Home / 2019-2020 Catalog / Special Programs

Print PDF

Special Programs

Department of Defense Voluntary Education Partnership Memorandum of Understanding

West Hills College Lemoore actively sDepartment-of-Defense-Voluntary-Education-Partnership-Memorandum-of-Understandingupports the philosophy and concepts of this designation as established by the American Association of Community Colleges.  West Hills College Lemoore acts in accordance with the DOD principles and criteria. Our dedication ensures the following:

  • Reducing barriers to access and completion such as minimum residency requirements
  • Considering American Council on Education (ACE) recommended military training evaluations for award of course credits
  • Providing each matriculating Service member with a Student Education Plan that specifies which transfer courses and prior learning credits have been awarded and which courses will be needed to complete a selected degree.
  • Residency requirements are 12 units of completed coursework.
  • Service members, spouses and their dependents share in the educational opportunities, programs and services available to the general public.
  • Service members, spouses and their dependents can continue their education through the online program.
  • Service members, spouses and their dependents may transfer credits from another accredited college.

Non-Traditional Credit and Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Options

West Hills College Coalinga offers students several options to earn course credit toward a degree or certificate.  Options such as Credit by Examination, AP Tests, and CLEP Tests allow students to earn course credit as an alternative to enrolling in a traditional semester-length course.  Below is a list of the non-traditional options for earning course credit and the circumstances that students must meet: 

Credit by Examination Policy

  • Credit by examination may be obtained by one of the following methods:
  • Credit by satisfactory completion of an institutional examination administered by the college in lieu of completion of an active course listed in the current college catalog.
  • Achievement of a score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement (AP) Examination administered by the College Board.
  • Achievement of a score that qualifies for credit by examination in the College Level Examination Program (CLEP).
  • Achievement of a score of 5 or above on a high level International Baccalaureate (IB) examination administered by the International Baccalaureate.
  • Credit by satisfactory completion of portfolio assessment administered by the college in lieu of completion of an active course listed in the current college catalog. 
  • Credit for military service, training, and experience as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) Directory. 

Credit by Institutional Examination Administered by the College

  • The course must be currently offered at the college and credit may be granted only for a course listed in the current West Hills College Coalinga catalog.
  • A maximum of 15 units may be earned and applied to an Associate degree through the credit by the examination process.
  • Petitions must be filed through the Educational Services Office. Final approval of each petition is granted by the instructor concerned and the Vice President of Educational Services.
  • The challenge examination option for course credit may be given at the discretion of the individual instructor.
  • The student, upon receiving approval to take an examination, will pay West Hills College Coalinga a per unit fee equal to the per unit enrollment fee for the course.
  • Challenge examinations may be given only by full-time instructors who currently teach the course. In the event that the course is being taught completely by part-time instructors, the Vice President of Educational Services will identify which part-time instructor will give the examination.
  • The student must be currently registered at the college and must not be subject to academic probation or dismissal.
  • Units for which credit is given pursuant to the provisions of this section shall not be counted in determining the 12 semester hours of credit in residence required for an associate degree by California Education Code Section 55050.
  • Normally, activity and performance courses will not be approved for credit by examination.
  • Summer session courses and short term classes may not be challenged.
  • Students wishing to challenge a class in which they are currently enrolled must file a petition prior to the beginning of the third week of instruction. Upon approval of the petition, the student must drop the class.
  • Students wishing to challenge a class in which they are currently not enrolled must file a petition prior to the sixth week of instruction.
  • The student may not have previously taken the course and received a grade other than a “W”. 
  • From the date of notification of approval, a maximum of four weeks will be allowed to pay the fee and complete the challenge.
  • Challenge of the same course will be allowed no more than twice. The required fee will be imposed on each challenge.
  • Letter grades A through F, unit value and grade points will be entered on the transcript in the usual manner. Courses cannot be challenged on a pass/no pass basis. The instructor’s grade with date of test will be filed with Admissions and Records.
  • Credits by examination are not applicable to meeting unit load requirements.
  • The student’s academic record will clearly indicate the credit was earned by examination.
  • No duplication of credit will be allowed for students who complete any courses equivalent to those covered by the examination.

