Minnesota State - System Procedure 3.35.3 Military Courses and Military Occupations

System Procedures
Chapter 3 - Educational Policies

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Part 1. Purpose
To establish consistent practices and procedures among colleges and universities for awarding undergraduate and graduate credit for learning assessed from military courses and military occupations.

Part 2. Authority
Minn. Stat. §197.775 Higher Education Fairness requires the colleges and universities of Minnesota State to recognize military courses and award credit when they were part of a student’s military training or service.

Part 3. Definitions

American Council on Education (ACE)
A membership organization that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy and foster innovative, high-quality practice.

American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendation
The ACE recommendation identifies and describes the course subject, the level of learning, and the number of credit hours, and most recently competencies and learning outcomes, based on a faculty led review of workforce training, military training or occupations, and other sources of learning outside the college classroom, such as national exams and certifications.

Credit for prior learning (CPL)
Academic credit awarded for demonstrated competence at the college- and university-level gained through learning experiences outside college or university credit-bearing courses and assessed by academically sound and rigorous methods and processes.

Military Courses
Curriculum with measurable outcomes, rubrics, and validated student assessment instruments. Courses may include lectures, small group work, case studies, skills lab, clinical work, practical exercises, computer-based delivery, and discussion boards.

Military Occupation(s)
A service member’s job(s) while in the military.

Part 4. ACE Review Process
Formal military courses must meet contract criteria to be evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE). Successful course completion is measured using various assessment tools that include case studies, summative examinations, performance tests, papers, group projects, and oral presentations. ACE only reviews courses with individual assessments. A team of teaching faculty from accredited institutions with experience in higher education conducts the ACE course review. The ACE recommendations are based on the content, scope, rigor, breadth, and depth of the course as compared to current college curricular standards.

Service members must complete a series of formal training courses to be assigned to a particular military occupation, and they also have the opportunity for on-the-job learning. The ACE faculty evaluators assess the learning that occurs on the job and provides credit recommendations.

ACE does not review courses that align with regional accrediting military institutions, such as Community College of the Air Force (CCAF). Because CCAF is regionally accredited, their transcripts and credit recommendations are treated the same as courses from other regionally-accredited colleges and universities in System Procedure 3.21.1.

Part 5. Credit for Military Courses and Military Occupations
Colleges and universities shall recognize and award credit for military courses and military occupations that receive ACE recommendations. The applicability of ACE recommendations to degree and credential requirements, including course equivalencies, must be determined by local CPL processes. All aspects of the course or occupation must be evaluated; and the evaluation must not be limited to the physical fitness or activity components. Courses and occupations without ACE recommendations should be evaluated through CPL internal assessments.

Colleges and universities shall offer students the opportunity to demonstrate college-level learning for military courses and military occupations that include the components listed below.

Subpart A. Credit award
College or university faculty evaluate a military course or military occupation and determine a credit award and level. Once a credit award and level has been determined, students who provide documentation that they meet the military course or occupation requirements must be awarded the applicable credit(s).

Subpart B. Credit awarded
Colleges and universities shall award credit for military courses and military occupations as a course or as an individualized subject area. Credits awarded for prior learning may fulfill general education, technical, Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC), program/major/minor and/or elective courses. If there are no equivalent general education courses at the college or university, MnTC goal areas may be designated for military courses and military occupations. See System Procedure 3.21.1.

Subpart C. Residency credit
Colleges and universities shall award credit for military courses and military occupations consistent with the residency and graduation requirements in Board Policy 3.36 and System Procedure 3.36.1 Academic Programs. Credit awarded for military courses and military occupations does not apply toward residency credit requirements.

Subpart D. Record the credit awarded
See System Procedure 3.29.1 College and University Transcripts, Part 5 and Operating Instruction 3.35.1.1 Coding and Encoding for Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) - External Assessments.

Subpart E. Credit limit
Colleges and universities shall not limit the total number of applicable credits students may be awarded for military courses and military occupations.

Subpart F. Tuition and fees
Colleges and universities shall not charge tuition or fees for the award of credit for military courses or military occupations based on the military transcript and the ACE recommendation. See System Procedure 5.11.1 Tuition and Fees, Part 4, Subpart B, 6.

Part 6. Transfer of Credit Awarded for Prior Learning
Credit awarded based on military courses and military occupations by a college or university must be accepted in transfer by the receiving college or university in accordance with System Procedure 3.21.1 Undergraduate Course Credit Transfer.

Part 7. Implementation

Subpart A. College or university responsibility
Colleges and universities shall establish procedures for assessing and awarding credit for military courses and military occupations that will include, but not be limited to the following:

Each college or university shall publish opportunities for CPL for military courses and military occupations in its catalog and related publications. Published information must include CPL policies and procedures, and CPL appeals;
Colleges and universities shall provide students with information about CPL assessment processes, applicable policies, required documentations, appeals process, transfer information, and the impact that credit awarded for prior learning may have on financial aid eligibility.

Subpart B. Student responsibility

A student must be admitted to the college or university to be eligible for the award of credit for prior learning through CPL external assessments of military courses and military occupations.

Students seeking credit for prior learning through CPL external assessments of military courses and military occupations are responsible for seeking information and advice on the use of that credit in college or university programs, including understanding processes, expectations, and assessment criteria, academic and financial aid implications, and any applicable pre-requisites or limitations based on degree program, major, minor, MnTC criteria, etc.

Students may choose to submit documentation for all, some, or none of their CPL external assessments of military courses and military occupations.

In order to receive credit for military courses and occupations, a student must request that their official military transcript be sent directly to the college or university. Active duty, guard, reserve, and veterans students should request military transcripts as follows:

Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard: Students who are serving or have served in these branches of the armed services may request an official military transcript through the Joint Services Transcript (JST) webpage and have it sent elecctronically to the college or university.

Air Force: Students who have earned credit through Air University (AU), Community College of the Air Force (CCAF), and/or Air Force Institution of Technology (AFIT) may request their official transcript from the respective regionally-accredited intuition(s).

Students shall adhere to the college or university policies and procedures for the award of credit through CPL external assessments of military courses and military occupations.

Part 8. Appeals
When the CPL decision is communicated, colleges and universities shall provide information about a student’s right to appeal the award or non-award of credits and the various steps in the appeal process. Students may appeal CPL external assessments decisions of military courses and military occupations. College or university established processes, such as the academic appeals process may be used as the CPL appeals process.

System Procedure History:

Date of Adoption: 06/19/18
Date of Implementation: 06/19/18
Date of Last Review: 06/26/23

Date & Subject of Amendments:

06/26/23 – Full Review. The changes consisted of (a) deleting unnecessary language to streamline the procedure, (b) updating the definitions, (c) changing Part 4 to ACE Review Process, (d) adding references to Operating Instruction 3.35.1.1 Coding and Encoding for Credit for Prior Learning (CPL), (e) updating the appeals language in Part 8.

12/06/19 – Amendment relocates credit for prior learning transcription information to System Procedure 3.29.1 College and University Transcripts. Replaced the deleted language with the following sentence in Part 3, Subpart E “See System Procedure 3.29.1 College and University Transcripts, Part 5”.

Additional HISTORY.

System Procedure 3.35.3 Military Courses and Military Occupations

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System Procedure History: