calculation of the student’s GPA and does not count as institutional credit. Transfer credit evaluations will be completed and posted to the student’s academic history which may be accessed through BanWeb. Any student with questions regarding the evaluation of transfer credit should contact the Office of the Registrar. In order to graduate from a program, at least 25% of a student’s program credit hours must be completed at WGTC.
Students who have completed all or part of their secondary and postsecondary education outside of the United States are required to have their foreign postsecondary educational credentials evaluated by an independent evaluation service. Please contact the One-Stop Enrollment and Success Center for a list of approved agencies.
The Registrar classifies transferring applicants as students on probation if their last college placed them on probation or dismissal.
The following guidelines apply to the evaluation of transfer credit:
- Official transcripts are required from all postsecondary institutions verifying a minimum grade of “C” in all courses for which students are seeking transfer credit to their program of study.
- Ordinarily, institutions from which credits are transferred must be accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. In some instances where course equivalency is questioned, credit must be validated by examination.
- A desktop review (evaluation of courses for transfer credit) is required. If a written course description or syllabus is needed, students are responsible for obtaining appropriate course documentation.
- Decisions regarding the granting of transfer credit are made at the academic program level and confirmed by the Registrar.
- Specific occupational courses may not be more than 10 years old (120 months) at the time the student is accepted to the college.
- There are no time limits on transferability of general education courses.
- Testing (written and/or performance) may be required to validate proficiency of a student for coursework to be transferred.
- WGTC reserves the right to rescind previously awarded student course exemption as warranted.
GATRACS
The Georgia Transfer Articulation Cooperative Services (GATRACS) is a partnership between the University System of Georgia, Technical College System of Georgia, Georgia Department of Education, and the Georgia Student Finance Commission. GATRACS is a tool designed to assist students in the transfer process. For more information, visit their
website at https: www.gafutures.org.
Time Limits of Credit to be Transferred
There are specific time limits for transferable credit. General academic core courses taken at other postsecondary institutions or credit obtained through standardized examinations are transferable for an indefinite period of time. These courses include English, Mathematics, Psychology, Speech, Economics, and other general academic courses. Specific occupational courses such as computer courses, electronics, accounting, keyboarding, allied health core courses, and other occupational specialized skills courses are transferable for a period of no more than 10 years (120 months) except with the approval of faculty and administration.
Standardized Exam Credit
Advanced Placement credit will be awarded based on nationally normed exams including, but not limited to, the following:
- College Level Examination Program (CLEP) - Credit will be awarded for successful completion of any appropriate CLEP subject area examinations. Credit should be awarded based on score recommendations of the Council on College Level Services.
- International Baccalaureate Credit (IB)- Credit will be awarded to students who have taken appropriate courses (determined equivalent to courses offered at a Technical College) in high school and achieve a score of 3 or more on the International Baccalaureate Examination. The IB Examinations are offered by the International Baccalaureate Examination Board.
- Advanced Placement Examinations (AP) - Credit will be awarded to students who have taken appropriate courses (determined equivalent to courses offered at a Technical College) in high school and achieve a score of 3 or more on the Advanced Placement Examination. The Advanced Placement Examinations are offered by the College Entrance Examination Board. Official AP transcripts must be submitted to the college to receive credit.
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit will be awarded to students who score in the 50th percentile or higher in the following subject areas. Credit will not be granted for the general exam. Students who wish to receive credit for any course subject not listed below should contact the Office of the Registrar at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.
