DANTES (DSST)

DANTES program was originally developed for military personnel, but has been opened to all college students. Developed by The Chauncey Group International LTD., a subsidiary of the Education Testing Services (ETS), the program provides an opportunity for students to receive college credit for learning acquired outside the traditional college classroom. For more information, contact the Assessment Office (Heston Hall, 256-5663).

Department Credit-by-Examination

In subjects for which there is no equivalent CLEP examination, students may petition to challenge college coursework via a departmental credit-by-examination.  A grade of “C” or better is required on the exam to earn course credit.

DSU credit will be granted only for passing scores earned the first time each subject department credit-by-exam is taken.  If a student earned a grade of D or F in a course, a departmental credit-by-exam cannot be used to gain DSU credit for that course.  Students cannot earn credit-by-exam credit for courses if they have already completed higher-level courses in that content area. 

1. Students discuss the proposal with the dean of the college that offers the course. With the approval of the dean, students complete the “Application for Credit by Examination” form available through Enrollment Services’ office or web site.  Current costs for challenge exams are noted in the university catalog under Tuition, Fees, Housing and Board costs.
   

2. The faculty person identified on the form administers and grades the exam and the exam results are reported to the dean. 
   

3. The dean notifies the student and the Registrar of the outcome.  Only successful exams are noted on the student’s academic record.
    

Dual-credits for High School Courses

The South Dakota Board of Regents has established agreements with Dakota Wesleyan University, Mount Marty College, Killian Community College, Western Iowa Technical Community College and Iowa Western Community College, whereby the South Dakota regental universities will accept high school, dual-credit courses for transfer. All other high school courses, for which students received college credit, must be validated by an Advanced Placement or CLEP score that meets Board of Regents guidelines for acceptance of credit. For more information, contact Enrollment Services.

Credit For Prior Learning/Work Experience

Requests for credit via prior learning/work experience must directly correspond to academic coursework offered by Dakota State University.  The experiential learning must be fully described and documented by the student in writing to indicate the direct correspondence or equivalence to specific university course(s).  Requests should be evaluated by external supervisors, if appropriate, and by University officials in light of the student’s educational objectives.

1. Students prepare a cover memo to the Vice President of Academic Affairs, stating the course(s) for which he/she would like to receive prior learning credit.  In addition to the memo, the student’s application for prior learning should include:

1. Transcript for the course(s) (either an original or a copy) that includes the  course prefix, number, title and date of enrollment;

2. Course syllabus;

3. Name of instructor;

4. Any course projects that seem appropriate;

5. Statement/memo from the student’s DSU advisor, indicating the student and the advisor have discussed the student’s application and the advisor agrees that prior learning credit is appropriate for this student in this major; and

6. $25 per transcript processing fee

In cases where the prior learning application is based on experiential learning, rather than completed coursework, the documentation should include:

1. Statements from work supervisors (or the company’s human resources director) indicating job requirements and skills needed for the position held,

2. Examples of work projects,

3. Other appropriate proof of work experience

4. $25 per course processing fee

2. Student memo plus documentation is submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs;

3. A faculty committee is appointed to review the application and reports its recommendation to the college dean, who forwards the recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs;

4. Enrollment Services, the student, and advisor are notified by the Vice President for Academic Affairs of the committee’s recommendation.

Military Credit

Military credits are evaluated according to guidelines set forth by the American Council on Education and published in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.  Dakota State University has been approved as a Servicemembers Opportunity College and is listed in the SOC Guide for use by military personnel.

Students requesting evaluation of military work should provide at least one of the following documents to the Registrar:

DD Form 214 “Armed Forces of the United States Report of Transfer or Discharge”

Copy of the course evaluation done by the American Council of Education (ACE)

An official copy of DANTES transcript