Acceleration Mechanisms
College credit may be awarded for prior learning opportunities and/or acceptable
scores through Advanced Placement (AP), College Level
Examination Program (CLEP), or International Baccalaureate (IB). Students may
not receive credit by examination for courses in areas where they have received
college credit for more advanced work. CLEP, AP, or IB credits may not be applied
toward grade forgiveness. Students with official transcripts of credit earned
outside a regionally accredited classroom, issued directly to the college from
the program in question, may be awarded up to a maximum of 45 semester hours of
credit. Opportunities include the following:
Advanced Placement (AP)
It is the policy of College of Central Florida (CF) to grant college credit to a student who presents a score of 3, 4 or 5 on one or more of the advanced placement program examinations of the College Entrance Examination Board. To be eligible for credit, the examination must be taken prior to enrollment in college.
AP credit granted by College of Central Florida may be transferable to participating Florida institutions of higher education. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the institution to which he/she expects to transfer to determine the acceptability of this credit. CF follows the guidelines in Florida State Board Rule 6A-10.024(8) for awarding AP credits.
AP Procedures and Credit Charts
Dual Enrollment
The State Board of Education encourages colleges and school
boards to enter into agreements to offer college courses to selected high school
students who have exhausted their school’s curriculum and qualify for dual
enrollment status. As provided for by current legislation, colleges may waive
the student’s application, tuition and applicable fees. CF has such agreements
with Citrus, Levy and Marion county public school districts. Students who feel they might
qualify for the dual enrollment classes should discuss this possibility with their
high school counselors. High school students can take dual enrollment courses on some high school campuses and on the college campus. More information on Dual Enrollment can be found here.
Early Admission
Another acceleration opportunity exists in the college’s early admission program, designed for students who have completed the 11th grade and wish to attend the college as full-time students (12 credits or more) during the high school senior year. All dual enrollment and early admission candidates must submit an application, have appropriate test scores (CPT, Companion, ACT, SAT), and a letter of recommendation from the high school. Once these materials are on file in the college Admissions and Records office, the application will be evaluated and the student will be notified officially of acceptance. Public and approved private school students are exempt from the $20 application fee and tuition.
International Baccalaureate Program
CF grants college credit to a student who has received a certificate or diploma from the International Baccalaureate program per the guidelines in Florida State Board Rule 6A-10.024(9) for awarding IB credits.
IB Procedures and Credit Charts
Experiential Learning
The experiential learning assessment process is designed to recognize the academic value of learning through experiences including work experience, employment-related training programs, seminars, volunteer work, travel, military service or self-directed study.
Assessment: Assessment involves the following:
- Written or performance tests.
- Preparation of a portfolio describing learning and how it was acquired.
- Evaluation of certificates and licenses.
- Interviews with faculty members.
- Review of external agency recommendations.
The program area responsible for the courses for which credit is requested determines the method of assessment and the amount of credit awarded. Not all courses are assessable courses. Courses being assessed must be offered as a requirement or an elective in an A.S. or A.A.S. degree or certificate program at CF. General education courses are not assessable.
Process: After being admitted to the college and selecting a program with the help of a counselor or advisor, the student must:
- Meet with the appropriate program representative to determine if an assessment process is available for selected courses.
- Apply for assessment on forms available from the department or student affairs.
- Consult with the department, program manager or designated faculty evaluator to determine requirements for assessment and fees required.
- Discuss student responsibilities in the assessment process, including:
- Meeting with an instructor for an oral or written exam
- Preparing for a written exam by reviewing textbooks
- Arranging for an instructor to interview an employer, as well as a work site visit
- Presenting certificates and licenses for authentication
- Developing a portfolio of experience
- Providing ACE recommendations for military training.
- Pay necessary fees for assessment. It is possible that academic credit will not be awarded as requested, but the cost of assessment remains the same.
Award of Credit: Depending on the amount of credit requested and the methods of assessment required, the assessment process time may vary. When the process is completed, the results are forwarded to the appropriate Dean for final review and verification. The Dean will request, by memo, that the Director of Admissions and Records post any awarded credits to the transcript. Credits awarded are held in escrow until the student satisfactorily completes 25% of program coursework (15 credits for the A.A.) at CF. Experiential credit may not be used to meet the residency requirement of 25% of program course work required at CF for graduation.
