Credit Hour Policy

Policy 2034 Credit Hour Policy defines the academic credit hour at the United States Sports University(USSA) to ensure compliance with federal regulations and guidelines of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC). The purpose of this policy is to establish a clear and consistent framework for defining, assigning, and reviewing credit hours across all courses and instructional formats.

The policy reviews the following information:

• Definition of a Credit Hour
• Determination of Credit Hours Awarded for Courses
• Publication of Credit Hour Policy
• Exceptions
• Exclusions
• Implementation

Transfer Credit Policies

All transfer credit policies below are the most recent policies as published in the academic catalog for the current year. For transfer credit policies from prior years, please see the Academic Catalogs section of this website.

Undergraduate Degrees: Bachelor’s Level

3.5  Transfer Credit Acceptance

Any applicant to one of USSA’s degree programs is eligible to transfer equivalent degree level courses from other colleges or universities.

The maximum number of transfer credits allowed are:

• Up to 90 semester hours of transferable credit
• 31 semester hours of general education component (GEC)
• 29-30 semester hours of electives, depending on program of study
• Up to 30 semester hours of sports related courses

The general education requirements consist of the following:

• 15 semester hours of Foundational and Intellectual Skills
  • 6 semester hours of Core Communication
  • 6 semester hours of Analytical Reasoning
  • 3 semester hours of Cultural Understanding
• 16 semester hours of Intellectual Breadth and Adaptiveness
  • 7 semester hours of Life and Physical Sciences, including a lab
  • 3 semester hours of Arts and Humanities
  • 6 semester hours of Social Behavioral Sciences

A cumulative 2.0 GPA must be achieved for all college coursework accepted. All such requests are subject to review and approval as outlined in the following section.

3.5.1.   Specific Transfer Policies

The Office of Admissions will evaluate all credits to determine the number of transferrable credits to the United States Sports University. Credits transferable to the University may or may not be applicable, in whole or in part, to a specific program. Such transferred credit will be applied, after evaluation to the specific program of the student. Courses, from all institutionally accredited colleges and universities for lower-division general education or general elective courses and for upper-division courses that meet transfer criteria and are equivalent to courses in USSA’s curriculum, will be accepted. Degree seeking students must earn a minimum of 30 semester hours from USSU.

No more than a combined total of 25% of the total credits required for the degree will be allowed for credit received through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advance Placement Program (AP), credit by examination, correspondence courses, military service school courses, and other approved non-collegiate-sponsored programs as recommended by the American Council on Education.

Only one-half of the credit hours required for a degree may be transferred from a community college and other non-traditional institutions. While the total number of transfer hours will appear on the transcript, the academic department offering the major will determine how they may apply to the degree.

A transfer student from an institution not accredited by the appropriate regional association may request an evaluation of transfer credits from the student’s academic dean after completing one year of work at USSU.  Students must provide syllabi for each course to their academic dean. Syllabi will be sent to the appropriate area for approval.

A transfer student from a foreign institution will have their transfer credit awarded on a conditional basis provided that the credits are equivalent to courses taken at an accredited U.S. institution and meet the categories for the lower-division requirements. Under certain circumstances, syllabi may be required to evaluate the credit properly.

After the initial transfer credit evaluation, if a student has concerns or questions regarding transfer credit evaluation, the student will need to consult with their advisor.

• Courses earned at a college or university that utilizes the quarter system will have hours converted to the semester calendar for the purpose of review and, if accepted, transfer.
• Students may not transfer repeated course credit more than once even if the equivalent courses were earned at different institution.

3.5.2      Credit Transfer by Examination – Undergraduate Program

Students seeking to receive transfer credit by examination may submit Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, College-Level Examination Program, or DANTES Subject Standardized Test scores for transfer credit evaluation. The submission of exam scores does not guarantee transfer credit approval. The applicant must have the official score report mailed directly to The Office of Admissions.

Submitted test scores will be reviewed by the Admissions Committee. The committee reserves the right to accept or reject the number of hours that may be accepted. Credit awarded by examination must meet degree requirements and is subject to the transfer credit maximum of 90 semester hours. Credit by examination may be awarded only to degree-seeking students.

