257  Components of Articulation Agreements

Approved by President
Effective Date: June 5, 2017
Responsible Division:  Academic Affairs
Responsible Office:  University Provost
Responsible Officer:  Vice Provost for Academic Programs

I. Purpose

This policy establishes the criteria and process for Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU or University) entering articulation agreements involving institutions governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) and/or State university boards.

II. Compliance with Accrediting Agencies

A.  All MTSU articulation agreements with institutions governed by TBR and/or State university boards should be in compliance with the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ (SACSCOC) Principles of Accreditation on Programs (Reference 3.4), the Commission’s Position Statement on the Transfer of Academic Credit, and its policy on The Transfer or Transcripting of Academic Credit.

B.  Articulation agreements must be in compliance with all applicable program accrediting agencies.

III. Articulation Agreements

A.  Articulation agreements should ensure that students are not required by procedure or regulation to pursue educational/training experiences that duplicate competencies/skills the individual already possesses for the individual to acquire a credential.

B.  Each articulation agreement should include:

1.  Competencies that indicate that the learning outcomes specified in courses offered by the lower-level institution satisfy learning outcomes in similar courses offered by the upper-level institution. Syllabi and competency lists of the courses from the institutions involved must be maintained in the appropriate offices of both institutions.

2.  Details of the working articulation procedure.

3.  Descriptions of required proficiency levels and criteria for measurement.

4.  The evaluation plan and process.

5.  A renewal date for the agreement (Note: Because technology changes so rapidly it is suggested that the period of review be no more than every three [3] years).

IV. Articulation and Challenge Assessments

The awarding of credit by assessment must adhere to the following requirements:

A.  Award by assessment may be for up to seventy-five percent (75%) of the semester credit hours required in accordance with SACSCOC/DOE Guidelines (SC 3.5.2), unless the program's professional accreditation agency designates in policy a lower transfer percentage.

B.  Credit awarded must be for specific courses.

C.  The credit must be awarded only on the basis of successfully passing a challenge examination or competency-based assessment procedure for which the standards for proficiency are approved and accepted by the appropriate academic department.

D.  If MTSU’s faculty develops the challenge examination or competency-based assessment, and the content is equivalent to the regular on-site course’s competency-based assessment MTSU has the option of awarding a letter grade, rather than a non-quality grade of pass/fail, and therefore, count toward calculation of the grade point average. The award of a letter grade must be in accordance with the policies, regulations, and guidelines of MTSU’s institutional and program accrediting agencies.

V. General Requirements for Students

A.  Students are required to conform to all MTSU requirements for admission, testing, and placement.

B.  Upon enrollment in MTSU, extra-institutional credit will be transcripted in a manner as to facilitate timely and adequate advising such that a student does not duplicate skill/competency attainment realized in the previous institution, i.e., is not required to repeat a course.

Forms: none.

Revisions: none.

Last Reviewed: November 2020.

References: none.