Academic Regulations
Limitations on Nontraditional Credit:
CLEP, IEP, Military Service, Special Examinations (Proficiency or Challenge Examinations), Competency Based Programs, ACT-PEP (Nursing majors only).
The maximum undergraduate credit that may be earned by these means is 60 semester hours. The limit for special or nontraditional credit is 24 hours for any one of these categories. Normally, nontraditional credit will not apply toward the last 24 hours of residency; however, students who have completed 24 hours of traditional course work at UTC and have not yet attempted the last 24 hours may petition to apply a maximum of 12 hours of these types of credit toward the last 24 hours. Application for IEP credit must be initiated no later than the semester preceding graduation.
Except for credit by special examination (undergraduate), most credit earned by these nontraditional means is elective. Exceptions to this principle may be made only with the written approval of the respective departments, indicating specifically the amount and type of credit to be applied to a major degree program.
Military Service Credit
The University may grant credit for military science to students with six or more months of honorable active service in the armed services of the United States or in a service academy. A total of 30 semester hours of elective credit, including basic military service, may be accepted from the Community College of the Air Force. University policy permits and encourages granting credit for appropriate educational experience in the armed services in accordance with their evaluation in the American Council on Education’s 1986 Guide to the Evaluation of Education Experiences in the Armed Services or by the Commission on the Accreditation of Service Experiences evaluation service. Veterans requesting military service credit should submit a copy of their DD Form 214 to the Records and Registration Office for evaluation. The University Tennessee at Chattanooga is a member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges.
International Education Exchange Program
The University offers a wide range of opportunities for students to study abroad while earning academic credit. Through the University’s membership in the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) and the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), UTC students may participate in special exchange programs of a semester or more throughout the world. UTC’s membership in the Cooperative Center for Study Abroad (CCSA) allows our students to study in countries where the English language is dominantly spoken: Australia, Belize, England, Ireland, Kenya, Scotland, South Africa and New Zealand. Classes in CCSA are taught by UTC faculty and faculty from other CCSA member colleges and universities. UTC also offers students several exchange opportunities with foreign universities who have signed a bilateral exchange agreement with UTC, including Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic; Haifa University in Israel; Lulea University in Sweden; and Nagoya University of Foreign Studies in Japan. Many students have also found programs outside of UTC’s consortium agreements in which to participate and have been to Madagascar, Costa Rica, Italy, Slovenia, Argentina, Spain and many other countries.
Students will be required to register for a non-credit class that certifies them as participants in the UTC Study Abroad program. There is a placement fee required of all students who plan to study abroad. Interested students should contact UTC’s Office of International Exchange Programs by visiting 326 University Center, or calling (423) 425-4735.
National Student Exchange
UTC students have the opportunity to participate in an exchange program within the United States and Canada. The National Student Exchange (www.nse.org) offers UTC students the opportunity to study at 180 other U.S. colleges and universities for a semester or a whole year at minimal additional cost to what they pay as UTC students. UTC students have studied at colleges and universities in Alabama, Hawaii, California, Utah, Minnesota, Montana, Colorado, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Vermont and Massachusetts since UTC joined the consortium in 1998.
UTC students participating in an exchange remain enrolled at UTC by registering in a non-credit course. This enrollment will certify them as exchange students and enable students to use their financial aid or scholarships to help pay for the exchange. There is also a placement fee charged for participation in the NSE Program.
Interested students are encouraged to contact the Office of Cooperative Education and International Programs at (423) 425-4735, or come to the office in 326 University Center.
