Academic Credit
Military Credit Practices and Information
Non-Traditional Credit/Transcripts
Military Credit Practices and Information
SDSU students must submit one of the following to receive military credit:
• DD-214,
• DD-295,
• Official military transcript with the Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS), or
• Sailor/Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART)
Students who are not eligible for an AARTS or SMART transcript should submit Form DD-214 or DD-295. Veterans can request their service records by submitting U.S. Government Form 180, which is available from a state veteran’s affairs office, the Veterans Administration, or the National Personnel Records Center.
ACE Credit Recommendations
Unit recommendations for service branches are made by the American Council on Education’s Commission on Education Credit and Credentials (ACE Guide) based on date of training. Search the Web site using “Search Courses” and then use the Key Word Index and the Course Number Index to help with the location of the credit. Additional information to use for searching the Web site includes the title of the course, course number, location of the course, date of the course, and length of the course.
ACE credit recommendations on AARTS and SMART transcripts are acceptable without verification provided they have the appropriate recommendation which is outlined below.
SDSU recognizes military education credit for ACE recommended baccalaureate/associate or graduate degree category units and awards lower/upper division units as specified in the ACE credit recommendations. SDSU does not award credit for any vocational, technical or certificate degree category units, and does not grant credit for Military Occupation Specialties (MOS) ratings or military experience.
Military basic training credit is awarded for the initial basic training completed when the individual entered the military branch. Basic training credit is contingent upon the completion of the required number of weeks of training. A DD-214 or DD-285 does not constitute credit; length of credit does.
Credit for basic training for each branch of service is determined by their military entrance date, and is awarded as follows:
Air Force |
1/1976-present |
4 units |
|
|---|---|---|---|
Fall 1984 – present* |
4 units |
||
| |
|||
Army |
12/79-6/85 |
AR-2201-0197 |
4 units |
7/85-2/00 |
AR-2201-0399 |
4 units |
|
3/00-09/05 |
AR-2201-0399 |
5 units |
|
10/05-Present |
AR-2201-0399 |
5 units |
|
Coast Guard |
1/78-12/87 |
CG-2205-0011 |
4 units |
1/88-7/03 |
CG-2205-0035 |
4 units |
|
8/03-present |
CG-2205-0035 |
6 units |
|
Marine |
12/76-5/91 |
MC-2204-0038 |
8 units |
12/79-3/87 |
MC-2204-0046 |
4 units (women) |
|
6/91-9/00 |
MC-2204-0088 |
4 units |
|
10/00-present |
MC-2204-0088 |
8 units |
|
Navy |
4/79-9/91 |
NV-2202-0014 |
4 units |
10/91-07/02 |
NV-2202-0165 |
3 units |
|
08/02-present |
NV-2202-0165 |
2 units |
*Credit for basic training can be awarded from the DD-214, DD-295, or the Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript. SDSU only uses CCAF transcript to make a determination of credit awards for military education. Units are included in the 70 unit maximum allowed from community colleges.
SDSU does not allow duplicate credit for military education if the same course is completed more than one time.
Coast Guard Institute -- SDSU awards Military Training Credit as recommended by the ACE Guide for Coast Guard Institute credit. SDSU does not award credit for Military Experiential Learning Credit.
Approved Military Education Credit
The Dean of Undergraduate Studies has approved military education credit with ACE credit recommendations in the lower division baccalaureate degree category to fulfill the following select areas of the SDSU General Education pattern:
• GE Oral Communication – 3 semester hours in oral communication must be listed as part of the ACE Guide recommendation
• GE Physical Science – 3 semester hours in solid physical science such as physics, chemistry, etc. must be listed as part of the ACE Guide recommendation
• GE Life Science – 3 semester hours in solid life science such as biology, anatomy, physiology, etc. must be listed as part of the ACE Guide recommendation
• Natural Science Lab – appropriate physical or life science lab must be specifically listed as part of the ACE Guide recommendation
• Social Behavioral Science – 3 semester hours in appropriate social behavioral science course such as economics, psychology, sociology, etc. must be listed as part of the ACE Guide recommendation
Once students have registered for classes at SDSU they can request the following, if applicable:
• Petition the Dean of Undergraduate Studies for additional GE consideration.
• Petition for departmental approval to use military credit to fulfill Major or Minor requirements.
• Petition for units for active military service, such as commission credits.
