PSU Challenge Program at Clackamas
Benefits of Early College Credit
Cost savings
Course flexibility
College readiness
What is Challenge?
Program for high achieving students to
take college courses at their high school,
and earn both high school and college
credit.
Challenge requires students to have a
minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA.
What Makes Challenge Unique?
• A college course; University standards define course
curriculum.
• Instructors are PSU adjunct professors
• Multiple and varied assessments to evaluate work
instead of a single, final exam
• Direct accountability to the University, the State of
Oregon, and the National Alliance for Concurrent
Enrollment Partnerships.
• A bridge to Oregon’s largest University--rigor, faculty,
services, campus visits—providing a college experience
academically and culturally.
Meet Our PSU Humanities Faculty Partners
Duncan Carter: Professor of English.
Fields of Expertise: Rhetoric and
Composition, Teaching Writing.
Brian Turner: Professor of History.
Fields of Expertise: Ancient Mediterranean
World, especially Roman history, military
history, mapping and worldview
Meet Our PSU Math Faculty Partners
Rachel Webb, Math Faculty Senior
Instructor. Area of Specialty: Math
Computer Lab Coordinator, Statistics
Challenge Coordinator
M. Paul Latiolais, Professor of
Mathematics. Areas of
Specialty: Topology, Algebra,
Challenge Calculus.
Today at Clackamas
• Humanities
ENG 107, 108 World Literature +
HST 101, 102 Western Civilization)
• Intro to Probability & Statistics
(STATS 243, 244)
• Calculus I, II (MTH 251, 252)
Note: ALL PSU part-time students are restricted to 8 credits
per quarter but Clackamas students are allowed to take up
to 12 because of its unique Humanities course)
Cost per Course: 2013-14
(based
on projected tuition increases)
Challenge: $230 for a 4-credit class
On campus at:
PSU: $ 767
UO: 1,180
OSU: 1,246
SOU: 806
Tuition discounts for students with evidence of eligibility
for free or reduced lunch.
Registration Scenarios:
Humanities Only
$460 in Fall (HST+ENG; 8 credits)
$460 in Winter (HST + ENG; 8 credits)
Reduced Lunch cost: $230 in Fall; $230 in Winter
Free Lunch cost: $100 in Fall; $100 in Winter
(Note: you must pay and register each quarter)
Registration Scenarios:
Stats OR Calculus
$230 in Fall (4 credits)
$230 in Winter (4 credits)
Reduced Lunch cost: $115 in Fall; $115 in Winter
Free Lunch cost: $50 in Fall; $50 in Winter
(Note: you must pay and register each quarter)
Registration Scenarios:
Humanities + Stats or Calculus
$690 in Fall (HST + ENG; MTH, 12 credits)
$690 in Winter (HST + ENG; MTH, 12 credits)
Total $1,380 (vs. $4,250), for 24 credits
Reduced Lunch cost: $345 in Fall; $345 in Winter
Free Lunch cost: $150 in Fall; $150 in Winter
(Note: you must pay and register each quarter)
Registration Scenarios:
Stats + Calculus
$460 in Fall (8 credits)
$460 in Winter (8 credits)
Reduced Lunch cost: $230 in Fall; $230 in Winter
Free Lunch cost: $100 in Fall; $100 in Winter
(Note: you must pay and register each quarter)
What Former Clackamas Students Say
•
My two instructors were phenomenal. They smoothed the transition
from high school to college coursework and the guest lecturers we had
were awesome.
•
I would love to see more subjects in more schools under the domain of
Challenge. I intend to double-major. One of those majors is to be
History. Due both to College Board's AP US History and Challenge's
Western Civilization at Clackamas High School, I was 1/3 of the way to
that degree without having set foot on the campus. Thus, I was able to
double-major and pursue potential minors and certificates, all without
scholarships.
•
Do the Young Historian's Conference biannually. I really liked it and
wished it had happened multiple times.
What Instructors Say
•
I feel I have grown tremendously in content knowledge related to the development of
Western Civ and intellectual movements that have shaped Western thought. Access to
the PSU Library resources and the History Department has allowed my continual
intellectual growth. The freedom to approach the subject matter in a variety of ways
keeps me invigorated and excited about teaching the material.
•
I have had the pleasure and privilege of working with the top-notch students.
However, the larger satisfaction comes from students who did not see themselves as
“math types.” Through this course they have gained confidence in their math skills
and that they are indeed capable of being a college student.
•
Challenge courses offer students the time to think, process and engage in meaningful
discourse. This is a real example of what they can expect in college. It puts the burden
on the student, not the teacher.
What our University Faculty Say
Skeptics doubt whether Challenge courses truly
deserve to be thought of as college courses. They do.
I’ve worked with many teachers over the years, and
there’s little doubt in my mind that they are teaching
the course we teach on campus. If anything, students
in the Challenge Program tend to be better writers
than many of our students on campus.
Duncan Carter, PSU English Faculty,
Former Associate Dean, long-time Challenge Faculty Partner
Fall 2013 Deadlines
Friday Sept. 20
Blue registration forms, completely filled
out with any petitions required, and
payment due. These are turned into your
instructors.
Friday Oct. 18
Last day to drop the course (no refunds are
given)
Credit and Credit Transfer
What is credit?
