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You can earn credit prior to attending Northwest in a variety of ways. Northwest accepts dual credit and credit by examination; Dual credit, AP, CLEP, IB Credit, DSST, A Levels, SoBL, Test Out. Guidelines for each are available below.
Northwest will accept for credit courses taken while enrolled in high school under the Dual Enrollment Program, as long as the courses are not vocational in nature and follow the State Guidelines for Dual Enrollment Courses issued June 1999. In order to receive credit, the Office of Admissions must receive an official college transcript from the college or university granting the credit. Simply contact the college or university from which your credit was earned and request an official transcript to be sent to Northwest's Office of Admissions.
Advanced Placement (AP) Tests are administered by your high school, and all official test scores should be sent to the Office of Admissions to receive credit. Northwest grants credit only in the following areas, with the required minimum scores:
| Advanced Placement (Northwest Equivalent) |
Course Score Required | Hours Granted |
|---|---|---|
| African American Studies (77-916) | 3 | 3 |
| American History (33-905) | 3 | 3 |
| Art History (13-102) | 3 | 3 |
| Biology (04-102/103) | 3 | 4 |
| Calculus AB (17-120) | 3 | 4 |
| Calculus BC* (17-120) | 3 | 4 |
| Chemistry* (24-114/115) | 3 | 4 |
| Comparative Government and Politics (34-310) | 3 | 3 |
| Computer Science A (44-241) | 3 | 3 |
| Computer Science Principles (44-101) | 3 | 3 |
| Drawing (13-120) | 3 | 3 |
| English Language and Comp (10-111) | 3 | 3 |
| English Literature and Comp (10-908) | 3 | 3 |
| Environmental Science (04-420) | 3 | 4 |
| European History (26-103) | 3 | 3 |
| French Language and Culture* (14-131, 14-132) | 3 | 6 |
| German Language and Culture (14-916) | 3 | 3 |
| Human Geography (32-101) | 3 | 3 |
| Latin (14-916) | 3 | 3 |
| Macroeconomics (52-150) | 3 | 3 |
| Microeconomics (52-151) | 3 | 3 |
| Music Theory (19-910) | 3 | 3 |
| Physics 1 (25-110/111) | 3 | 4 |
| Physics 2 (25-112/113) | 3 | 4 |
| Physics C - Mechanics* (25-120/121) | 3 | 5 |
| Precalculus (17-117) | 3 | 5 |
| Psychology (08-103) | 3 | 3 |
| Research (10-902) | 3 | 3 |
| Spanish Language and Culture* (14-141, 14-142) | 3 | 6 |
| Spanish Literature (14-916) | 3 | 3 |
| Statistics (17-114) | 3 | 3 |
| Studio Art: 2-D Design (13-191) | 3 | 3 |
| Studio Art: 3-D Design (13-192) | 3 | 3 |
| United States Government and Politics (34-924) | 3 | 3 |
| World History (26-203) | 3 | 3 |
*For a Course Score greater than 3, additional credit will be awarded. See the table below.
| Advanced Placement (Northwest Equivalent) |
Course Score Required | Hours Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Calculus BC (17-120, 17-121) | 4 | 9 |
| Chemistry (24-114/115, 24-116/117) | 4 | 9 |
| French Language and Culture (14-131, 14-132, 14-232) | 4 | 9 |
| French Language and Culture (14-131, 14-132, 14-232, 14-233) | 5 | 12 |
| Physics C - Mechanics (25-120/121, 25-230/231) | 4 | 10 |
| Spanish Language and Culture (14-141, 14-142, 14-242) | 4 | 9 |
| Spanish Language and Culture (14-141, 14-142, 14-242, 14-243) | 5 | 12 |
College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams may be taken on the Northwest campus at our Assessment Office (660.562.1452) or at any other institutional testing center. Students may not receive credit for any of these exams in subject areas already enrolled in at the college level or in which college credit has already been granted; students may not receive credit for CLEP exams retaken less than six months after the previous exam. For exams taken at other testing agencies, students must supply the Office of Admissions with original score reports from the testing agency in order to receive credit.