This type of credit may not be acceptable for transfer to other institutions. The receiving institution will determine transferability.
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Students may earn a maximum of 21 credit hours from the following general examinations: natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, social sciences and history.
Some colleges and universities do not allow credit for this program. It is the responsibility of the student to contact the institution to which he/she expects to transfer to determine the acceptability of this credit. CF follows the guidelines in Florida State Board Rule 6A-10.024(7) for awarding CLEP credits.
CLEP Procedures and Credit Charts
DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)
The DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs), unlike Advanced Placement,
are not built around curriculum, but rather are designed to test students’
knowledge on a variety of college-level subjects, regardless of where they
may have learned the material. Exams are developed by committees of college
faculty. Norming forms of DSSTs are administered to college-level students
who are completing courses for credit in various subjects. Pre-approval must be obtained for CF credit via DANTES
testing. More information about DSSTs, including descriptions of test content
and sample examination questions is available at http://ibt.prometric.com/dsst.
DANTES Procedures and Credit Charts
Credit by Examination
Evidence of proficiency in a subject area qualifies a student to request a departmental examination in departments where exams are provided. Students may not apply for credit by departmental examination in a course where they have received either an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” “F,” “I” or “W” for work attempted, or if they have earned credit for an advanced course in that area. Credits earned will not be included on the official college transcript until the student has completed a minimum of 12 credits at CF.
- The student must contact the department or discipline program facilitator/program manager in the department where departmental exams are provided.
- Based on advice from the departmental contact, the student must complete the upper portion of the Credit by Departmental Exam/Experiential Learning registration form.
- The dean and the discipline program facilitator will review student’s request with the student. If approved, the process for completing the exam will be explained.
- The student must take the approved registration form and payment to the cashier. A per course fee must be paid prior to the administration of the exam.
- Upon registration for the departmental exam and payment of the fee, the student must contact the department representative within five working days.
- The departmental representative will schedule the exam within 10 working days after being contacted by the student.
- The Dean will monitor the exam process in order to verify evidence (passing exam score) of competency.
- Upon satisfactory completion of the exam, the Dean forwards, by memo, the results to the Admissions and Records office. A grade of “S” will be submitted for passed departmental exam.
- Upon receipt of the memo, Admissions and Records will notify the student the grade has been received.
- Credit by departmental exam may not be attempted a second time for the same course.
- The “S” grade will appear on the transcript in the term following completion of 12 credit hours.
Correspondence and Extension Courses
CF offers neither correspondence nor extension courses, although certain correspondence courses are acceptable for transfer.
Credit for A+ Certification
Students who have recently completed A+ certification are eligible to receive
college credit toward a degree as indicated:
|
Credit Hours |
||
| CET 1172 | A+ Hardware |
4 |
| CGS 2564 | PC Management |
3 |
| CET 1171 | Introduction to Computer Technology |
3 |
Credit for Networking + Certification
Students who have recently completed Networking + certification are eligible
to receive college credit toward a degree as indicated:
|
Credit Hours |
||
| CEN 2500 | Data Communications and Networking |
4 |
Credit for MCSE Certification
Students who have recently completed MCSE certification are eligible to receive
college credit toward a degree as indicated:
|
Credit Hours |
||
| CTS 1171 | Implementing and Supporting Microsoft Windows Professional |
3 |
| CTS 2184 | Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Environment |
3 |
| CTS 2172 | Implementing, Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Server Network Infrastructure: Network |
3 |
| CTS 2304 | Implementing a Microsoft Windows Server Network Infrastructure: Network Hosts |
1.5 |
| CTS 1313 | Deploying and Managing a Microsoft Windows Server Infrastructure |
1.5 |
| CTS 2320 | Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server Infrastructure |
3 |
| CTS 2303 | Planning, Implementing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server Active Directory Infrastructure |
3 |
Credit for Armed Services Educational Experiences
See Servicemember's Opportunity College below.
