Earn college credit by completing a portfolio of prior experiences!
If you've gained college-level learning through work experience, military service, professional development, volunteerism or personal experiences — we think you deserve credit for that.
Through portfolio assessment, you can work with program faculty to plan, compile and evaluate a written portfolio of your knowledge and experiences in exchange for CCBC credit — a flexible option that saves you time and money on your degree.
Portfolio assessment is ideal if you have:
While not as time-consuming as taking a full course, you should plan to spend time working on your portfolio and pay the assessment fee.
You should have experiences through work, volunteer or related experiences that can apply to CCBC course objectives.
If you tend to perform better with written assignments, this is the best option for you!
In most cases, you will be expected to pay an assessment fee which is currently 50% of the in-county tuition rate. However, if you are a CCBC Continuing Education student enrolled in a Workforce Certificate program, you may be eligible for a fee waiver!
To initiate the PLA process, email priorlearning@ccbcmd.edu. We'll be in touch with next steps and arrange for you to meet with a faculty member, also referred to as a subject matter faculty expert.
When you meet with a subject matter faculty expert, you'll work together on timeline, objectives and process. You'll then need to spend some time on your own to compile and write your portfolio. This may include letters of recommendation, reflective essays and work samples.
Your subject matter faculty expert will grade the portfolio and submit the processing paperwork which will take a few weeks to process. You'll need a 70% or higher to pass.
To initiate the PLA process, email priorlearning@ccbcmd.edu. We'll be in touch with next steps and arrange for you to meet with a faculty member, also referred to as a subject matter faculty expert.
When you meet with a subject matter faculty expert, you'll work together on timeline, objectives and process. You'll then need to spend some time on your own to compile and write your portfolio. This may include letters of recommendation, reflective essays and work samples.
Your subject matter faculty expert will grade the portfolio and submit the processing paperwork which will take a few weeks to process. You'll need a 70% or higher to pass.
Most portfolio assessments will earn you three credits, but depending on the course, you could earn anywhere from one to six credits. View an up-to-date list of CCBC courses eligible for portfolio assessment.