Course Match & Portfolio Review

When experience meets academics.

• Course Match: your experience directly correlates to a course in the Marist College Catalog.
• Portfolio Review:  you have an area of expertise in a particular area of study taught at Marist but it does not directly translate to a course. 

The process for both types is the same with one exception - a portfolio review traditionally requires more supporting documentation and a larger narrative statement because the topic is less defined.  

	Autobiographical Statement	Resume	Narrative	Supporting Documentation
Course Match	200 Words	Highlights experience relevant to life work credit	3-6 page narrative statement of experience	Writing samples, photos, videos, certifications, etc…
Portfolio Review	200 Words	Highlights experience relevant to life work credit	10-15 page narrative statement of experience	Writing samples, photos, videos, certifications, etc…

 

Is this option right for you?

It might be right if you have developed college-level knowledge, skills, and abilities, and you can demonstrate these skills meet the learning objectives of an academic course.

This learning may be a result of your: 

• Work experience
• Business ownership
• Volunteer work
• Civic leadership
• Hobbies
• Independent study

How do you qualify?

In order to be eligible to petition for a Course Match or Portfolio Review you must have the following: 

• Currently enrolled as a matriculated student at Marist
• Satisfied the requirements for ENG120L: Writing for College
• Reviewed the study guide and successfully completed the survey
• Align your experience with an eligible course from the Marist course catalog or from another appropriately accredited institution**
• Submitted your payment for the review process
• Be in good academic standing at the College (Earned a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 for courses taken to date and are not on academic probation.)

How is my submission reviewed? 

It is reviewed from a student written proposal that documents the learning that occurred by connecting this learning to objectives in the course the student is seeking credit for. 

The following items are required when petitioning for Like Work Credit:

• Online Application Form: Containing student demographic information, course the student is seeking credit for, and advisor information.
• Autobiographical Statement: This statement will analyze your past experiences in terms of critical incidents that led to learning. This part of the portfolio helps the evaluator understand when, how, and why the learning has occurred. – limited to 200 words
• Current Resumé: A resume allows you to highlight more detail about your responsibilities and accomplishments that have supported learning. The resume provides the evaluator with a timeline and demonstrates the progression of learning.
• Supporting Documentation: You will need to supply documentation to support the narrative. Documentation is as individual as the learner. It may include items such as sample work products, training certificates, workplace evaluations, letters of recommendation, and/or photographs. Anything that supports the demonstration of experiential learning and its application in a variety of situations or new occurrences. Faculty experts evaluate this information. Careful thought and selection should show quality, level, and depth of the experiential learning.
• Narrative of Experience: This is the key section of the submission and is unique to each submission. Here the student should provide details about how experiential learning was accomplished: the specific experience, the knowledge acquired, and the resulting reflection that occurred. You must address the course objectives found in the course description/learning outcomes, and demonstrate that you have mastered them to the same extent as students who have completed the course.  If seeking credit for a course not found in the Marist course catalog, a copy of the course description, plus a longer narrative of experience will be required. 

Fee Structure:

• 1 and 2 credits: $200
• 3 credits: $300
• 4 credits: $400

Payment Process:

• Payment must be made before documents are submitted for review. 
• Make payment through the my.Marist.edu online portal via the "student financial services" tab following the prompts under "student billing".  
• Submit proof of payment to professionalprograms@marist.edu (please label the email subject line "Prior Learning Payment").

 ** Please note that prior learning creditsdo not count as part of a student's full- or part-time status for the purposes of FAFSA. In some cases surplus financial aid can be used to pay for these credits. For eligibilty contact the Office of Student Financial Services