Departmental Proficiency Examination (Credit by Examination)

College Park Departmental Proficiency Examinations, customarily referred to as credit-by-examination, are comparable to comprehensive final examinations in a course. Although the mathematics and foreign-language departments receive the most applications for credit by examination, many departments will provide examinations for certain of their courses. Initial inquiry as to whether an examination in a specific course is available is best made at the academic department which offers the course in question.

If an examination for a course is available, the department will provide information regarding time and place, type of examination, and material which might be helpful in preparing for the examination. An undergraduate who passes a departmental proficiency examination is given credit and quality points toward graduation in the amount regularly allowed in the course, provided such credits do not duplicate credit obtained by some other means. After making arrangements with the department, apply through the Division of Letters and Sciences, 1117 Hornbake Library, 301-405-2793.

Policies governing credit by examination:

1. The applicant must be formally admitted to the University of Maryland, College Park. Posting of credit earned, however, will be delayed until the student is registered.
2. Departmental Proficiency Examinations may not be taken for courses in which the student has remained registered at the University of Maryland, College Park, beyond the Schedule Adjustment Period even with a transcript notation of W.
3. Departmental Proficiency Examinations may not be used to change grades, including Incompletes and Withdrawals.
4. Application for credit-by-examination is equivalent to registration for the course; however, the following conditions apply:
   • a. A student may cancel the application at any time prior to completion of the examination with no entry on his/her permanent record. (Equivalent to the schedule adjustment period.)
   • b. The instructor makes the results of the examination available to the student prior to formal submission of the grade. Before final submission of the grade, the student may elect not to have this grade recorded. In this case, a mark of W is recorded. (Equivalent to the drop period.)
   • c. No examination may be attempted more than twice.
   • d. The instructor must certify on the report of the examination submitted to the Office of the Registrar that copies of the examination questions (or identifying information in the case of standardized examinations), and the students answers have been filed with the chair of the department offering the course.
5. If accepted by the student (see 4b above), letter grades earned through credit-by-examination are entered on the student's transcript, and are used in computing his/her cumulative grade point average. A student may elect to take a credit-by- examination Pass-Fail only if the credit fulfills an elective in the student's degree program. No college, major, field of concentration, or general education program requirement may be taken under the pass-fail option. Please refer to the Pass-Fail policy under the Records section in this chapter.