Are alternative credits only an American thing?

[rachel83az]

I wonder if that means other universities in different countries won't recognize a lot of American degree.

That depends a lot on the country and the university in question. Some countries are just skeptical of "online degrees" in general. Example: I think that WGU is not recognized at all in Germany. If you want to get a Master's degree in Germany and all you have is a degree from WGU, too bad. A Master's degree from WGU would equate to "no degree" for immigration purposes.

On the other hand, a school like UMPI should be fine.

In either instance, if you qualify to live in Germany for other reasons (like being a US-German citizen who lived in the US long enough to get a WGU degree), having a WGU degree wouldn't necessarily be a deal-breaker for employment purposes. Individual companies can decide whether they want to accept a specific degree as being sufficient for their own internal processes.