The first step is to take the Workshop on Credit for Prior Learning. This one-credit workshop is offered every fall and spring semester. The workshop is open to students who have significant prior experience in appropriate subject areas, are in good academic standing, and have transferred 60 or more credits into the Bachelor's Program for Adults and Transfer Students or have earned at least 12 credits as matriculated students at The New School. You must have permission from the Prior Learning coordinator to register for the workshop.
In the workshop, you'll learn how to compile the required portfolio, which consists of a narrative essay describing your previous experience in the context of your academic and professional goals; a learning assessment for each prior learning area, including the title as it will appear on the transcript; the number of credits you are requesting (from 1 to a maximum of 6 for each area of study); a description of the setting of your prior learning and of your role and responsibilities; self-reflective writing on the skills and knowledge you acquired; and appropriate documentation to substantiate and verify the learning for which credit is requested. By the end of the workshop, you will understand the genre of the portfolio and will have a draft portfolio on which you can continue to work after the end of the workshop. Successful completion of the workshop and award of the credit for the workshop are determined by your attendance and progress in compiling a portfolio.
During the following fall or spring semester (or any subsequent semester), you submit your completed portfolio(s) to the Prior Learning coordinator, who assigns each portfolio for evaluation to a New School faculty member with expertise in the field for which credit is requested. In some cases, in addition to reviewing the portfolio, the evaluator may ask a student to demonstrate understanding of the portfolio contents in some other way. The evaluator assesses the quality of learning and recommends the number of credits to be awarded (which could be fewer than the number requested). Credit is entered on the transcript at the end of the semester during which the portfolio is assessed. The entry includes the title of the learning area and the number of credits. No letter grades are awarded for prior learning.