CLEP Exam | Required Score | Credit | WGTC Equivalent |
American Literature | 50 | 3 | ENGL 2130 American Literature |
American Government | 50 | 3 | POLS 1101 American Government |
Biology | 50 | 3 | BIOL 1111 Biology I* |
Chemistry | 50 | 3 | CHEM 1211 Chemistry I* |
College Algebra | 50 | 3 | MATH 1111 College Algebra |
College Composition (English Composition with Essay | 50 + passing essay | 3 | ENGL 1101 Composition & Rhetoric |
English Literature | 50 | 3 | ENGL 1102 Literature & Composition |
Financial Accounting | 50 | 4 | ACCT 1100 Financial Accounting I |
History of the US I: Early Colonization to 1877 | 50 | 3 | HIST 2111 U.S. History I |
History of the US I: 1865 to Present | 50 | 3 | HIST 2112 U.S. History II |
Human Growth & Development | 50 | 3 | PSYC 2103 Human Development |
Humanities | 50 | 3 | HUMN 1101 Introduction to Humanities |
Introduction to Psychology | 50 | 3 | PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology |
Introduction to Sociology | 50 | 3 | SOCI 1101 Introduction to Sociology |
Precalculus | 50 | 3 | MATH 1113 Precalculus |
Principles of Macroeconomics | 50 | 3 | ECON 2105 Macroeconomics |
Principles of Management | 50 | 3 | MGMT 1100 Principles of Management |
Principles of Marketing | 50 | 3 | MKTG 1100 Principles of Marketing |
Principles of Microeconomics | 50 | 3 | ECON 2106 Microeconomics |
*Students are given credit for the lecture portion only of this course. Students are required to complete the lab portion of this course at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.
National Testing Center
Wiregrass Georgia Technical College has contracted with Moody Air Force Base (MAFB) to become a National Testing Center to provide CLEP (College-Level Examination Program) and DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support). Testing is administered through their on-base education center.
CLEP gives military personnel, their dependents, and students enrolled in any college at MAFB the opportunity to receive college credit by earning qualifying scores on any of the 33 examinations. Information regarding specific awarding of these college-level credits for Wiregrass Georgia Technical College students may be found in the “Credits Earned Outside The College” section of this catalog.
All CLEP exams are administered at the Moody Air Force Base Extended Campus – National Testing Center by appointment only. CLEP and DANTES are both computer-based exams.
To assist military personnel in meeting their educational goals, the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) funds CLEP exams for eligible military service members and eligible civilian employees. Professional and Certification Exams for a number of IT certifications and national certifications for many of the programs taught at WGTC are offered at the National Testing Center through Pearson Vue, ACT, AMP, and DANB. Contact the National Testing Center at MAFB for additional information at (229) 253-9571.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Advanced Placement (AP) credit will be awarded to students who score 3 or higher in the following subject areas. Students who wish to receive credit for any course subject not listed below should contact the Office of the Registrar at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College.
AP Exam | Minimum Score | Credits Earned | WGTC Equivalent |
Art History | 3 | 3 | ARTS 1101 |
Biology | 3 | 3 | BIOL 1111 & BIOL 1111L |
Calculus AB | 3 | 3 | MATH 1131 |
Calculus BC | 3 | 3 | MATH 1132 |
Chemistry | 3 | 3 | CHEM 1112 & CHEM 1112L |
Computer Science A | 3 | 4 | CIST 2371 |
Computer Science Principles | 3 | 3 | CIST 1305 |
English Language & Composition | 3 | 3 | ENGL 1101 |
English Literature & Composition | 3 | 3 | ENGL 1102 |
Macroeconomics | 3 | 3 | ECON 2105 |
Microeconomics | 3 | 3 | ECON 2106 |
Music Theory | 3 | 3 | MUSC 1101 |
Physics 1 | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1111 & PHYS 1111L |
Physics 2 | 3 | 4 | PHYS 1112 & PHYS 1112L |
Psychology | 3 | 3 | PSYC 1101 |
Spanish Language & Culture | 3 | 3 | SPAN 1101 |
Spanish Literature & Culture | 3 | 3 | SPAN 1101 |
Statistics | 3 | 3 | MATH 1127 |
United States Government & Politics | 3 | 3 | POLS 1101 |
United States Histroy | 3 | 3 | HIST 2111 |
World History: Modern | 3 | 3 | HIST 1111 |
Prior Learning Assessments
Prior Learning Assessments (PLAs) provide a pathway to enable students who have stopped short of a degree, but have acquired knowledge through other means, the chance to complete their education. PLA is a process through which students identify areas of relevant learning from their past experiences, demonstrate that learning through appropriate documentation, and submit their materials so that they can be assessed and possibly awarded academic credit relative to specific course objectives. Credit received through PLA may only be awarded if the student has been employed in the occupational field within the last ten years or can demonstrate work experience in field within the last ten years.
WGTC may award college credit with the following methods:
- Military Training - Credit awarded based on the American Council of Education or the Community College of the Air Force.
