FAQ
- The "Value" of the Regents BA Degree
- Degree
- Admissions
- Transfer
- Areas of Emphasis
- Portfolios and Standardized Awards
- Miscellaneous Questions
FAQ Topic: The "Value" of the Regents BA degree
Q. Do employers recognize the Regents BA degree?
A. The Regents BA degree is widely recognized by regional employers. Out-of-state employers may not be familiar with the Regents BA, but Regents' graduates report few if any difficulties once employers understand the nature of the Regents program.
Q. Can I go on to graduate or professional school with a Regents BA?
A. Yes. Regents BA graduates go on to medical school, law school, and a variety of graduate programs both within and outside of West Virginia. Students planning to seek graduate or professional school admission select courses which meet the admission requirements of these programs. (Note: In some professional programs there is an expectation that at least 50% of the student's undergraduate course work should be in regular, graded courses. Too much portfolio credit could be a problem.)
Q. What will my diploma say?
A. Your diploma will say that you have a "Regents BA Degree from West Virginia University."
FAQ Topic: Degree Requirements
Q. The Regents BA Program is listed under the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences. Does that mean I have to take a foreign language like other A&S students?
A. No. The Regents Curriculum is determined by State Guidelines and no foreign language is required by those Guidelines..
Q. Do I have to take regular courses to meet the General Education and Upper Division requirements?
A. No. You may meet the General Education and Upper Division requirements by passing appropriate CLEP, Dantes or AP exams with specified scores, earning college-equivalent-credit or earning credit by exam from the main campus WVU departments.
Q. Do I have to take the 24 hours of Residency credit at WVU?
A. No. While State Guidelines allow WVU to require that three hours of course work be taken at WVU, the rest of the Residency credit may be taken at any one or a combination of the public higher education institutions in the State.
Q. Can I meet the Residency requirement with college-equivalent-credit?
A. No. Residency hours must be earned by taking "regular" courses. Likewise, you cannot use CLEP or other tests or credit-by-exam to meet the Residency requirement.
Q. Does taking "regular" courses for Residency mean I have to take courses on campus?
A. No. Regular courses come in a variety of delivery formats including web-based, satellite, TV, correspondence, and e-mail courses. At present West Virginia public institutions offer very few correspondence courses, but the number of web-based courses is growing steadily.
Q. Can the same courses be used to meet the Residency requirement as well as General Education or Upper Division requirements?
A. Yes. Some courses might meet all three requirements at once (but they only count once toward the 128 hours needed for graduation).
FAQ Topic: Admissions
Q. How do I apply for admission to the Regents Program?
A. You can complete a WVU Application Form and return it by mail to the Regents Office. (Application forms are available from the Regents Office and from many advising units.) Alternatively you can apply for admission on line by going to WVU's Admissions and Records webpage: http://www.arc.wvu.edu/
Q. If I earned a GED recently, do I still have to wait 4 years?
A. Perhaps. The four-years-since-graduation rule would apply to the date when you would have graduated had you completed high school.
Q. What if my GPA is below 2.00?
A. Your GPA may be helped by the Regents rule that allows disregarding all F's earned more than four years prior to your initial admission to the Regents program. (Your GPA is recalculated with the F's ignored, although they will remain on your transcript.) Alternatively you may petition the Regents Coordinator for admission "on probation." If your petition is accepted, the Regents Coordinator will require that you agree to a clear plan of action which makes it likely that a satisfactory GPA will be obtained within a specified time.
Q. What if I drop our for one or two semesters. Do I have to reapply to continue?
A. At WVU, in the Regents program, you will remain active for three years from the time of your initial admission (even if you don't take a course every semester), and you will remain active as long as you continue to take courses, submit portfolios, or transfer credits in. If you become inactive for three continuous years or longer, it will be necessary to reapply and you will be readmitted under the Regents policies in effect at the time of readmission (which may include new requirements, higher portfolio fees etc.).
Q. How long do I have to complete my degree?
A. There is no deadline for degree completion; one recent graduate completed her degree 73 years after she started earning college credits.
FAQ Topic: Transfer Credit
Q. Will my Associate degree credits transfer to WVU for the Regents Program?
A. Yes. Although Associate degree credits often will not transfer for students in traditional WVU majors, they will transfer for students in the Regents program. (Note: should you leave the Regents program for a traditional WVU major, you would lose these credits.)
Q. Is there any limit on the amount of credit I can transfer from other institutions?
A. There is a limit of 72 hours of lower division credit from community and junior colleges which can count toward the 128 hours needed for graduation..
Q. Can I transfer in "D" grades from other institutions?
A. Yes.
Q. Will all my transfer credits be used in determining my GPA?
A. Only credits earned within the WV public higher education system will be counted in determining your GPA. From these institutions D's and F's both transfer.
Q. Are there credits from other institutions which will not transfer?
A. Yes. Remedial courses do not transfer, nor do credits earned as credit-by-exam at other institutions. College-equivalent-credit is not transferable, nor are most credits earned on the basis of articulation agreements between colleges and their local agencies and industries. Aside from these exceptions, almost all satisfactorily completed course work taken at regionally accredited higher education institutions is transferable. (Note: Students may write portfolios to earn credit in areas where course work is not transferable.)
