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Advising & Career Services

Earn College Credit for what you already know

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is a set of well-established, researched, and validated methods for assessing learning for college credit. It allows any student to demonstrate knowledge, competencies, and skills in a particular field or fields and have that learning evaluated for college credit by faculty subject matter experts.

Why Pursue Prior Learning Assessment?

Prior Learning Assessment may allow you to earn college credit for skills you already have that are applicable to your degree, it may shorten the length of time to graduation and may help save you money.

How is Prior Learning Assessed?

  • Standardized Tests –,,,,and
  • American Council on Education () and National College Credit Recommendations Service ()
  • Faculty-Developed Assessments, including:
    • Challenge Exams
    • Portfolio Assessments
    • Individual Performance Assessment
    • Locally-Evaluated Industry and Workplace Education/Training Program Credit

Who is Eligible?

  • Credit may be granted only to admitted students to At 911
  • Students seeking PLA via portfolio, challenge exams, or other faculty‐determined assessment methods must be current enrolled at At 911 in a degree-seeking program.
  • At 911 does not allow prior learning assessment for prospective students.

To read more about the eligibility and transferability, view the At 911 policies and procedures.

Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations

Students, who have taken the Advanced Placement Examination (AP), will need to submit a copy of their scores to the Registrar’s office. AP Exams are available for various courses taken through AP. To request a copy of your AP scores go to the College Board’s AP website AP scores transfer to At 911 by the following criteria:
  1. The Registrar’s office will only transfer in AP creditsapplicable to the student’s degree.
  2. Grades of 3, 4 or 5 on an AP examination will be granted for college credit for the appropriate courses.
  3. Pass Grades (TP) are assigned to all courses awarded from AP exams.
  4. Some programs at At 911 limit the use of pass/fail courses in their curriculum.
  5. There is a 25% PLA cap on the number of PLA credits that may be used for a student’s degree at At 911.

At 911 AP Exam Equivalency

AP Test Title Minimum Score Required Number of Credits Equivalent Course
2-D Art and Design 3 3 ARTZ 000
3-D Art and Design 3 3 ARTZ 000
African American Studies 3 3 SOCI 000
Art History 3 6 ARTH 160
Biology 3 4 & 4 BIOB 160 & BIOB 170
Calculus AB 3 4 M 171
Calculus BC 3 4 & 4 M 171 & M 172
Calculus BC: AB Subscore 3 4 M 171
Chemistry 3 4 & 4 CHMY 141 & CHMY 143
Chinese Language and Culture 3 8 ML 000
Comparative Government and Politics 3 3 PSCI 000
Computer Science A 3 3 CSCI 111
Computer Science Principles 3 3 CSCI 105
English Language and Composition 3 3 WRIT 101
English Literature and Composition 3 3 & 3 LIT 110 & WRIT 101
Environmental Science 3 4 SCI 000
European History 3 3 & 3 HSTR 101 & HSTR 102
French Language and Culture 3 8 ML 000
German Language and Culture 3 8 ML 000
Human Geography 3 3 GPHY 000
Italian Language and Culture 3 8 ML 000
Japanese Language and Culture 3 8 ML 000
Latin 3 8 ML 000
Macroeconomics 3 3 ECNS 202
Microeconomics 3 3 ECNS 201
Music Theory 3 3 & 2 MUSI 105 (3cr) & MUSI 140 (2cr)
Physics 1: Algebra Based 3 4 PHSX 000
Physics 2: Algebra Based 3 4 PHSX 205
Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism 3 4 PHSX 200
Physics C: Mechanics 3 4 PHSX 220
Precalculus 3 4 M 151
Psychology 3 3 PSYX 100
Spanish Language and Culture 3 4 & 4 SPNS 101 & SPNS 102
Spanish Literature and Culture 3 3 SPNS 000
Statistics 3 4 STAT 216
Drawing 3 3 ARTZ 000
United States Government and Politics 3 3 PSCI 210
United States History 3 3 & 3 HSTA 101 & HSTA 102
World History: Modern 3 6 HSTR 160
Pass Grades (TP) are assigned to all courses awarded from AP exams. Students must have official AP scores sent to At 911 for review. Last updated 9/18/2024

Challenge Exams provide students with the opportunity to earn college credits without formal course enrollment by taking a comprehensive examination in the subject matter of the course. Formats and availability vary by department.