- Joint Service Transcripts (JST) – Validates a service member’s military occupational experience and training along with the corresponding ACE college credit recommendations.
- Student Portfolios - Credit awarded by faculty evaluation of a student’s documented life-work.
- Corporate Training - Occupational training provided by organizations and/or manufacturers.
- Apprenticeship Training - Training provided through an official work-based program (often required for licensure).
- Professional Certification and Licensure - Specialized certifications earned through training programs and required for employment (example: POST, BICSI, Trade Organizations)
- Institutional Exemption Exam - Challenge exams that demonstrate a mastery of the course competencies.
- Standardized Exam Credit - Credit based on nationally normed exams including, but not limited to CLEP (College Level Exam Program), International Baccalaureate Credit (International Baccalaureate Exam), Advanced Placement Exams (AP).
The following guidelines apply:
- The number of credits student may earn will vary. Students must meet the residency requirement of the college which is 25% of the program.
- If a student does not agree with the recommendation of credit, he or she has the right to appeal the college’s decision, but ultimately the college reserves the right to deny the awarding of credit based on the faculty’s findings thus ensuring the quality of education delivered by WGTC.
- Non-Traditional/Experiential Learning: Course credit may be awarded for military training or corporate courses where appropriate. In addition, WGTC recognizes that college level learning does take place through experiential learning and other methods including, but not limited to, professional certifications and training programs, manufacturers training, and in apprenticeship type programs. Credit awarded in these areas does not count toward the college’s residency requirement, and no guarantee of credit can be made without a formal review by the Registrar and/or faculty. Additional fees may be charged depending on the method of advanced placement chosen by the student. Details of the process including a fee schedule are outlined in the WGTC Prior Learning Assessment Handbook.
- Military Training Credit: WGTC may award credit for training received in the Armed Forces. The training shall be certified by the Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experiences in the Armed Services, published by the American Council on Education to (ACE), by the official catalog of the Community College of the Air Force, or some similar document. Credit shall be given when training experience meets required competencies of courses offered at the institution. Military course transfer credit is recorded as ‘TRM’.
- Institutional Exemption Exam: Students may be allowed to exempt courses by demonstrating thorough mastery of written and/or performance tests that have been developed locally and adequately demonstrate achievement of the necessary competency level. WGTC publishes information every term based on courses that have exemption tests and how to apply for them. Students are charged 25% of normal tuition to exempt a course. No fee shall be charged to students taking an exam to validate articulated credit from high school. Exemption exam course transfer credit is recorded as ‘EXE’.
- Individualized Student Portfolios: WGTC may allow for credit to be awarded based on a student’s portfolio. The student typically develops a specifically designed portfolio that helps them identify and articulate their learning from a variety of experiences equating prior learning to college courses, educational plans, and integrates prior and new learning to achieve academic goals. Faculty with appropriate subject-matter expertise evaluates the student’s portfolio to determine the equivalent level of college credit. Portfolio course transfer credit is recorded as ‘EXP’.
- Apprenticeship Training: WGTC will evaluate apprenticeship training for college credit. Consideration may be given to working with trade associations to evaluate prior apprenticeship training for college credit as well as offer part of the training through the college for credit. Proper documentation including a transcript or a training record may be required.
- Program Evaluations of Non-Credit Instruction: WGTC will evaluate and may award credit for recognized proficiencies that equate to specific courses offered at their institutions. For example, police officers may receive some credit for police academy training, and they can apply this credit to degree programs in criminal justice.
Residence Requirements for Degree/Diploma/Technical Certificate
A minimum of twenty-five percent (25%) of the course work of a particular program of study must be completed at WGTC for degrees/diplomas/technical certificates granted by the college. The Office of the Registrar will ensure that students are notified at the time of award of advanced placement credit if they are not in compliance with the residence requirements.
Course Substitution
Students in diploma programs may elect to take degree level academic core courses within their programs of study without actually converting to degree-seeking status. A degree level course may be taken as a substitute for a regular diploma-level course but cannot be taken as a substitute if the diploma-level course has already been taken.
Although students using this option do not have to be degree-seeking, they do have to meet the minimum entrance level scores on the placement test for the degree-level course. Students who entered Wiregrass Georgia Technical College on the basis of other satisfactory degree-level scores may also be eligible for course substitution. Financial aid will not be affected by the proper substitution of courses.