AARTS and SMART Transcripts
AARTS and SMART transcripts are part of an automated transcript system that carefully tracks and reports a service-member’s or Veteran’s military training with college credit recommendations for ACE Guide completed evaluations. AARTS transcripts are available to enlisted members of the regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve. The SMART transcripts are available to active duty and reserve Sailors and Marines and Navy veterans.
The transcripts include college-level test score data such as CLEP, DSST, DLPT, SAT/ACT and Excelsior/Regents credit. SDSU will award credit based on our established guidelines for CLEP, DSST, DLPT, SAT/ACT and Excelsior/Regents credit when these exams are listed on an official “Institutional Copy” of an AARTS or SMART transcript.
For additional information, contact AARTS or SMART Transcript Operations Center:
AARTS Operations Center
415 McPherson Ave.
Ft. Leavenworth, KS 66027-1373
(866) 297-4427 Toll Free
aarts@leavenworth.army.mil
http://aarts.army.mil
SMART Operations Center
6490 Saufley Field Road
Pensacola, FL 32509-5204
(877) 253-7122 Toll Free
ncc@cnet.navy.mil
www.navycollege.navy.mil
Non-Traditional Credit/Transcripts
BOOST (Broadened Opportunity for Officer Selection and Training)
Naval Education and Training Center, Newport Rhode Island.
Students must submit an official BOOST transcript to receive military credit for BOOST units. Military credit is awarded based on completed tracks and course numbers listed on the transcript and referenced to course numbers within the NV-0400-0001 course description of the ACE Guide. SDSU requires the official BOOST transcript for credit awards and does not award BOOST credit from a SMARTS transcript.
CLEP (College Level Examination Program)
SDSU requires an official transcript to award credit for approved CLEP exams. In 2008, a subsidiary of Educational Testing Services (ETS) called PROMETRIC began issuing official transcripts for CLEP. SDSU allows no more than 30 units of credit earned through examination. A complete list of recognized CLEP Subject and General Examination Credit is listed in the 2010/2011 SDSU General Catalog on page 468.
DSST Program tests by PROMETRIC
SDSU will award up to 24 units of DSST exam credit based on ACE Guide credit recommendations in effect at the time the exam was completed. SDSU awards lower division and upper division credit consistent with ACE Guide lower or upper division baccalaureate credit recommendations. Students must petition the Dean of Undergraduate Studies for GE credit and receive departmental approval to use DSST exam credit to satisfy major or minor requirements for graduation. See the complete list of DSST exams and ACE Guide credit recommendations.
Defense Information School
SDSU does not grant credit for course work completed at Defense Information School. The school is accredited by the Accrediting Commission on Occupational Education and has ACE Guide recommendations, but it is more occupational in nature, not academic.
Defense Language Institute
SDSU will recognize baccalaureate credit listed on an official Defense Language Institute transcript. These units apply toward the 70 unit maximum rule for community colleges.
Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT)
DLPT credit could be listed on SMARTS or AARTS military transcripts or possibly Defense Language Institute transcript. If DLPT exam credit and the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center in Monterey, CA both appear on a SMARTS or AARTS transcript, SDSU requires the Defense Language Institute transcript to determine credit awards.
There are 33 different languages encompassed by the DLPTs. As of August 2007, there are 23 languages covered by the DLPT IV and 17 languages available as DLPT5. Units awarded for DLPT are included in the 24 unit max limit for credit by examination. Lower and upper division credit is awarded based on ACE Guide Recommendations in effect at the time the exam was completed.
• DLPT III and IV ACE credit recommendations are determined by the test scores (specifically “converted scores”) achieved on listening, reading and speaking tests as well as the difficulty of the language concerned. Languages are categorized from I (easiest) to IV (hardest), based on the difficulty of native speakers of American English may have in learning a foreign language.
• DLPT5 ACE credit recommendations are reported according to the ILR Proficiency Level Descriptors (0, 0+, 1, 1+, 2, 2+, 3, 3+, and 4).
Students must petition the Dean of Undergraduate studies for General Education credit. Students must petition and receive departmental approval to use DLPT credit to clear major and minor requirements.
Platoon Leaders Class
SDSU will award units consistent with ACE Guide baccalaureate/associate degree category credit recommendations.
Seaman to Admiral 21ST Century-Naval Science Institute
As of 2007, SDSU will award ACE Guide credit recommendations in the baccalaureate/associate degree category.
