Students who have mastered knowledge and skills covered in a college level course may earn degree credit for that course through taking either standard or local examinations. Standard examinations offered are CLEP (College Level Examination Program and DANTES (Defense Activities for Non-Traditional Education Support). Local examinations are generated by faculty in the department which offers the course. Local examinations are not generated where a department has adopted use of either CLEP or DANTES. A listing of adopted standard examinations and the equivalent TSU courses follows this narrative. Standard examinations are graded by the agency which supplies the test. Local examinations are graded by TSU faculty.
Each department determines for which of its courses credit by examination is appropriate. Each department also determines if it will accept credit by examination for its majors. Because of content, performance or other requirements, not all courses readily lend themselves to the credit by examination process.
A student who wishes to earn credit by examination begins the process through discussion with his/her department head. The department head will provide written instructions on the credit by examination process for both standard and locally generated examinations.
Academic credit attained through CLEP Subject Area Examinations and DANTES will be given to TSU students provided:
- Scores are equal to or greater than the required minimum score shown in the accompanying Credit by Standard Examination table.
- CLEP and DANTES credit do not duplicate any college credit counted for admission.
Credit earned through CLEP and DANTES will be entered on the student’s permanent record but will not be computed in the grade point average. A maximum of 33 semester hours may be gained through a combination of College Level Examinations, DANTES and examinations for credit. These examinations may not be taken to repeat course work or to remove a grade of “F” or “I”.
Examinations for credit may not be used for:
- research or independent study courses
- any course work from which the student has been exempted
- repeating of courses
- removal of deficiency grades
- any course in which the student is currently enrolled
- any course which the student attempted or was enrolled in for four or more weeks prior to withdrawal
The examination must be completed and the recorded results must be received by the Office of Admissions and Records according to the following schedule:
Regular Semester prior to the end of the 9th week of classes.
Summer Sessions
I & II prior to the end of the 3rd week of classes.
| University Course Title and Number |
Credit Hours |
CLEP Subject Exam Title |
Minimum Score |
| Accounting 2110, 2120 | 6 hr. cr. | Accounting, Principles of | 50 |
| Biology 1110,11200 and Labs | 6 hr. cr | Biology | 50 |
| Biology 1010, 1020 and Labs | 6 hr. cr. | Natural Sciences | 50 |
| Business Law 3230 | 3 hr. cr | Business Law | 51 |
| Chemistry 1030, 1040, and Labs | 8 hr. cr. | Chemistry | 50 |
| Economics 2010 | 3 hr. cr. | Macroeconomics, Principles of | 50 |
| Economics 2020 | 3 hr. cr. | Microeconomics, Principles of | 50 |
| English 1010 | 3 hr. cr. | English Composition with Essay | 50 |
| English 1020 | 3 hr. cr. | Freshman College Composition | (B on essay) 50 |
| English 2210, 2220 | 6 hr. cr. | English Literature | 50 |
| English 2110, 2120 | 6 hr. cr. | American Literature | 50 |
| History 2010 | 3 hr. cr. | History of the United States I: Early Colonization to 1877 | 50 |
| History 2020 | 3 hr. cr. | History of the United States II: 1865 to the Present | 50 |
| Management-Organization | 3 hr. cr. | Management, Principles of Theory & Behavior MGMT 301 |
50 |
| Marketing MK 301 | 3 hr. cr. | Marketing, Principles of | 50 |
| Mathematics 1010 | 3 hr. cr. | College Algebra | 55 |
| Mathematics 1040 | 3 hr. cr. | College Algebra-Trigonometry | 55 |
| Mathematics 1050 | 3 hr. cr. | Trigonometry | 55 |
| Mathematics 1060, 1070 | 8 hr. cr. | Calculus | 51 |
| Political Science 2010 | 3 hr. cr. | American Government | 50 |
| Psychology 2010 | 3 hr. cr. | Introductory Psychology | 55 |
| Psychology 3730 | 3 hr. cr. | Educational Psychology | 50 |
| Sociology 2010 | 3 hr. cr. | Introductory Sociology | 50 |
Students may earn college credit for the following Defense Activities for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) tests.
| University Course Title and Number |
Required University Policy | DANTES Exam Title | Minimum Score |
| Accounting | 3 hrs. | Principles of Financial Accounting | 50 |
| Economics 3200 | 3 hrs. | Money and Banking | 50 |
| Finance 3300 | 3 hrs. | Principles of Finance | 50 |
| ECON 1010 | 3 hrs. | Introduction to Business | 50 |
| Management MGMT 3010 | 3 hrs. | Organizational Behavior | 50 |