To have an exam reviewed for transfer credit as part of the admissions process, please request an official score report and have it sent to:

ATTN: Office of Admission
United States Sports University
One Academy Dr.
Daphne, AL 36526

3.5.2.1    Advanced Placement (AP)

Students who obtain a score of 3 or higher on the College Board Advanced Placement examination in any subject area may be awarded transfer credit in that subject area. AP credit may be transferable as follows:

3.5.2.2       College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Students who obtain a score of 50 or higher/who obtain the ACE recommended score or higher on the College-Level Examination Program examination in any subject area may be awarded transfer credit in that subject area. CLEP credit may be transferable as follows:

3.5.2.3    DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST)

Students who obtain a score of 400 or higher/who obtain the Minimum Required Score or higher on the Educational Testing Services (ETS) DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST) examination in any subject area will be awarded transfer credit in that subject area. DSST credit may be transferable as follows:

3.5.2.4    International Baccalaureate (IB)

Students who obtain a score of 5 or higher on the International Baccalaureate examination in any subject area may be awarded transfer credit in that subject area. IB credit may be transferable as follows:

3.5.3      Transfer Request Procedures Submitted by Students: Undergraduate Upper-Division Courses

An applicant to any bachelor’s degree program at USSU may be eligible to transfer upper-division courses from another college or university. A student may transfer no more than 90 semester-hours to USSA, including the required lower-division hours. The transfer request process is outlined below:

1. The student must first be accepted into the program.
2. Upon acceptance, all prior transcripts will be evaluated.
3. Upper-division courses that are equivalent to what USSA’s program of study offers will automatically be pre-approved for possible transfer credit.

Pre-approval is subject to additional documentation at USSA’s discretion.

If a USSU student takes a course from an outside institution after the initial evaluation of transcripts, all such requests are subject to review and approval as outlined below:

1. The student must submit a completed form for Undergraduate Upper-Division Transfer Credit, which is located on the USSU website, along with the following:
   1. a copy of the official transcripts showing the grade earned
   2. a catalog description of the course
   3. a copy of the syllabus outlining learning objectives and course content from the term in which the course was completed.
2. USSA may accept transfer credit from other accredited institutions with a grade of C- or higher. See Section 6 Tuition and Fees for more information on any associated fee.
3. In the case of international students or credits earned from an international university, students must provide copies of all course syllabi outlining learning objectives and course content in English. If the institution does not produce the syllabi in English, the student must provide certified copies translated into English.

Transfer of upper-division coursework does not guarantee satisfaction of a student’s program of study requirements. Students should check their program of study carefully to determine where any applicable transfer may satisfy degree requirements.

3.5.4      Experiential Learning Credit

Degree-seeking undergraduate students wishing to petition for experiential learning credit (ELC) must be in full standing and have successfully completed six semester hours within their program of study. Exceptions may be permitted.

During the petition process, students will be referred to as “candidate” until their ELC case portfolio is approved. The policies for ELC are as follows:

1. A student wishing to petition for Experiential Learning Credit (ELC) must be an undergraduate, degree-seeking student in full standing who has successfully completed six semester hours (two courses) within their Program of Study (POS). Exceptions may be permitted by the Chief Academic Officer.
2. The maximum number of semester hours eligible for ELC is six (6).
3. Courses selected as possible ELC courses must be in USSA’s most recent Undergraduate Catalog.
   1. ELC will not be given for SPT 496 Applied Topics in Sports; SPT 492, SPT 494, or SPT 498 Bachelor’s Internships; SAR 490 Senior Research Project; or SPT 497 CSCS Examination Prep.
   2. Candidates opting for ELC are urged to review the course description of the selected course.
4. Candidates must complete the ELC Petition Form and submit it to Student Services, along with any associated processing fees.

The procedures for petitioning for ELC are as follows:

1. The student will send the ELC Petition to Student Services for initial review to ensure all requirements have been submitted.
   1. Included with the Petition, candidates must present a focused resume citing specific lifetime experiences, which they believe will exhibit that they have completed the course learning objectives.
2. After all necessary documents are received, Student Services will determine if the petition is complete before sending the petition for review by the Chief Academic Officer.
3. The Chief Academic Officer will either approve or deny the ELC petition.
4. If approved, the Chief Academic Officer will assign a faculty advisor who will be a Subject Matter Expert.