A college course is worth a number of credits
(based on hours/week)
To graduate from college requires:
• Approx. 180 credits in quarter system
• Approx. 120 credits in semester system
About Credit Transfer
To transfer coursework credit earned from one university
to another:
•An official transcript required
•Assessment based on the receiving university’s credit
transfer policy (can be found on schoolwebsites)
• Can transfer in a variety of ways--direct credit,
elective credit, a prerequisite waiver--depending on
how similar a course is to that university’s offerings.
• Your transfer grade may be calculated separately from
your college’s GPA, unless required for your major.
PSU Challenge Credit
• Challenge courses are 4-credit catalog-listed general
courses so they match easily to other university
offerings.
• Grades are recorded at PSU on an official transcript,
the same as for courses taken on campus.
• Our program is the one in the State of Oregon that is
nationally accredited.
• Our surveys to former Challenge students indicate that
92% of those requesting credit transfer received it.
Partial List of Universities that Accept PSU Credit
Please Note: This is neither a comprehensive nor static listing; the data is culled from our annual survey and so it
is limited to the number of responses we receive; additionally, we cannot anticipate when credit policy might
change for a particular institution. OUS state universities and community colleges all accept credit as well.
Alabama, Birmingham, Univ. of
Albertson College
American Univ.
Arizona, Univ. of
Arizona State Univ.
Azusa Pacific Univ.
Barry Univ.
Baylor Univ.
Boise State Univ.
Boston College
Boston Univ.
Brigham Young Univ.
California, Berkeley, Univ. of
California, Davis, Univ. of
California, San Diego, Univ. of
California, Santa Barbara, Univ. of
California, Santa Cruz, Univ. of
California Polytechnic (SLO)
California State Univ., Chico
Carlton College
Carroll College
Cedarville College
Chapman Univ.
Charleston, College of
Colorado University (Boulder)
Columbia Christian College
Concordia College
Connecticut, Univ. of
Cumberland Univ.
DePaul University
Denver, Univ. of
Eastern Washington Univ.
Embry Riddle Aeronautical Univ.
Emerson College
Evergreen State College
Fisk Univ.
Foothill College
George Fox College
Georgia, Univ. of
Gonzaga Univ.
Grinnell College
Howard Univ.
Idaho, Univ. of
Illinois, Univ. of
Iowa, Univ. of
Johnson& Wales Univ.
Kilgore College
Knox College
La Salle Univ.
Lewis & Clark College (with letter)
Linfield College
Lower Columbia College
Loyola Marymount Univ.
Macalester College
Marquette University
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology
Miami Univ.
Milwaukee School of
Engineering
Missouri, Univ. of
Montana, Univ. of
Mount Holyoke College
New Mexico Institute of
Mining & Technology
New York Univ.
North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Northern Arizona Univ.
Northwest Nazarene College
Notre Dame, Univ. of
Occidental College
Oklahoma Baptist Univ.
Oklahoma Christian Univ.
Pace Univ.
Pacific Univ.
Pacific Lutheran Univ.
Pepperdine Univ.
Pitzer College
Point Loma Nazarene Univ.
Pomona College
Portland, Univ. of
Redlands, Univ. of
Richmond, Univ. of
Ricks College
Rochester, Univ. of
Saint Louis Univ. (Spain)
Saint Olaf College
San Francisco State Univ.
Santa Clara Univ.
Scripps College
Seattle Univ.
Seattle Pacific Univ.
Skidmore College
Southern California, Univ. of
Stanford Univ.
Trinity Univ.
Utah, Univ. of
Vanguard Univ. of So. CA
Virginia, Univ. of
Warner Pacific College
Washington, Univ. of
Washington State Univ.
Weslyn
Western Baptist College
Westmont College
Wheaton College
Whittier College
Whitworth College
Wichita State Univ.
Willamette University (by petition)
William and Mary, College of
Wisconsin, Univ. of
Xavier Univ.
York College of Pennsylvania
Universities that Don’t Accept “Dual Credit”
Some elite and small private colleges—including
Puget Sound, Whitman, Gonzaga—have
transfer policies that exclude credit earned from
dual credit program. At issue:
• No “Double dipping” (receiving both
high school and college credit)
• Not taught on a college campus so cannot be
a true college course
• Tuition dollars
Making Informed Decisions about College
Average student loan debt as of 2013: $26,600
We strongly encourage you to factor credit transfer
into your college decision; saving money on college is
a huge advantage in today’s economy.
If the school you’re interested in doesn’t accept dual
credit, question this and let the recruitment advisor
who visits or the Admissions Office of the school
you’re interested in, know that the ability to transfer
your PSU credit will be considered in your college
decision. You’ve earned this credit.
The Last Word:
If You Do Choose one of these Schools
• Don’t assume you can’t transfer credit; make the effort to try.
• Talk to Department Chairs who may be able to override
Admissions policies. Be prepared to demonstrate your
knowledge (syllabus, papers and exams, etc.)
• Contact us. We will advocate and support you.
“I just wanted to tell you that my PSU calculus credits are officially on my Rice
transcript! Thank you so much for all your help.” [Summer 2010]
“I was successful in transferring my credits! The Western Civ credits went toward my
history major, and the calculus covered my math requirements. For Literature I was
given credit but was still required to take the writing classes provided by the school.”
[Boston University, 2011]