The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a group of standardized tests created and administered by the College Board. These tests assess college-level knowledge in thirty six subject areas and provide a mechanism for earning college credits without taking college courses.

A student may receive up to six (6) non-course credits from the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams toward general education electives. Students, who entered or were readmitted to the College during the 2017-2018 Academic Year, and any following academic year, are bound by this credit limit. Students who entered or were readmitted to the College before the 2017-2018 Academic Year are not.

To earn credit, your earned score must meet the minimum score provided by the American Council on Education (ACE).  A complete list of CLEP exams, the ACE recommended minimum score per test, and the credit weight associated with each test is available on CollegeBoard.org. MassArt accepts all but the College Composition Modular CLEP exam.

• Check Your Eligibility. CLEP credits are counted towards a student’s earned transfer credits. MassArt allows students to bring in a total of 30 HART/LA combined transfer credits. Any earned CLEP credits would count towards this allowance of 30 transfer credits. If you have already brought 30 academic transfer credits over to MassArt, you should not take a CLEP exam.
   
• Get Advised. It is important that students avoid redundant content when choosing a CLEP exam. For example, if you have taken and earned credit for an Introduction to Psychology course, you wouldn’t be eligible to take the Introductory Psychology CLEP exam. For these reasons and more, it is important that students receive advice from the Registrar’s Office before registering for a CLEP exam. Students who are considering CLEP should contact the Associate Registrar, Sarah Hoff, at sbhoff@massart.edu.
   
• Send your CLEP score. In order to apply CLEP to your record, the Registrar’s office must receive your official CLEP transcript. Because it can take a few weeks for official CLEP transcripts to arrive, touch base with Sarah Hoff, with an update on your score.

First Term Fall schedules are usually completed by the beginning of July. First Term Spring schedules should be complete by mid-December. Once a new schedule has been built and viewable in Self Service, you will receive a notification email at your MassArt email address.

You may find that you have been registered for a course that completes a degree requirement but seems like it wouldn’t be of interest to you. While students do have the opportunity to adjust their schedules during Add/Drop (first two weeks of the semester), it isn’t always possible.

Our Chair of Studio Foundations and alumnus, Marc Holland, experienced this exact scenario when he was a new MassArt student. He had been placed in a wood-working studio elective that he was not excited about, but, amazingly, it ended up being his passion and eventual major! So be prepared to discover your hidden talents. 

With hundreds of schedules in play, we are unfortunately unable to personalize every schedule. If you have extenuating circumstances like a long commute (over 1 hour), an inflexible work schedule, childcare needs, fixed medical appointments, etc., please email us directly at mturley@massart.edu.

The Registrar’s Office will attempt to accommodate extenuating circumstances. Undergraduate students who have documented accommodations should first reach out to the Academic Resource Center (ARC) and any related scheduling needs will be relayed to our office.

Yes! The Registrar’s Office only creates schedules for incoming students. Midway through your first term, you will meet with an assigned faculty advisor, learn how to plan out courses and register yourself for future terms.

Please reach out to mturley@massart.edu with any questions about college level credits earned during high school, at another accredited institution, or through CLEP (College Level Examination Program).

Once official transcripts pertaining to potential transfer credits are reviewed, you will be notified as to whether any of these credits will be awarded towards your MassArt degree requirements and if schedule adjustments may be made.