Transfer of Credit Policy

For Courses in Associate Degree Programs at Louisiana State Technical College System Institutions

IN ORDER to more adequately meet the educational needs of post-secondary students in Southwest Louisiana, MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY (hereafter designated McNeese) adheres to the transfer policy I described in this document.

I. Based on fulfillment of the following conditions, selected credits earned in specific courses by a student at an institution not accredited by the regional accrediting agency may be accepted on a direct-transfer basis by McNeese:

A. Courses
1. Course Nominations - In order to establish a course-equivalency table, individual courses offered by the transferring institution will be nominated for direct transfer credit by the appropriate dean or vice president of academic affairs. Specific information on
each nominated course will be forwarded to the McNeese Office of Academic Affairs.
From there the course nomination will be directed to the appropriate McNeese Dean and Department Head

2.Course Information -For McNeese evaluation purposes, the nominated course information will be in a format which must include:
a. course description
b. detailed course syllabus
c. testing and grading information
d copy of the appropriate textbook
e. explanationof instructional methods/equipment usedin course
f. indication whether offered by quarteror semester
g. credit hours
h. specific number of lecturel lab clock hours required for course completion

3. Course Evaluation -Using the information furnished by the transferring institution in the course nomination process, the appropriate McNeese academic departmental faculty will consider certain matters before recommending a course for possible transfer:
a. McNeese must have an equivalent course.
b. McNeese will give no more credit for a transfer course than is given at McNeese for the equivalent course.
c. The material covered in the nominated course must be comparable to the material covered in the equivalent McNeese course.
d. The transfer of this course credit will be in compliance with the Criteria of the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
e. McNeese departmental faculty may monitor course meetings. Should such monitoring indicate non-compliance with part ll-B of this articulation agreement, final approval for direct transfer of credit for that course may be withdrawn.
f. All transfer credit must be based on specific course considerations. No "block" transfers of credit will be processed.

4. Course Recommendations -The appropriate McNeese department head and faculty will forward their recommendations through their dean to the Academic Vice President.
a. Justification for or against acceptance must be included in the departmental recommendations.
b. If a course is approved by the Academic Vice President for transfer credit from the non-accredited institution to McNeese, the specific approval date will indicate the beginning of the acceptance of that particular course for transfer eligibility. Only credit earned after that approval date will be accepted for transfer by the Registrar's Office. Therefore, the course must have been approved for McNeese transfer at the time the credit was earned at the transferring institution.
c. Each recommendation which is approved and accepted for the course equivalency table must be updated annually.
d. Copies of the latest Course-Equivalency Table will be made available to appropriate offices and personnel at both institutions.
e. Course transfers approved by McNeese may be valid onlv at McNeese. Other colleges are not required to honor or accept such transfers.

B. Faculty
1. Faculty Nominations. In order to establish a file of faculty who are qualified to teach college-level courses, individual faculty must first be nominated by the appropriate dean of the transferring institution. Specific information for each nominated faculty member will be forwarded to the McNeese Office of Academic Affairs.

2. Faculty Credentials -McNeese must receive an up-to-date resume for nominated faculty. In addition, official transcripts verifying all degrees and credits earned, and such official transcripts must be sent directly from the awarding institution of higher education to the McNeese Office of Academic Affairs. All nominations, credentials, and official transcripts must be received by the McNeese Office of Academic Affairs no later than 60 days prior to the course being taught..

3. Faculty Credential Evaluation -The review and evaluation of credentials for nominated faculty may involve consultation with the appropriate McNeese dean and department head.

4. Minimum Faculty Credentials -Regardless of the current plans of a student requesting transfer of vo-tech credit hours to college credit hours, if the college course can be counted toward both an associate and a bachelor's degree, the faculty for that course must have at least a master's degree and 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline. Since there are few, if any, McNeese courses which can be applied only to an associate degree, any faculty approved by McNeese "must have completed at least 18 graduate semester hours in the teaching discipline and hold at least a master's degree, or hold the minimum master's degree with a major in the teaching discipline. In exceptional cases, outstanding professional experience and demonstrated contn"butions to the teaching discipline may be presented in lieu of formal academic preparation." (SACS Criteria, 1996, page 46.) Such exceptions must bejustified by and documented to McNeese on an individual basis.

5. Acceptability of Faculty Credentials -The McNeese Vice President for Academic Affairs will make the final judgment as to the acceptability of faculty credentials as they relate to both Southern Association Commission on Colleges' Criteria and the university's
regulations for faculty credentials.

6. Faculty Assignment Validation -Appointment ofureviouslv-approved for direct transfer eligibility must be verified prior to each quarter/semester. This will be done via direct memorandum from the transferring institution to the McNeese Vice President for Academic Affairs.

7. Copies of the latest approved faculty list will be made available to appropriate offices
and personnel at both institutions.

C. Students
1. Student Admissions - Since many non-accredited institution transcripts do not show the method of admission nor high school graduation date, McNeese will require all transfer applicants to furnish a high school transcript or complete the McNeese entrance exam prior to registration. In addition, the student must request that the transcript be sent directly from the transferring institution's Registrar to the McNeese Registrar. The transcript must have an official seal and date on it.

2. Student ResidencyRequirements - In order to qualifYfor resident tuition, students must meet the criteria in the McNeese Catalog.

3. Student Fees -The student will pay the registration fees in effect at McNeese at the time the student registers.

4. Review for Transfer Credit - Once students have enrolled at McNeese, the transfer transcript will be reviewed for possible transfer credit. In some cases, students may be required to successfully complete a competency exam in order to receive credit
a. The course must have been approved by McNeese for direct transfer before the student enrolled in it at the non-accredited institution and it must be listed on the Course-Equivalency Table.
b. The course instructor's credentials and transcript must have been approved by the McNeese Academic Vice President before the student took the course. The Vice President's faculty file must so indicate.
c. Any credit which has been approved for direct transfer from a non-accredited institution will be placed on a student's transcript only after the completion of one semester at McNeese.
d. For some courses, transfer of credit may be deoendent uoon successful completion of the next sequence in relevant course work.

II Additional Considerations

A. Maximum Direct-Transfer Credit - The maximum number of credit hours that can be transferred to McNeese State University as a result of courses completed at a non-accredited institution must be set by the appropriate university department head and approved by the Office of Academic Affairs to ensure that a student acquiring a degree from McNeese State University has attained the goals and objectives of the individual curriculums. In order for a student to graduate with any degree from McNeese, he must meet all requirements listed in the current McNeese Catalog.

B. Necessitv for Accurate and Complete Documentation -The Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools requires adequate documentation on file at McNeese indicating that any credit accepted for direct transfer represents collegiate course work relevant to the degree, with course content and level of instruction resulting in student competencies at least equivalent to those of students enrolled in the institution's own undergraduate degree programs; and course work taught by faculty members qualified to teach at
the appropriate degree level.

C. All matters in this Transfer of Credit Policy are subject to approval by the University of Louisiana System Board of Trustees for State Colleges and Universities and the Louisiana Board of Regents. This policy is not valid until it has been so approved.

D. Agreements for transfer of credit are valid for no more than one year, and may be renewed annually.

E. McNeese accepts Louisiana Transfer Degrees according to Board of Regents Policy.

This Transfer of Credit policy does not replace or alter existing Articulation Agreements, which include such matters as Advanced Placement Testing and Advanced-Level Enrollment (neither of which involve "direct transfer of credit").