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TRANSFERABLE College Credit by Exam, Portfolio PLA, Ind Study - Esp STEM
#1
Subject: TRANSFERABLE College Credit by Exam, Portfolio PLA, Independent Study, etc. – Bonus Points for Engineering-Related Credits

TLDR: This first post is an insignificant drop in what I hope will become a vast, pristine pool of knowledge. If you’re thirsty now, you have a problem.
 
Greetings,
 
On July 16, 2025, “SophiaPrincess” started a thread called “Master List of Online Platforms with College Courses/Degrees” (https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...es-Degrees). It is interesting, but it commingles college level learning with college credit awarding learning. As knowledge is irrelevant – only degrees proclaiming knowledge have any worth – it seems to me that a list of ways for an intelligent adult to earn TRANSFERABLE college credit by alternate means might be very useful. I might add that before posting this I conducted a search here for the phrase College Credit by Exam: almost all of the results were dated 2012 or older.
 
At this point I would like to make useful contributions to this thread to “prime the pump.” Sadly, I can’t.
· ETA (Electronic Technicians Association, https://www.etai.org/index.html) used to have a very few ACE reviewed certification exams – I know because I took two – but the exams are no longer credit reviewed, and the entire organization seems like a shell of its former self.
· One of the “big-three” (the worst of the big three, don’t ask me how I know) used to review the EIT/FE exam (Engineer-in-Training, renamed to Fundamentals of Engineering) for credit. This was fantastic, as passing the EIT/FE is of considerable value just on its own and awarding it the heaps of college credit it represents was a fantastic bargain. Needless to say, they don't any more. Ditto their former custom certification review for credit.
· There was once an organization that preformed portfolio-based PLAs with the intention that they be used by colleges, but they are long gone.
· Ohio University, back when they cared about distance education, would theoretically allow one to take exams for college credit even beyond the exams for college credit they normally offered. As regards the bespoke exams, I know this was “more honoured in the breach than th' observance” as far as electrical engineering was concerned, and I know not whether or how frequently it was ever done. My strong but unverified opinion that this is not now done at all.

If anyone knows of any colleges, reputable institutions, whatever, that will award transferable college credit for portfolio-base PLA, independent study (of an ordinary nature), etc. do speak up!
 
Bonus: anyone knows of any institutions that will award transferable credit for merely passing the EIT/FE (rather than using passing the EIT/FE as fodder for a portfolio review) I will award you a fantastic bonus: I will either kiss you or promise never to kiss you. ;-) You're welcome.
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#2
SophiaPrincess is looking at grad credit. Are you also looking for grad credit? UMPI offers PLA but it's not worth it as the courses tend to be shorter and easier not to mention cheaper. TESU also offers PLA credit. But again you need to look at the work involved, the time it takes to complete, and the cost involved.

Independent study doesn't seem to really be a thing anymore unfortunately. It seems like CBE programs kind of replaced it.

College credit by exams has changed drastically since 2012. CLEP is still around. But many of the other options no longer exist. Online learning drastically changed the landscape.
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#3
"Transerable" can be tough. Your ultimate destination school might not accept another school's portfolio, exam, or independent study credit.

CLEP, DSST, and TECEP survive. But DSST pared down upper-level tests and ECE/UExcel, another key source of upper-level tests, closed down entirely. CLEP is entirely lower-level.
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#4
Greetings,

Thanks for the replies.

ss20ts: I do not know if I failed to notice the SP’s thread was dedicated to grad credit, if I noticed it but failed to remember it, or if I figured that sources of transferable grad credit might also be sources of transferable UL undergrad credit (YMMV). (I’m quite deep and complex, even in my incompetence. ;-) The thing I did notice – correctly? – was that it was not restricted to transferable college credit (typically RA credit or credit evaluated to be arguably equivalent). Good point though, thanks for the correction.

I am primarily interested in undergrad credit, and it might be most useful if the thread were dedicated to sources of undergrad credit via extra-ordinary, atypical, unusual, or not commonly known means. (Of course, what is or isn’t commonly know depends who you ask.)

Jonathan Whatley: Getting a college to accept college credits via external-PLA/whatever is by no means certain, but it is certain that no college will accept credits that don’t exist in the first place. (See, I said I was deep. ;-)

I have been formerly pursuing my bachelor's degree by distance learning since April 7, 2000 (don’t ask). Things started going down hill before I first started, but even I, who would make Cassandra seem overly optimistic if not giddy, could never have imagined how bad things would get in North America (yes, Canada too).
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#5
My suggestion is to complete the addendum and template to provide an overall picture of your scenario, it's best to provide a clearer overview of your scenario with the information you provide. Link: https://www.degreeforum.net/mybb/Thread-...Area-works

As a controversial option to get you past the Bachelors and onto a Masters, you may want to do the ENEB Triple Masters (Global MBA) and have that evaluated as a Bachelors and/or graduate credit. You can then apply to HAU MBA for $3K USD and finish that within a year.
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#6
How many credits did the FE use to give? I know for some government jobs they treat a PE in the same category as a masters.
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  • Jonathan Whatley
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#7
Kennesaw State University gives credit for EIT/PE Licenses for people in the state of Georgia with Electrical Engineering Technology bachelors.

"Candidates with an Electrical Engineering Technology degree and an EIT or Professional Engineer License for Georgia can get credit for: EE 2301, EE 2302, EE 2401, EE 2501, EE 3501, EE 3601"

https://www.kennesaw.edu/credit-prior-le...ent-plans/
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  • Jonathan Whatley
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#8
Greetings,
 
bjcheung77
Thanks for the offer of help. Given how limited my choices are, and that I’m not new to the rodeo, I’m not sure its worth anyone’s trouble for me to post my CV/etc., but I’ll think about it. In the mean time, if anyone knows of not dodgy, not necessarily North American, transfer/top-off/PLA friendly distance learning and/or qualification options in electronics engineering, undergrad and higher, don’t be bashful!
 
NotJoeBiden
a. Buck up, buckeroo, we all have our regrets. ;-)
b. Charter Oak State College, before they abandoned even the pretext of caring about education, did credit reviews of awards, on-demand and for a fee. At this point I was going to write about how you could either contact the useless woman associated with the department, or how you could search for the information yourself, but I discovered I had a copy of it! Hopefully you can find it attached.
N.B. There have been many changes to the EIT/FE exam since 2006. The review has no value except as a historical document.
c. Having passed the EIT/FE and having a PE are, of course, two different kettles of fish. Still, thank you for supplying me with information on how at least one RA college treats FE credits.
One value of passing the EIT/FE exam as pertains to (some) federal employment is (as far as I think I know) that, when combined with “… education and experience -- college-level education, training, and/or technical experience…” just passing the EIT/FE even without becoming an EIT “… may qualify [one] for positions in any branch of engineering unless selective factors indicate otherwise.” (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversigh...s-0800.pdf) Do keep in mind that YMMV, you should read the classification yourself and reach your own conclusions, and that things may change.
d. On a related subject, some states will allow ABET accredited BSET/etc. holders to apply for PE licensure, not just ABET BSEE/etc. holders. I *think* the number of so inclined states is/was 11, and I’m pretty sure that the experience requirements aren’t necessarily equal.
 

Kind regards,
Richard Kanarek
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  • NotJoeBiden
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