Upon approval of the ELC Petition and once a faculty advisor has been assigned to the ELC petition, the assigned faculty advisor will take the following steps:

1. Initiate contact with the student by emailing the course learning objectives,
2. Send the student information and instruction regarding the ELC Case Portfolio to establish the justification for granting college credit for the student’s lifetime experience.
3. Review the submitted ELC Case Portfolio and render a recommendation for granting ELC or directing the student to re-submit the ELC Portfolio with specific recommendations for improvement and forward this assessment to the Chief Academic Officer.
4. The Chief Academic Officer will notify the student regarding the outcome of the ELC Portfolio assessment.

Credits awarded through experiential learning will be entered into the student’s record. ELC will be entered on the student’s transcript identified with the appropriate course number and with an indication that it was awarded through the ELC process.

Graduate Degrees: Master’s and Doctoral Level

3.5 Transfer Credit Acceptance

Any applicant to one of USSU’s degree programs is eligible to transfer equivalent degree level courses from other colleges or universities. The maximum number of transfer credits allowed are:

• 15 semester hours for the master’s degree program
• 24 semester hours for the doctoral degree program

All such requests are subject to review and approval as outlined in the following section.

3.5.1 Specific Transfer Policies – M.S.S. and Ed.D. Programs

All requests for transfer credit must follow this procedure:

1. Course work transferred or accepted for credit toward a graduate degree must represent graduate course work relevant to the degree, with course content and level of instruction in student competencies at least equivalent to those of students enrolled in USSA’s own graduate degree program.
2. In assessing and documenting “equivalent” learning, USSU uses guidelines prepared by the American Council on Education (ACE) and the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO). If transfer courses are not substantially equivalent to courses in the specific degree program of USSA, transfer credit will not be approved.
3. USSA accepts courses from all regionally accredited institutions that are equivalent to courses in USSU’s curriculum.
4. It is the policy of USSU to accept transfer courses based on the requirements of various regulatory and licensure authorities to which USSU must be responsive.
5. USSA accepts courses from all nationally accredited institutions as recognized by the Department of Education that are equivalent to courses in USSU’s curriculum.
6. USSA will accept courses from international institutions that are equivalent to courses in USSU’s curriculum provided that the institution is approved by a foreign nation’s Ministry of Education (where that approval process is comparable to accreditation in the United States).
7. USSA will accept transfer credits from a credential-evaluation service that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, provided the courses are equivalent to courses found in USSU’s curriculum.
8. USSA may accept transfer credits from non-accredited institutions provided they are equivalent to courses found in USSU’s curriculum. All such transfer credits must be reviewed on a case-by case basis.
9. USSA will not accept transfer courses unless the earned grade is a “B” or better.
10. Under no circumstances may courses be used to fulfill degree requirements for more than one degree. For example, if the student has already received a master’s degree from another institution, courses for which credit was received for the degree cannot be applied to USSA’s M.S.S. degree. The same policy applies to doctoral degrees.
11. USSA will not consider or evaluate transfer course requests until the student has applied to and has been accepted by USSU.

3.5.2 Credit Transfer by Examination – M.S.S. and Ed.D. Programs

USSA does not accept credit transfer by examination in either the master’s program or the doctoral program.

3.5.3 Transfer Request Procedures Submitted by Students: M.S.S. and Ed.D.

An applicant to any master’s degree or doctoral degree program at USSU may be eligible to transfer courses from another college or university.

1. A non-refundable Transfer Credit fee will be charged for each Graduate Credit Transfer Evaluation form submitted. The evaluation form can be found on USSA’s website, https://ussu.edu/students/. See Section 6 Tuition and Fees for more information on any associated fee.
2. The following documentation must be submitted: official transcripts showing the grade earned, a catalog description of the course, and a copy of the syllabus outlining learning objectives and course content. In addition, on the Graduate Credit Transfer Evaluation Form, the applicant should specify which of USSA’s courses the transfer courses may be able to replace.
3. In the case of international students, the official transcript must be in English or be a verified translation into English from a foreign language. In the case of the alternate for international courses, a certified transcript evaluation from a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services is required.

3.5.4 Experiential Learning Credit

Graduate students are not eligible to petition for experiential learning credit (ELC) in lieu of coursework.

Credit Hour Determination Process

The process of determining the credit hours awarded to each course at the United States Sports University involves credentialed faculty members serving as Subject Matter Experts or SMEs, the Instructional Design department, the Curriculum and Textbook Committee, and the Academic Committee. The Institutional Effectiveness Committee is responsible for final approvals and reporting.

The following information details USSU’s credit hour determination process in detail: USSA Credit Hour Determination Process – Updated October 2024.