Technical Courses - TESC (credit transfer)

[ncpenn]

So, TESC wiped about 27 credits off of my Academic Evaluation today. The note explaining it was . . .

[INDENT]06/12/13 The credits awarded for the courses listed on your Waukesha County
Technical College transcript are technical courses. Thomas Edison
State College does not accept technical course credit in transfer.
You may want to consider Prior Learning Assessment as
a means of learning credit for the knowledge you gained by completing these
courses. Information on Prior Learning Assessment is on
our website College Education for Adults at Thomas Edison State College.[/INDENT]

I had no idea they wouldn't take "technical courses." I think I'll call them tomorrow to try and get a better understanding.

[cooperalex2004]

So, TESC wiped about 27 credits off of my Academic Evaluation today. The note explaining it was . . .

[INDENT]06/12/13 The credits awarded for the courses listed on your Waukesha County
Technical College transcript are technical courses. Thomas Edison
State College does not accept technical course credit in transfer.
You may want to consider Prior Learning Assessment as
a means of learning credit for the knowledge you gained by completing these
courses. Information on Prior Learning Assessment is on
our website College Education for Adults at Thomas Edison State College.[/INDENT]

I had no idea they wouldn't take "technical courses." I think I'll call them tomorrow to try and get a better understanding.

They rejected a couple of my ACE credits for the same reason and I will tell you that it doesn't appear to be an uncommon thing. My community college (in Minnesota instead of New Jersey) even looked down at technical credits and had a limit on how many they would take. It is a policy that isn't widely known and to me a community college and technical college are both two year schools and with regional accreditation I don't quite understand why they are looking down on your credits. I don't see an actual policy worded to say they don't take the technical credits but they do say:

"We accept up to 80 credits earned from regionally accredited community colleges, and up to 120 credits from regionally accredited four-year institutions."

[ncpenn]

They rejected a couple of my ACE credits for the same reason and I will tell you that it doesn't appear to be an uncommon thing. My community college (in Minnesota instead of New Jersey) even looked down at technical credits and had a limit on how many they would take. It is a policy that isn't widely known and to me a community college and technical college are both two year schools and with regional accreditation I don't quite understand why they are looking down on your credits. I don't see an actual policy worded to say they don't take the technical credits but they do say:

"We accept up to 80 credits earned from regionally accredited community colleges, and up to 120 credits from regionally accredited four-year institutions."

This is what I found annoying too. Where is this technical course policy? I've never seen it.

However, based on the wording, they don't reject Tech schools, but technical courses. I had 14 credits in carpentry, but about 14 credits in applied math, health, communications, etc. Those credits I'm going to try to get them to put back on. We'll see.

[cookderosa]

can you give more information? What courses were these, and from which department/division? Also, which degree are you considering at TESC?


Oops, ok, I see your courses were in carpentry. Which degree are you working on? Also, are your free electives already full on your new degree plan? I'm trying to figure out what happened, I've never heard of this before- this can't be true.

[ncpenn]

I see your courses were in carpentry. Which degree are you working on? Also, are your free electives already full on your new degree plan? I'm trying to figure out what happened, I've never heard of this before- this can't be true.

Working on Computer Science. Originally, they placed the carpentry, surveying, and similar courses in my free electives. They were my free electives; now my free electives are empty. They had originally coded the two main carpentry courses as 7 credits each. I was a little shocked by that (but also okay with it). My communications, applied math, etc. were placed in humanities and general ed.

Anyway, I've got an email in to them. We'll see what I get back.

The part I can't wrap my head around is a) why don't they say this anywhere? (I kind of lost 27 regionally accredited credits just like that), and b) why would a community college's courses be okay but a regionally accredited 2 year technical college courses aren't?

[ncpenn]

This is TESC's reply:

[INDENT]Hello Nathan,

After contacting WCTC, it was confirmed with their records department that the courses listed on your transcript were technical-level, and would not be applicable to their Associates' degree programs. TESC requires coursework to be undergraduate or graduate-level in order to be considered for direct transfer. This is why no transfer credit has been given from this institution.

If you feel that this is not the case, please contact this institution and request that they send us information in writing to specify otherwise. They can send it to [email address], or to the address below.

thank you,

Christine Carter
Senior Learner Services Representative
Thomas Edison State College
101 West State St
Trenton, NJ 08618[/INDENT]

[cooperalex2004]

This is TESC's reply:

[INDENT]Hello Nathan,

After contacting WCTC, it was confirmed with their records department that the courses listed on your transcript were technical-level, and would not be applicable to their Associates' degree programs. TESC requires coursework to be undergraduate or graduate-level in order to be considered for direct transfer. This is why no transfer credit has been given from this institution.

If you feel that this is not the case, please contact this institution and request that they send us information in writing to specify otherwise. They can send it to [email address], or to the address below.

thank you,

Christine Carter
Senior Learner Services Representative
Thomas Edison State College
101 West State St
Trenton, NJ 08618[/INDENT]

That sounds like a policy TESC needs to publish! Looking back at my community college, they accepted up to 16 technical credits no matter what program you did. TESC is supposed to be pretty accommodating on credit transfer so I don't quite get why they would completely reject the credits. I would say you should contact the other school and tell the registrar your story and see what they say. Other than that your other option is to file a formal appeal to TESC but it sounds like they just don't like technical credits.

[ncpenn]

The thing is . . . I kind of understand what TESC is saying, but I hate being hit with it after the fact. I would be a lot more okay with it if it were published (as you said, cooperalex2004).

Currently, I've got an email into WCTC. I'll probably stop in later this week and talk with their records dept too. I still think the communications, math, etc courses are just about the same as first year courses taken by associate degree students.

[sanantone]

I completely understand what TESC is saying. It's really not about TESC's policy being strange because it's not; the original college told TESC that those courses aren't applicable to a degree program. That means they aren't college-level. It's kind of like Penn Foster's career diploma and certificate programs. You don't actually earn college credit with those even though PF will give you some credits toward their own degree programs. PF says that their career programs are more like continuing education credits.

[BGSU_Alum_86]

I would suggest finding a course description of the courses you took that you feel should qualify as general elective credit. These descriptions (or a syllabus, if you can get ahold of one) would clarify to the registrar's office exactly what was covered in the course. Then they can make the determination on whether it would be acceptable/transferable or not.