| Exam (Northwest College Equivalent) |
Criterion Score | Hours Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Composition and Literature: | ||
| American Literature (10-908) | 50 | 3 |
| Analysis and Interpretation of Literature (10-908) | 51 | 3 |
| College Composition (10-111) | 50 | 3 |
| English Literature (10-908) | 49 | 3 |
| History and Social Sciences: | ||
| American Government (34-924) | 55 | 3 |
| American History I - to 1877 (33-155) | 49 | 3 |
| American History II - 1865 to Present (33-156) | 49 | 3 |
| Introductory Macroeconomics (52-150) | 50 | 3 |
| Introductory Microeconomics (52-151) | 50 | 3 |
| Introductory Psychology (08-103) | 50 | 3 |
| Introductory Sociology (35-101) | 50 | 3 |
| Western Civilization I (26-102) | 50 | 3 |
| Western Civilization II (26-103) | 50 | 3 |
| Science and Mathematics: | ||
| Calculus with Elementary Functions (17-120) | 49 | 4 |
| College Algebra (17-118) | 48 | 3 |
| College Algebra/Trigonometry (17-118, 17-119) | 50 | 5 |
| General Biology (04-102/103) | 49 | 4 |
| General Chemistry (24-114/115) | 50 | 4 |
| Pre-Calculus (17-117) | 50 | 5 |
| Trigonometry (17-119) | 54 | 2 |
| Business: | ||
| Financial Accounting (51-201) | 55 | 3 |
| Introductory Business Law (53-311) | 50 | 3 |
| Information Systems (44-130) | 50 | 3 |
| Principles of Management (54-313) | 50 | 3 |
| Principles of Marketing (55-330) | 50 | 3 |
| World Language: | ||
| French (14-131, 14-132) | 50 | 6 |
| French (14-131, 14-132, 14-232 and 14-233) | 63 | 12 |
| Spanish (14-141, 14-142) | 50 | 6 |
| Spanish (14-141, 14-142, 14-242 and 14-243) | 63 | 12 |
CLEP General exams may be used to fulfill General Education requirements and receive credits, but may not be equated to specific Northwest courses.
| Exam (Northwest Course Equivalent) |
Criterion Score | Hours Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Natural Science (04-911 or 40-911) | 50 | 3 |
| Social Science (35-906) | 50 | 3 |
| Humanities (26-909) | 50 | 3 |
| Mathematics (17-912) | 50 | 3 |
Northwest recognizes the rigor of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program and is pleased to award students credit for IB courses completed at their high school. Several subjects have been evaluated by academic departments at Northwest and course credit will be awarded to the student if the designated score was achieved. Credit is awarded for higher level examinations only unless otherwise stated. Official score reports must be received directly from the International Baccalaureate Organization.
| Course | Score Required |
Hours Granted |
|---|---|---|
| Biology HL (04-102/103) | 4 | 4 |
| Chemistry HL (24-112/113) | 4 | 4 |
| Chemistry HL (24-114/115) | 5 | 4 |
| Economics SL (52-130) | 4 | 3 |
| Economics HL (52-150) | 4 | 3 |
| English A: Literature (10-908) | 4 | 3 |
| English A: Language & Literature (10-908) | 4 | 3 |
| English A: Language & Literature (10-908 and 10-111) | 5 | 6 |
| French B SL/HL (14-131) | 5 | 3 |
| Geography HL (32-101) | 4 | 3 |
| History Depth Studies HL (33-990) | 4 | 3 |
| History of the Americas (33-155) | 4 | 3 |
| History of Europe (26-103) | 4 | 3 |
| Information Technology in a Global Society (44-920) | 4 | 3 |
| Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation SL (17-116) | 4 | 3 |
| Mathematics: Applications & Interpretation HL (17-118) | 4 | 3 |
| Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches SL (17-120) | 5 | 4 |
| Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL (17-120, 17-121) | 6 | 9 |
| Music HL (19-201) | 4 | 3 |
| Philosophy SL/HL (39-171) | 4 | 3 |
| Physics HL (25-110, 25-111) | 4 | 4 |
| Physics HL (25-110, 25-111, 25-112, 25-113) | 5 | 8 |
| Psychology (08-103) | 4 | 3 |
| Social and Cultural Anthropology (35-460) | 4 | 3 |
| Spanish B SL/HL (14-141) | 5 | 3 |
| Theatre Arts SL (43-101) | 4 | 3 |
| Theatre Arts HL (43-101 and 43-920) | 4 | 5 |
| Visual Arts SL (13-910) | 4 | 3 |
| Visual Arts HL (13-910 and 13-920) | 4 | 6 |
| World History Topics SL/HL (26-920) | 4 | 3 |
| Course | ACE Score Required |
Hours Granted |
|---|---|---|
| A History of the Vietnam War (33-990) | 400 | 3 |
| Art of the Western World (13-910) | 400 | 3 |
| Astronomy (40-122) | 400 | 3 |
| Business Ethics and Society (39-275) | 400 | 3 |
| Business Mathematics (54-920) | 400 | 3 |
| Computing and Information Technology (44-130) | 400 | 3 |
| Criminal Justice (34-205, 34-920) | 400 | 6 |
| Environment Science (27-911) | 400 | 3 |
| Ethics in America (39-909) | 400 | 3 |
| Foundations of Education (61-461) | 400 | 3 |
| Fundamentals of College Algebra (17-118) | 400 | 3 |
| Fundamentals of Counseling (08-920) | 400 | 3 |
| Fundamentals of Cybersecurity (44-990) | 400 | 3 |
| General Anthropology (35-108) | 400 | 3 |
| Health and Human Development (22-110/111) | 400 | 3 |
| History of the Soviet Union (33-990) | 400 | 3 |
| Human Resource Management (54-920) | 400 | 3 |
| Human/Cultural Geography (32-101) | 400 | 3 |
| Introduction to Business (54-920) | 400 | 3 |
| Introduction to Law Enforcement (34-990) | 400 | 3 |
| Introduction to World Religions (26-162) | 400 | 3 |
| Lifespan Developmental Psychology (08-333) | 400 | 3 |
| Management Information Systems (54-920) | 400 | 3 |
| Math for Liberal Arts (17-171) | 400 | 3 |
| Money and Banking (53-990) | 400 | 3 |
| Organizational Behavior (54-920) | 400 | 3 |
| Personal Finance (53-920) | 400 | 3 |
| Principles of Advanced English Composition (10-111) | 400 | 3 |
| Principles of Finance (53-990) | 400 | 3 |
| Principles of Physical Science I (40-102) | 400 | 3 |
| Principles of Public Speaking (29-102) | 400 | 3 |
| Principles of Statistics (17-114) | 400 | 3 |
| Principles of Supervision (54-920) | 400 | 3 |
| Substance Abuse (08-920) | 400 | 3 |
| The Civil War and Reconstruction (33-534) | 400 | 3 |
This exam is for international students.
