Experiential Degree

What are Experiential Learning Credits and How Do I Earn Them Towards My Experiential Degree?

More colleges now than ever are offering experiential degree options. These are credits which you earn towards your diploma, but instead of being based on classroom work, they’re based on your life experience. Your experience is evaluated in any one of several ways, depending upon the college or university’s requirements.

For example, you may have your experiential degree learning tested via external exams. These are exams written and given by entities other than your college, such as the College Board, which offers CLEP exams. These exams cover a wide range of basic subjects. Or your universities departments may offer exams within their own areas of study. If you are majoring in biology, for example, the biology department may offer a placement test that gives you credits for Biology 101 without having to take the course. Another option is the presentation of a learning portfolio. This is information and documentation you yourself have gathered about one specific area of prior learning.

What Kind of Prior Learning Experiences Contribute to My Experiential Degree?

Prior learning that contributes to your experiential degree isn’t limited to one particular type. Any activities that have given you the opportunity to learn college level material may be valid avenues for pursuing credit. These can include military training, on the job training, job experience itself, or organizations and volunteer activities you’ve participated in. Most schools require that your learning experience parallel that of a course taught there; if you are attending a culinary college, for example, they are unlikely to grant credit for an auto maintenance seminar you participated in.

What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of an Experiential Degree?

The disadvantages are that you still typically end up paying a fee for the credits, without receiving time in the classroom. The advantages, however, are time saved, and typically some amount of money saved over taking a traditional class.