Students who do not have the minimum scores required to take degree courses, and who have not otherwise met the admission requirements for degree-level courses, cannot register for these courses. However, they may schedule a placement test an Advisor in the One-Stop Enrollment and Success Center. A student who registers for a degree-level course without meeting the minimum requirements will be withdrawn from those classes and will be responsible for any financial ramifications.
Courses that are allowed as substitutes for diploma level courses are:
Diploma Level Course | Degree Level Course Substitution |
ENGL 1010 Fundamental of English I | ENGL 1101 Composition & Rhetoric |
ENGL 1012 Fundamental of English II | ENGL 1102 Literature & Composition |
MATH 1011 Business Mathematics MATH 1012 Foundations of Mathematics MATH 1013 Algebraic Concepts |
MATH 1100 Quantitative Skills and Reasoning MATH 1101 Mathematical Modeling MATH 1111 College Algebra |
PSYC 1010 Basic Psychology | PSYC 1101 Introduction to Psychology |
ALHS 1101 Anatomy & Physiology |
BIOL 2113/L Anatomy & Physiology I and Lab* BIOL 2114/L Anatomy & Physiology II and Lab* *Must complete both courses and labs with a “C” or better |
Elective Credits
Within academic programs there are courses which are designated as elective courses that may be chosen to fulfill the academic requirements of the program. Students should confer with their advisor while choosing which electives will be approved for credit.
Credits Earned Outside the College
Students must complete at least 25 % of coursework towards a particular program of study at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College in order to be eligible for graduation from the college. Up to 75 % of coursework may be transferred from another postsecondary institution, through a combination of Advanced Placement (AP), Articulation Credit, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), or other such examinations.
Reverse Transfer
Students completing credit after leaving WGTC have the opportunity to transfer those credits back to the College for a period of 120 months (10 years), to complete the requirements for their original program of study. Students must have enrollment at WGTC within 60 months (5 years) of the reverse transfer credit being received in order to graduate.
Registered Apprenticeship
WGTC sponsors and operates a Registered Apprenticeship Program through partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor. Registered Apprenticeship is an industry-driven training system that combines on-the-job training with job-related technical instruction. Apprenticeships follow an earn-while-you-learn model that allows students to gain a college education, valuable work experience, and steadily rising wages. Students who complete a registered apprenticeship will receive an industry-recognized, national certificate as well as a college credential.
Notice and Responsibilities Regarding this Catalog
The information in this College Catalog and Student Handbook accurately reflects current policies and procedures at the time of publication. Students are admitted to the College under and are subject to the provisions of the WGTC Catalog and Student Handbooks for the term they initially enroll. Students in all programs are admitted under and are subject to the provisions of the College Catalog and Student Handbook and applicable addendums for the term they are admitted to the program at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. If for any reason a break in enrollment occurs, students must reapply and satisfy the College Catalog and Student Handbook requirements for the term of their re-entry to any program. The provisions of this catalog are not to be regarded as an irrevocable contract between Wiregrass Georgia Technical College and the student. The College reserves the right to change any provision or requirement at any time.
- Table of Contents
- President's Message
- General Information
- Statement of Equal Opportunity
- Accreditation Statement
- Access to Student Records (FERPA)
- Enrollment Information
- International Student Admissions Requirements
- Programs for High School Students
- Change of Programs and Dual Majors
- Assessment
- Tuition and Fees
- Financial Assistance Information
- Foundation
- Student Registration and Academic Information
- Academic Procedures and Advisement
- Prior Learning Credits
- Attendance Policy
- Adding and Withdrawing from Courses
- Grade Reporting and Grading System
- One-Stop Enrollment and Success Center
- Support Services
- Student Organizations and Activities
- General Policies and Procedures
- Dress Code
- Student Grievances General Policy
- Unlawful Harassment and Discrimination of Student Policy
- Emergency Procedures
- Community Resources
- Adult Education and GED
- Technical Standards for Health Sciences
- Faculty
- Programs of Study
- Programs of Study
- Divisions
- Courses
Alumni, former students, or current students requiring an archived catalog prior to the ones listed above can email the Office of the Registrar at registrar@wiregrass.edu or call (229) 259-5536.