Advanced Placement Examinations

West Hills College Coalinga will grant unit credit to those students who participate in the Advanced Placement Examinations offered by the College Examination Board. Students will receive unit credit, not a letter grade, with scores of 3 or higher for purposes of general education requirements, graduation and/or advanced placement into West Hills College Coalinga courses. In order to receive credit, a student must be currently enrolled at West Hills College Coalinga.

  • Students must submit their requests and have their official copy of The College Board test scores forwarded to the West Hills College Coalinga Office of Admissions and Records.
  • Requests should be made prior to registration, or as soon as possible during the first semester of attendance.
  • No duplication of credit will be allowed for students who complete or will complete any courses equivalent to those covered by the examination.
  • Students should understand that some transfer institutions do not allow and/or limit credit by examination.

Credit for Military Schools

A student who is currently Active Duty or a Veteran that has been honorably discharged may petition and be awarded credit. In all cases, the American Council on Education (ACE) ‘Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces’ will be followed:

  • West Hills College Coalinga will award equivalent college course credit for Military Service Schools as recommended by the ACE Directory.
  • A maximum of twenty seven (27) semester units of elective degree credit may be awarded for those service schools that the ACE Directory recommends for specific lower division credit, but for which West Hills College Coalinga does not offer a specific equivalent.
  • In addition, three (3) semester units for Health Education 35 will be awarded. A petition for HE 35 must be completed.
  • West Hills College Coalinga Request for Evaluation of Military Record must be an official military Joint Services Transcript (JST).
  • All units granted by West Hills College Coalinga will be placed officially on the current transcript of the student. (See also section on Veterans for additional information).
  • Grades and grade points will not be assigned to college credits granted through military experience. 
  • An evaluation of all the student’s prior credits (military, transfer, exams) in relation to the students declared major should be applied for before or completion of two semesters.

Special Note: Units from the official military transcript are non-transferrable.

CLEP (College Level Examination Program)

West Hills College Coalinga allows a maximum of 24 semester units of credit which can be earned for successful completion of the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) - General Examinations and/or Subject Examinations at the 50th percentile or above.

  • Students must be currently registered at West Hills College Coalinga before credit is posted to their transcripts.
  • The student has official CLEP examination score reports mailed from the College Board to the West Hills College Coalinga Office of Admissions and Records.
  • The English portion is not acceptable at West Hills College Coalinga.
  • Grades and grade points will not be assigned to college credits earned through CLEP examinations.  
  • Students should understand that some transfer institutions do not allow and/or limit credit by examination.

International Baccalaureate

West Hills College Coalinga will grant credit for successfully completing high level International Baccalaureate (IB) examinations, where a score of 5, 6, or 7 has been earned.  Standard level examinations are not granted credit. Credit may be granted under the following circumstances:

  • The student has official IB transcripts mailed from the International Baccalaureate to the West Hills College Coalinga Office of Admissions and Records.
  • The student received the minimum acceptable score on the IB examination as recommended by the California Community College General Education IB score equivalency list. 
  • Students should understand that some transfer institutions do not allow and/or limit credit by examination.
  • Grades and grade points will not be assed to college credits earned through IB examinations. 

Credit by Portfolio Assessment

West Hills College Coalinga will grant credit for satisfactory completion of portfolio assessment administered by the college in lieu of completion of an active course listed in the current college catalog. Credit may be granted under the following circumstances:

  • The student must be currently registered at the college.
  • The student must not be subject to academic probation or dismissal.
  • Portfolio assessment may be performed by full time faculty who currently teach the course and who agree to perform the assessment.  In the event that the course is being taught completely by adjunct faculty, the Vice President of Educational Services will identify which adjunct faculty agrees to perform the assessment. 
  • If no faculty is available, request for Credit by Portfolio Assessment may be denied; however, every effort will be made to provide portfolio assessment when requested. 
  • A separate portfolio assessment shall be conducted for each course for which credit is to be granted. 
  • The student may request portfolio assessment for a single course only once within the District. 
  • A maximum of 15 units may be earned through Credit by Portfolio Assessment.
  • The student will meet with a counselor to request portfolio assessment. 
  • The student has been advised that the alternative methods for awarding credit may or may not transfer to another institution.
  • The student will enroll in Portfolio Development (IS051) when requesting portfolio assessment for the first time. 
  • The student will assemble a portfolio that articulates, documents, and verifies their college level learning, knowledge, or skills acquired through experience.
  • The student will pay for the assessment of their portfolio. 
  • The faculty determine that portfolio assessment adequately measures mastery of the course content as set forth in the outline of record.
  • If faculty member determines that the college level learning demonstrated in the portfolio is equal to the grade of “C” or better, credit will be awarded.  If the knowledge is judged to be insufficient, the faculty member will deny credit.
  • Credits acquired are not applicable to meeting unit load requirements. 
  • No duplication of credit will be allowed for students who complete any courses equivalent to those covered by the examination.
  • Grades of “Pass” and “No Pass” will be assigned to credit earned through portfolio assessment.