Q. Can I get credit for Military Service?
A. Yes. WVU's Military Science Department will give two credits per year of military service up to a maximum of eight credits; students are also awarded two credits in Physical Education. (The military science credit is not awarded if students already have Military Science on their transcripts.) Additional credit will be given for documented specialized military training which has been assessed by the American Council on Education. There is no fee for the posting of military credit.
FAQ Topic: Areas of Emphasis
Q. Can I use transfer credit toward an AOE?
A. Perhaps. If you have taken courses that transfer in as "equivalent to" courses required for the AOE, those courses may be counted. Courses that transfer in as "non-equivalent" ("000") will not count.
Q. Can I ever substitute a different course for one specified by the department offering the AOE?
A. Perhaps, but this requires the written permission of the department that set up the AOE.
Q. Are new AOEs ever set up?
A. Yes. Setting up AOEs is an on-going process which may be initiated by departments, the Regents Office or students. See the Regents Coordinator for information about that process.
Q. Can I earn more than one AOE?
A. Yes. There is no limit on the number of AOEs students may earn.
FAQ Topic: Portfolios and Standardized Awards
Q. Exactly what is a portfolio?
A. A portfolio is a written document justifying and documenting the request for college-equivalent credit. Portfolios have four components: 1) a request for credit for specific college courses; 2) a resume identifying your educational, professional, and other relevant activities; 3) a narrative demonstrating that you have "college-equivalent" knowledge and skills; and 4) documentation to support your claims of accomplishment.
Q. Who reads the portfolios and determines whether credit is awarded?
A. Portfolios are sent to the departments which offer the requested credits. Faculty in those departments read and determine the credit awards.
Q. Can I request college-equivalent-credit from institutions other than WVU?
A. Yes, but only in areas where WVU does not offer the program of study or where specialty courses are involved. (Credit requests that go outside WVU are particularly likely in the areas with specialized Associate Degrees--e.g. in Welding, Business Technology, Legal Assisting, Electronics, etc--since WVU does not offer such programs.)
Q. Can I get help in deciding what credits to request?
A. Yes. The Regents Coordinator will work with you to find the most effective way to request credits. The Regents Coordinator will also read drafts of your portfolios and provide feedback on ways your portfolio could be improved.
Q. Is there a limit on the amount of college-equivalent credit that can be earned?
A. No. Some students have earned over 100 hours of college-equivalent credit although this is highly unusual. Earning 30 hours of college-equivalent credit is not at all unusual.
Q. How do the credits earned by writing portfolios appear on my transcript?
A. They are designated as "c.e.c" credits. "College-equivalent credit" is not graded.
Q. Can you resubmit a portfolio if you don't get all the credit you want?
A. It is usually possible to resubmit a portfolio for additional credit, especially if faculty evaluators indicate what is needed for full credit. There is no portfolio fee required for re-submission. Re-submissions must be done within a year after the portfolio was initially returned.
Q. Are there sample portfolios one can look at?
A. Yes. Portfolios may be seen in the Regents Office and there are also portfolios on Reserve at the Evansdale Library.
Q. What happens to portfolios after they are assessed?
A. The "Master Portfolio" (a collection of all individual portfolio submissions) is kept by the Regents Office for three years and then returned to the student or destroyed. The individual portfolios that were sent out for faculty review are returned to the student (Note: students must arrange to pick up portfolios; the Regents Office does not mail them.).
Q. Should you submit portfolios as soon as you enter the Regents BA Program?
A. Yes and No. If you are requesting large-credit standardized awards--such as for X-ray technology--and don't expect to write portfolios or request other credit awards, then you will probably want to bring in your credits early in order to get the advantage of a higher class rank. (Students with higher class ranks select courses ahead of those with lower class ranks.) If you have very little college experience you will probably want to wait to submit portfolios until you are more familiar with how faculty conduct classes and assess academic work.
Q. How do I find out about Standardized Awards?
A. A list of Standardized Awards can be found by using the following link: Standardized Awards
Standardized Awards change over time so it is always wise to check at the Regents Office to see if the award is still given and if new ones have been added. Standardized Awards require specific documentation; check with the Regents Office to determine what is required. The Regents Program also recognizes standardized credit awards that are listed in the ACE (American Council on Education) Guide. A copy of the ACE Guide is available in the Regents Office.
FAQ Topic: Miscellaneous Questions
Q. Are Regents students eligible for Financial Aid and University Scholarships?
A. Yes. Regents students have the same privileges and responsibilities as other WVU students.
Q. Are there any scholarships especially for Regents BA students?
A. No, but the Martha Hupp Scholarship is open to all non-traditional students at WVU, including Regents students. See the Regents Coordinator for details.
Q. Are there any accommodations made for students with disabilities?
A. Yes. WVU's Office of Disability Services works with individual students to provide accommodation for those with physical, psychological and learning disabilities. Students should contact the Office of Disability Services directly for more complete information. Their address is:
Office of Disability Services
G30 Mountainlair
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6423