Credit for Correctional Officer Basic Training Academy
Students who successfully complete the Correctional Officer Basic Training Academy at CF are eligible to receive college credit toward a degree as indicated:| Credit Hours | ||
| CJC 1000 | Introduction to Corrections | 3 |
| CCJ 1949 | Criminal Justice Co-op | 3 |
| CJL 2130 | Criminal Law, Evidence and Procedures | 3 |
| HSC 2400 | First Aid | 3 |
12 Credit Hours |
||
Credit for Law Enforcement Basic Training Academy
Students who successfully complete the Law Enforcement Basic Training Academy at CF are eligible to receive college credit toward a degree as indicated:| Credit Hours |
||
| CCJ1020 | Introduction to Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CJL 2130 | Criminal Law, Evidence and Procedures | 3 |
| CJE 2600 | Introduction to Criminal Investigation | 3 |
| CCJ 1949 | Criminal Justice Co-op | 3 |
| HSC 2400 | First Aid | 3 |
15 Credit Hours |
||
Credit for Certified Professional Secretaries Examination
The Certified Professional Secretary examination is developed by the Institute for Certifying Secretaries, a department of Professional Secretaries International. CF offers review classes (pending necessary class size) for each of the test parts and administers the examination in November and/or May of each year.
Applications to take the CPS examination must be postmarked by September 1 for the November exam, and may be obtained by writing to International Association of Administrative Professionals, 10502 N. W. Ambassador Dr., P. O. Box 20404, Kansas City, MO 64195-0404. College credit is available to those persons who pass all or portions of the Certified Professional Secretary examination. Following are examples of courses in which credit can be received. (Contact the Business and Technology Division for more information).
| Related Courses | Number | Credits |
| Business Law I | BUL 2241 | 3 |
| Basic Leadership I/Supervisory Skills | MNA 2141 |
|
| Business Accounting | APA 1111 |
|
| Office Technology I | OST 2401 |
|
| Business Communications | OST 2335 |
3 |
Students requesting college credit for all or portions of the Certified Professional Secretaries examination must meet college admission requirements. Prior to being awarded any portion of the 18 credits mentioned above, students must have earned at least nine credit hours in residence at CF.
Servicemember's Opportunity College
Students may benefit from the college’s special efforts to aid servicemembers in securing a postsecondary education. The American Association of Community Colleges has designated College of Central Florida as a Servicemember’s Opportunity College (SOC). Aside from stated and traditional means of obtaining credit toward most associate degrees, the following special policies, procedures, and services are available to active-duty servicemembers, the National Guard, reserves, new recruits and veterans:
- Certain credits may be earned by satisfactory completion of College Level Examinations.
- Credit can be given through relevant validated military service training, including military service schools, United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) courses, and acceptable college-level GED test scores. The recommendation of the American Council on Education (A.C.E.) Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services will be used in evaluating military service training.
- In recognition of the advanced academic and technical content of many military education experiences, CF will grant credit for military education that has been evaluated and recommended as suitable for post-secondary credit by the American Council on Education Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services. After enrollment in the college, a student may initiate the request for such credit by providing appropriate documentation as determined by the college. Recommendations in the A.C.E. Guide are advisory in nature and are not binding upon the college.
- Students enrolling in occupational certificate programs are eligible to
satisfy up to 20 percent of the program’s competencies through military
service credit. The competencies will be awarded after a student satisfactorily
completes eight weeks of instruction in the appropriate occupational program.
Transcripts should be submitted to the Admissions and Records office for evaluation.
Cambridge AICE (British A-Level) Examinations
College of Central Florida welcomes a variety of students of all ages to our campuses. Many students bring a depth of knowledge to specific subjects. We recognize and honor such knowledge by awarding credit for AICE examinations. Section 1009.539, Florida Statutes, requires the Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC) to establish passing scores and course and credit equivalents for AICE exams. Public community colleges and universities in Florida are requested to follow the ACC’s recommendation concerning their AICE examination policies. Credit awarded by exam may not duplicate other credit. Institutions may not award credits for scores below those listed by the ACC.