Credit for Articulated High School Courses

Credit shall be granted to high school students who earn a grade of ‘A’ or ‘B’ in the articulated high school courses and shall be clearly noted as 2+2 Articulation and no grade shall be recorded on the student academic record.

Any student who successfully completed a high school course that was articulated under the terms of a previous agreement and that meets a requirement outlined above shall be permitted to apply the credit so earned according to the terms of the previous agreement, under the catalog rights at the time the course was taken.

  • Courses for which credit is given pursuant to the provisions of this section shall not be counted in determining the 12 semester hours of credit in residence required for an associate degree.
  • The student may, optionally, request and complete credit by examination from the college for these articulated courses. If the student successfully completes the credit by exam, the course completion information Is posted to the student’s transcript along with a notation of credit by examination.

Transfer of College Units to High School

A high school non-graduate student may choose to transfer college units to high school to satisfy the high school graduation requirements. The student should understand that high school graduation is not a requirement for admission to West Hills College Lemoore for persons eighteen years of age or older. The student should check with their high school regarding the transfer of college units to the high school for graduation before enrolling in college courses.

Transfer Credits Accepted from other Institutions

Students may transfer credits completed at another regionally accredited institutions to fulfill prerequisite, general education, major, and/or elective unit requirements for the Associate Degree or Certificate Programs offered at West Hills Community College District. Incoming transfer credits will only be accepted from institutions accredited by one of the following accrediting bodies:

  • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (NEASC-CIHE)
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
  • North Central Association of Colleges and Schools The Higher Learning Commission (NCA-HLC)
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) Commission on Colleges
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (WASC-ACCJC)
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Senior College and University Commission (WASC-SCUC)

To be eligible for transfer credit, students must have all official transcripts sent to the Admissions & Records at the prospective campus of attendance and complete the “Request for Transcript Evaluation” form. Staff will review transcripts and post credits as appropriate to the student’s academic record. Transcripts submitted become permanent property of West Hills College and cannot be returned to student or released elsewhere.

Acceptance of Upper Division Coursework

West Hills College Lemoore will accept coursework completed at the upper division level under the following conditions:

  • The course must have been completed at a regionally accredited (e.g. WASC) college or university.
  • The course must be deemed comparable to West Hills College Lemoore course by the faculty in the discipline, or an appropriate designee, or an articulation agreement. Upper division courses or more advanced courses may be used in lieu of lower division course competencies.
  • A maximum of 12 upper division units will be allowed.
  • The upper division course may be used to satisfy a West Hills College Lemoore major requirement, an associate degree general education requirement, or a prerequisite.
  • Courses will be accepted for subject credit only. Upper division courses will not be used to certify CSU GE or IGETC requirements. Students will still need 60 lower division transfer units to be eligible for admission to the CSU or UC.
  • Grades earned will be calculated in the same manner as those transferred from another college or university.

Auditing Courses

Education Code section 76370 authorizes districts to charge students who audit courses a fee not to exceed $15 per unit per semester. Students auditing courses are prohibited from changing their enrollment to credit status, and the attendance of auditors is not included for purposes of state apportionment. Please note that students enrolled for credit in ten or more semester units may audit an additional three or fewer units without paying this fee. There is no authority for districts that establish this fee to allow any other type of waiver.

International Students’ Admission

West Hills College Lemoore will not be accepting new applications from international students at this time.