Earn Credits for Certification and Work Experience
Turn your professional development, work experience, and certifications into earned credits.
- Decrease your tuition costs
- Reduce the time to complete your degree
- Minimize redundancy in learning
- The Certification-to-Credit Program at Central Michigan University is the perfect way to use a professional certification you have earned and apply it to the degree you want – saving you time and money.
- The Credit by Examination program allows you to be awarded graduate-level credit for learning you have acquired from on-the-job experiences.
Learn more about the options for these programs
- MA in Education: Curriculum and Instruction Certification to Credit
- MA in Learning Design and Technology Certification to Credit
- MA in Learning Design and Technology Credit by Examination
- MA in Reading and Literacy
To determine if you are eligible to use any of the approved programs below, please contact/schedule an appointment with one of the staff members listed below. Credits will be applied to your degree after you complete 6 credits (2 courses) of your program at CMU with a 3.0 or higher GPA.
MA in Education: Curriculum and Instruction
Certification to Credit
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) Training
As part of the Michigan ACE Initiative, join child development faculty who are working on raising awareness of the impact of adverse childhood experiences on health across the lifespan with a focus on strategies for promoting resilience in childhood.
Brazelton Touchpoints
The national Brazelton Touchpoints Center develops and applies knowledge of early childhood development to practice and policy through professional and organizational development, evaluations, advocacy, and awareness and serving as a resource for proven practices.
Google Educator Level 2 Certification
If you are an educator who is a super user of Google tools in your classroom, demonstrate your advanced technology integration skills with the Educator Level 2 certification.
Microsoft Certified Educator
The ability and capacity of ALL teachers, leaders, and staff to continually transform their methods, adopt new technologies, and continue as life-long learners are critical elements of education transformation. The professional growth pathway is designed to help teachers and school leaders everywhere become proficient in Microsoft technologies and learn more innovative classroom skills with fun, guided, hands-on content that's specific to their roles and goals.
21Things4Educators Certification
21Things4Educators is designed to provide teachers with the opportunity to learn about current research-based classroom practices, along with digital tools selected to help meaningful integration of those practices in the classroom.
How to submit to MA in Education: Curriculum and Instruction Certification to Credit
Admitted students, please contact your academic advisor via the Advising tab on your Degree Progress page.
MA Learning Design and Technology
Certification to Credit
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) Training
As part of the Michigan ACE Initiative, join child development faculty who are working on raising awareness of the impact of adverse childhood experiences on health across the lifespan with a focus on strategies for promoting resilience in childhood.
Apple Distinguished Educator
An Apple Distinguished Educator has completed a rigorous application process and professional development program. Your recognition as part of a global community of innovative educators who foster powerful ideas to improve teaching and learning demonstrates your understanding of design and integration of technology within the classroom.
Brazelton Touchpoints
The national Brazelton Touchpoints Center develops and applies knowledge of early childhood development to practice and policy through professional and organizational development, evaluations, advocacy, and awareness and serving as a resource for proven practices.
Google Educator Level 2 Certification
If you are an educator who is a super user of Google tools in your classroom, demonstrate your advanced technology integration skills with the Educator Level 2 certification.
Microsoft Certified Educator
The ability and capacity of ALL teachers, leaders, and staff to continually transform their methods, adopt new technologies, and continue as life-long learners are critical elements of education transformation. The professional growth pathway is designed to help teachers and school leaders everywhere become proficient in Microsoft technologies and learn more innovative classroom skills with fun, guided, hands-on content that's specific to their roles and goals.
21Things4Educators Certification
21Things4Educators is designed to provide teachers with the opportunity to learn about current research-based classroom practices, along with digital tools selected to help meaningful integration of those practices in the classroom.
How to submit to MA Learning Design and Technology Certification to Credit
MA Learning Design and Technology
Credit by Examination
Earn up to 6 credits
If you have taught in online or blended settings for two or more years and haven't received graduate credit for it, you can take a competency exam and earn up to 6 credit hours.
Credit by examination policies and procedures
A student admitted to the M.A. in Learning, Design, and Technology (MALDT) program who has completed two or more years of teaching or training in online or blended settings may apply for a maximum of six (6) semester hours of Credit by Examination (CBE). In this instance, the CBE is designed for those students who did not earn graduate credit for this experience.
CBE may be earned and applied only as follows
- to fulfill the three (3) hours of course credits required for EDU 653, the student will take a written exam demonstrating their competency of outcomes for the course with a score of 11/15 points on the rubric or higher.
- to fulfill the three (3) hours of course credits required for EDU 708, the student will take a written exam demonstrating their competency of outcomes for the course with a score of 11/15 points on the rubric or higher.
Steps to be Followed
The application should be completed by the student. Access the application by clicking Credit by Exam (DocuSign)
- You will fill out the DocuSign form using the following information:
- Your name and Cmich email
- Examination Instructor: Jennifer Weible - j.weible@cmich.edu
- Department Chair: Troy Hicks - troy.hicks@cmich.edu
- Hit submit. You will fill in the form on the next page with the following:
- Your 6 digit ID number
- Degree Program: MALDT
- Course #: EDU653 Higher Order Web-Mediated Learning 3 Credits
- Course # EDU708 Designing & Implementing Online Learning Experiences 3 Credits
- Experience and Background: Brief statement about teaching/training online/blended/hybrid learning for 2 years.
- Submit. This will be signed and you will receive a digital approval to your Cmich email.
3. Email the approved form to the Registrar at records@cmich.edu
4. Pay for your exam(s). The CBE fee is $50 per credit hour or a total of $150/course or $300 for both courses/6 credit hours. Checks are payable to Central Michigan University, or applicants may provide credit card information by calling Student
Account Services/OneCentral at (989) 774-3618
By Mail or on-campus delivery:
Student Account Services/OneCentral
Bovee UC 119
Mount Pleasant, MI 48859
Upon receiving approval to take the examination(s), the student will receive an email to their CMICH account with information on how to access the online examination(s). Students are expected to take the exam(s) within two weeks of receiving the approval email. The exam(s) must be completed within the semester they are requested/approved.
A total of up to 6 credit hours can be earned by successfully completing these exams.
Each examination will consist of 5 essay questions. Screenshots or screencasts may be required for some questions. A score of 73% (11/15 correct answers) or better is required to pass each exam. Please allow two weeks for grading.
In the event a score of 73% is not earned on the first attempt, the student will be allowed to take the exam again. If a score of 73% is not obtained on the second attempt, the student will be required to earn the credits through the completion of coursework available through the MALDT program.
Credits earned through completion of the CBE process will be posted to the student's record within approximately three weeks. CR or NC will be posted on the transcript. A letter grade will not be awarded.
Students will NOT be eligible for the NP endorsement after earning credits by exam for the MALDT program.
MA in Reading and Literacy
MARL Certification to Credit
For students in the MARL program, credits will be applied to your degree after you complete 6 credits (2 courses) of your program at CMU with a 3.0 or higher GPA.
MI Literacy Essentials Modules
If you are an educator who has had extensive training in the MI Literacy Essentials, you can submit the following certificates/SCECH records demonstrating completion of the following:
Literacy Essentials Modules (for all available grade bands) AND
School-Wide/Center-Wide Early Literacy Practices (all)
OR
Literacy Essentials K-3; 6-12 Trainings/Summer Symposium (in person)
-Completed with Michigan Virtual (EduPaths)
- Course Equivalent: EDU 635
LETRS Training
If you are an educator who has completed LETRS training, submit your transcripts to receive course credit for your work.
- Course Equivalent: EDU 624
For information on either of these options, please contact Meghan Block at block1m@cmich.edu.