General Questions
The following is a series of general portfolio-related questions that have been asked throughout the years, and should serve as a helpful resource in the preparation of your own professional portfolio. If you have questions that are not addressed below, please refer those to your course instructor.
How will I find out how many of my previous college credits will transfer into DBU?
By reviewing your previous college transcripts, your Professional Studies counselor can give you an unofficial evaluation. An official evaluation, or Transfer Equivalency Form, will be completed and mailed to you by the Registrar once all your previous college transcripts have been received by the Office of Admissions and your admissions file is complete.
How personal should I get with my autobiography?
This is your autobiography, so you should feel free to include personal aspects of your life. (Do not feel obligated to discuss sensitive issues.) However, keep in mind that the primary purpose of the portfolio autobiography is to support your course petitions.
Can I petition for ENGL 1301?
No, you cannot petition for general studies courses.
I have not received my Transfer Equivalency Report (TRER) yet. What can I do?
Make sure you have requested transcripts from each college you have previously attended. Call the DBU Office of Admissions to verify that they have arrived and that your admissions file is complete.
I have taken classes at a community college which DBU offers as junior and senior level classes. Are these going to transfer as junior and senior level classes?
Any course that transfers in from a junior college will only come in as a lower-level (LL) course, but may still be equivalent to a specific UL course in every other way. For example, DCCCD's course MGMT 1370 Principles of Management is the equivalent of DBU's MANA 3301, but comes in as a LL and does not help toward the 42 upper-level (UL) hour requirement. This is where earning UL electives through the portfolio will be helpful.
Do CLEP tests count as residency hours?
No, CLEP and other departmental tests do not count toward the DBU 30-hour residency requirement...but they don't count against you in the "30 of the last 36" rule as being taken somewhere else.
Is it possible to obtain approval to take correspondence or online courses from another accredited institution in order to satisfy these general requirements?
Yes, but you will need to complete a request form to do so. Your Professional Studies counselor can provide the appropriate form and will need to sign it before it is submitted to the Registrar.
Will all persons involved in reading our portfolios have agreed to keep the information confidential?
Yes, all Professional Studies instructors and evaluators are committed to keeping your portfolio and its contents confidential.
Should I return my assignments to my instructor after making the suggested corrections & revisions?
Individual instructors may have their own policy, but in most cases returning revised assignments is not necessary unless you're unsure about what you've done. Normally a student will just make the changes and move on to the next task, but instructors will most likely look at revisions if requested.
How do petitioned courses show up on my transcript?
Petitioned courses show up on your transcript as CR (credit)...no grade or grade point average.
Will credit earned through the professional portfolio be accepted in transfer by other colleges?
As far as petitioned courses transferring into another college, technically that's up to the other college's policies. In most cases these courses will not transfer, although exceptions might be found in institutions that have similar programs. Once you complete your degree, you should be well qualified to enter a graduate program...depending, of course, on a given program's requirements.