The Division Director will designate the appropriate faculty member, Department Chair or Program Director to develop the criteria for demonstrating assessment using course outcomes.

Contact the Advising & Career Center for options at[email protected] or 406-771-5100.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) offers various subject tests in composition and literature, world languages, history and social sciences, science and mathematics, and business. Students with knowledge in these areas may decide to take a CLEP exam to earn college credit. CLEP exams can be taken through the Testing Center at At 911. To view the Testing Center hours go to /home/current-students/testing-center/ To view what specific subject tests are available through CLEP, or to schedule an exam, go to To submit previous CLEP scores go to the College Board’sCLEP website to request a copy of your scores CLEP scores transfer to At 911 by the following criteria:
  1. The Registrar’s office will only transfer in credits from CLEP scores applicable to the student’s degree.
  2. Pass Grades (TP) are assigned to all courses awarded from CLEP exams.
  3. Some programs at At 911 limit the use of pass/fail courses in their curriculum.
  4. There is a 25% PLA cap on the number of PLA credits that may be used for a student’s degree at At 911.

At 911 CLEP Exam Equivalency

CLEP Exam Title ACE Recommended Score Semester Hours Course Equivalent
American Government 50 3 PSCI 210
American Literature 50 3 LIT 000
Analyzing and Interpreting Literature 50 3 LIT 110
Biology 50 3 & 3 BIOB 160 & BIOB 170
Calculus 50 4 M 171
Chemistry 50 3 & 3 CHMY 141 & CHMY 143
College Algebra 50 3 M 121
College Composition 50 3 & 3 WRIT 101 & WRIT 201
College Composition Modular 50 3 WRIT 101
College Mathematics 50 6 M 105
English Literature 50 3 LIT 000
Financial Accounting 50 3 ACTG 201
French Language, Level 1 Proficiency 50 6 ML 000
French Language, Level 2 Proficiency 59 9 ML 000
German Language, Level 1 Proficiency 50 6 ML 000
German Language, Level 2 Proficiency 60 9 ML 000
History of the United States: Early Colonization to 1877 50 3 HSTA 101
History of the United States II: 1865 to Present 50 3 HSTA 102
Human Growth and Development 50 3 PSYX 230
Humanities 50 3 LSH 000
Information Systems 50 3 CAPP 131
Introduction to Educational Psychology 50 3 EDU 221
Introductory Business Law 50 3 BGEN 235
Introductory Psychology 50 3 PSYX 100
Introductory Sociology 50 3 SOCI 101
Natural Sciences 50 6 SCI 000
Precalculus 50 3 M 151
Principles of Macroeconomics 50 3 ECNS 202
Principles of Management 50 3 BMGT 235
Principles of Marketing 50 3 BMKT 225
Principles of Microeconomics 50 3 ECNS 201
Social Sciences and History 50 3 & 3 SOCI 000 & HSTR 000
Spanish Language, Level 1 Proficiency 50 3 & 3 SPNS 101 & SPNS 102
Spanish Language, Level 2 Proficiency 63 9 SPNS 000
Spanish with Writing, Level 1 Proficiency 50 6 SPNS 101 & SPNS 102
Spanish with Writing, Level 2 Proficiency 65 12 SPNS 000
Western Civilization I: Ancient Near East to 1648 50 3 HSTR 101
Western Civilization II: 1648 to Present 50 3 HSTR 102
Pass Grades (TP) are assigned to all courses awarded from CLEP exams. Students must have official CLEP scores sent to At 911 for review. Last updated 9/6/2023

