Prior Learning Assessment at Normandale

Faculty:

Department Chair(s)/Coordinator(s):

Dean: Ralph Anderson, Vice President of Student Affairs

About the Department

About the Department

Program Information

Prior Learning Assessment at Normandale (PLAN) is a program in which students who have been out of high school for 10 or more years can gain college credit for prior non-traditional learning. This prior learning may have come from work experience, on-the-job training, volunteering, intense personal experience, career school education or other sources. During the PLAN process, students identify those experiences which provided knowledge similar to that which would be gained in a college class, document new learning to add to this knowledge, and usually interview with an evaluator. In some cases, the evaluator may require a demonstration of performance, such as when the competency is computer-related.

Students can apply credits earned through assessment to many Normandale two-year degrees and to degrees at certain four-year institutions with programs for working-adult students. Both the two-and four-year programs include credit earned traditionally and are not based solely on assessed credit.

Students entering PLAN usually take a planning class to learn how to prepare for competency evaluations and to determine which degree programs they will follow. Certain programs, such as those in business, lend themselves well to incorporating such experiential learning; others, such as engineering and pre-medicine, may not be as appropriate. Students register for both the planning class and for competency evaluations through the PLAN coordinator, Dennis Peterson, at 952-487-8262 or dennis.peterson@normandale.edu.

Contact Information

Contact Information

If you have further questions about this program and you are new to Normandale, make an appointment with an admissions representative or call the PLAN coordinator. 

If you are a current or returning student, make an appointment with an academic counselor or call the PLAN coordinator.

Call 952-487-8261 to make either appointment.

Contact the PLAN coordinator at 952-487-8262 or be e-mail at: dennis.peterson@normandale.edu         

Curriculum