Exams must reflect a grade of C or higher on a US grading scale to earn credit. Only pass credit will be awarded by Northwest, not a grade. Credit is only awarded for A (Advanced)-Level examinations, not for AS (Advanced Subsidiary)-Level. Eight credit hours will be awarded per exam.
| Equivalent Course at Northwest | Hours |
|---|---|
| Computers & Mathematics Exam* | |
| CSIS 44-130 Computers Information &Tech | 2 |
| CSIS 44-141 Computer Programming I | 2 |
| MATH 17-118 College Algebra | 2 |
| MATH 17-120 Calculus I | 2 |
| Computers Exam* | |
| CSIS 44-130 Computers Information &Tech | 4 |
| CSIS 44-141 Computer Programming I | 4 |
| Mathematics Exam* | |
| MATH 17-118 College Algebra | 4 |
| MATH 17-120 Calculus I | 4 |
| Psychology Exam |
|
| PSYC 08-103 General Psychology | 4 |
| PSYC 08-920 Lower-Level Psychology Elective | 4 |
| Sociology Exam |
|
| SOC 35-101 General Sociology | 4 |
| SOC 35-920 Lower-level Sociology Elective | 4 |
| Economics Exam |
|
| ECON 52-150 Principles of Macroeconomics | 4 |
| ECON 25-151 Principles of Microeconomics | 4 |
| Accounting Exam |
|
| ACCT 51-201 Accounting I | 4 |
| ACCT 51-202 Accounting II | 4 |
| Business Studies Exam |
|
| MGMT 54-313 Principles of Management | 4 |
| MKTG 55-330 Principles of Marketing | 4 |
| Chemistry Exam |
|
| CHEM 24-114/115 General Chemistry I/Lab | 4 |
| CHEM 24-116/117 General Chemistry II/Lab | 4 |
| Biology Exam |
|
| BIOL 04-102/103 General Biology & Lab | 4 |
| BIOL 04-920 Lower-Level Biology Elective | 4 |
| Physics Exam |
|
| PHYS 25-110/111 General Physics I & Lab | 4 |
| PHYS 25-112/113 General Physics II & Lab | 4 |
*Computers and Mathematics can be taken separately or together; credit hours will be adjusted accordingly depending on whether Computers, Mathematics, or Computers & Mathematics exams were completed - totaling 8 credit hours of awarded credit.
The Missouri Seal of Biliteracy (SoBL) is awarded to graduating high school students in districts with a DESE-approved program, who have demonstrated achievement in English, a Language Other Than English (LOTE) and sociocultural competence through the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) and ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages (AAPPL) testing. Equivalent scores on another measure of proficiency recognized by the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education for use with the Missouri Seal of Biliteracy may also be considered. All Missouri students studying any of the world’s languages are potential Seal candidates. The equivalencies listed below are for Spanish using the AAPPL assessment. A Seal of Biliteracy issued in another state may also be accepted upon review of the criteria.
| Northwest Course Equivalent | AAPPL Score Required |
Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| LANG 14141, 14142, 14242, 14243, 14344, *14990 | At least Advanced (score of A) on each skill | 18 |
| LANG 14141, 14142, 14242, 14243 | At least Intermediate Mid score (I-3) on each skill | 12 |
| LANG 14141, 14142 | At least Novice High score of (N-4) on each skill | 6 |
* 14990 represents Upper-Level Language elective to bring the total credit to the level indicated.
Departmental test-out differs from Advanced Placement in that the examinations are administered and credit awarded solely by the department, and not through national institutions such as CLEP, ACT, etc. Therefore, the student should contact the department for information on which courses are available for test-out and examination dates.
Policies: Students expecting to test out of a course should not enroll in the course. The student must be enrolled at Northwest for the period during which the test-out is administered and credit is awarded.
The chairperson or dean determines what courses are available for test-out and will arrange for the test-out process in accordance with department policy.
Where a test-out will result in schedule changes, the entire test-out process should be completed before the end of the 100% refund period.
Test-out may not be taken to superseded a "D" or "F" grade. Test-out may be repeated twice in eligible classes, subject to department approval but a period of six months must elapse between testing. A letter grade of "A", "B", "C", or "D" will be assigned.