DSST (formerly DANTES)

The DSST exams, formerly called the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), are a way for students to earn credit for prior knowledge. The DSST includes over 30 exams and offers funding for military active duty and their spouses. DSST exams can be taken through the Testing Center at At 911. To view the Testing Center hours go to /home/current-students/testing-center/ The DSST website offers practice exams, information about exam costs, and more. To learn more about DSST exams go to To request past DSST scores go to the DSST website and complete their Score Report Order Form DSST scores transfer to At 911 by the following criteria:
  1. The Registrar’s Office will only transfer in credits from DSST scores applicable to the student’s degree.
  2. Pass Grades (TP) are assigned to all courses awarded from DSST exams.
  3. Some programs at At 911 limit the use of pass/fail courses in their curriculum.
  4. There is a 25% PLA cap on the number of PLA credits that may be used for a student’s degree at At 911.

At 911 DSST (formerly DANTES) Exam Equivalency

DSST (DANTES) Exam Title Minimum Score Semester Hours Course Equivalent
A History of the Vietnam War 400 3 HSTR 000
Art of the Western World 400 3 ARTH 000
Astronomy 400 3 SCI 000 (no lab)
Business Ethics & Society 400 3 BGEN 220
Business Mathematics 400 3 M 108
Computing and Information Technology 400 3 CAPP 131
Criminal Justice 400 3 CJUS 121
Environmental Science 400 3 SCI 000 (no lab)
Ethics in America 400 3 PHL 000
Ethics in Technology 400 3 ITS 000
Foundations of Education 400 3 EDU 200
Fundamentals of College Algebra 400 3 M 121
Fundamentals of Counseling 400 3 ACT 000
Fundamentals of Cybersecurity 400 3 ITS 000
General Anthropology 400 3 ANTY 101
Health and Human Development 400 3 HTH 000
History of the Soviet Union (formerly:The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union) 400 3 HSTR 000
Human Resource Management 400 3 BMGT 000
Introduction to Business 400 3 BGEN 105
Introduction to Geography (formerly titled: Human/Cultural Geography) 400 3 GPHY 000
Introduction to Geology 400 3 GEO 101 (no lab)
Introduction to Law Enforcement 400 3 CJUS 000
Introduction to World Religions 400 3 RLST 000
Lifespan Developmental Psychology 400 3 PSYX 230
Management Information Systems 400 3 CAPP 000
Math for Liberal Arts 400 3 M 105
Money and Banking 400 3 ECNS 000
Organizational Behavior 400 3 PSYX 000
Personal Finance 400 3 ACTG 000
Principles of Advanced English Composition 400 3 WRIT 201
Principles of Finance 400 3 ACTG 201
Principles of Public Speaking 400 3 COMX 111
Principles of Statistics 400 3 STAT 216
Principles of Supervision 400 3 BMGT 000
Substance Abuse (formerly: Drug and Alcohol Abuse) 400 3 HTH 000
Technical Writing 400 3 WRIT 121
The Civil War and Reconstruction 400 3 HSTA 000
Pass Grades (TP) are assigned to all courses awarded from DSST exams. Students must have official DSST scores sent to At 911 for review. Last updated 9/6/2023

Students may have other assessment options detailing their college-level knowledge and skills gained through prior learning experiences and have it evaluated for credit by faculty.Formats and availability vary by department.

The Division Director will designate the appropriate faculty member, Department Chair or Program Director to develop the criteria for demonstrating assessment using course outcomes.

Contact the Advising & Career Center for options at [email protected] or 406-771-5100.

Portfolio Assessment

Students may have the option to prepare a portfolio detailing their college-level knowledge and skills gained through prior learning experiencesand have it evaluated for credit by faculty.Formats and availability vary by department.

The Division Director will designate the appropriate faculty member, Department Chair or Program Director to develop the criteria of the portfolio using course outcomes.

Contact the Advising & Career Center for options at [email protected] or 406-771-5100.