Portfolio

Students may apply for credit for prior learning through the portfolio process when their professional background or life experience closely parallels the learning outcomes of a Bellarmine course. Students should refer to the Prior Learning Portfolio Handbook to determine if they are eligible and for details regarding the steps involved.

A student can use a single portfolio to apply for credit for multiple courses. The Prior Learning Portfolio Review Committee, made up of faculty from programs across campus, determines whether credit is awarded for portfolio submissions. Portfolios will not be accepted after the mid-point of the semester prior to graduation, to confirm that degree requirements are being met.

A student must be admitted to Bellarmine in order to be awarded credit for prior learning through the university.
Portfolios are submitted through Moodle. See the Prior Learning Portfolio Handbook for details.
Bellarmine awards course equivalency credit for portfolios. Portfolios must address the learning outcomes of one or more specific courses offered at Bellarmine.
If a program-level accrediting agency imposes limitations on, or standards for, credit for prior learning, those restrictions or guidelines will be honored for that program.
Students may apply for portfolio credit for a specific course only one time, regardless of whether credit is awarded or denied.
Students cannot receive portfolio credit for courses or experiences they have previously received academic credit for (duplication of credit).
A student may not audit, withdraw from, or fail a course at Bellarmine and later receive credit for the same course through a prior learning portfolio.
Assessment is based on the learning identified and documented in the portfolio, not the intrinsic value of professional, military, or other life experiences.
Credit for portfolio submissions is not guaranteed. Only the Prior Learning Portfolio Review Committee can determine if and how many credits are awarded.
Credit for prior learning is assigned as a “P” (passing) grade.
Credits earned through prior learning portfolios do not meet the residency requirement for graduation.
Credit for portfolios may or may not transfer to another university, depending on the policies of the transfer institution.

Following are the guidelines Bellarmine follows when assessing prior learning portfolios.

1. Learning needs to be differentiated from experience. Credit is awarded for knowledge acquired during life or work experience and not for the experience itself.
2. Learning should be college-level. To demonstrate that learning is college-level, students should:
    a. relate learning to a specific course or courses taught at Bellarmine;
    b. compare learning with professionals who have completed college-level study;
    c. relate learning to a personal goal that requires college-level learning; and/or
    d. Identify learning as beyond high school level and as expected for professional competency.
3. Learning should be current, especially in those instances in which a student is applying for graduate credit.
4. Learning must be demonstrated to and evaluated by credentialled full-time Bellarmine faculty members.
5. Learning should demonstrate an understanding of both the theoretical and practical aspects of the knowledge possessed.
6. Learning should demonstrate general applicability outside the specific situation in which it was acquired.
7. Learning should be related to the student’s goals and proposed degree program.

Graduate students can earn up to 6 hours of credit through prior learning assessments, including challenge exams and prior learning portfolios.

A non-refundable portfolio review fee of $150.00 is charged at the point of portfolio application. Graduate credit for each portfolio will be charged at a rate equal to one credit hour of tuition for each course equivalent awarded as credit, in addition to the assessment fee.

Graduate Academic Requirements

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