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Center for Adult Academic Services

We are here to help.

Office Hours
  • Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m.
  • Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

The Center for Adult Academic Services is a general resource for all part-time undergraduates at the University of Hartford.

Office Hours

  • Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
  • Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. (remote office hours on Friday)

Email: bus@hartford.edu

Phone: 5287

The Center for Adult Academic Services is a general resource for all part-time undergraduates at the University of Hartford.

We provide the following services:

  • Advising non-degree/non-matriculated students and approving their registration forms 
  • Coordinating testing and alternative credit options: DSST, distance exams and the LINCS portfolio assessment program
  • Providing general information to non-matriculated, part-time students on all undergraduate programs

We also manage the following programs: 

  • Part-time University Studies programs, including the Associate in Arts and Liberal Arts, the Bachelor of Arts in University Studies and the certificate, Associate in Science, and Bachelor of Science in Paralegal Studies
  • Certificate programs
  • Beta Psi Alpha chapter of Alpha Sigma Lambda, a national honor society for adult part-time students
  • College Now program for academically motivated high school seniors

We look forward to working with you and helping you achieve your academic goals. Contact us: 860.768.4457.  

Academic Information

Accreditation

The University of Hartford is accredited by the Board of Higher Education of the state of Connecticut and by the New England Commission of Higher Education. Individual schools and programs carry additional accreditations. For more information on accreditation, see the undergraduate bulletin.

Programs Designed for Adult Students 

Students who have not been accepted into a degree or certificate program at the University of Hartford are considered non-matriculated students. Non-matriculated students are welcome to take up to 15 credits (five standard courses) at the University. These students must obtain an advisor's signature through the Center for Adult Academic Services in order to register. Students must have satisfied the prerequisites of any course they wish to take and may be required to obtain special permission for certain courses from department chairs or course instructors.

Students pursuing degrees at other colleges may take courses at the University of Hartford. The students must work with their home college to determine if and how the University of Hartford course credit will transfer.

Students who wish to take courses for intellectual pleasure or to pursue a particular interest area are welcome to take up to 15 credits at the University of Hartford.

Students wishing to take a course for interest, not credit, may register for courses as auditors. In general, the charge to audit a course is half of the per-credit charge for the course, plus fees, provided that audit status is declared at the time of registration. For audited courses, no grade is given and no credits are assigned.

The Undergraduate Course Catalog, published annually in the fall, contains detailed information on all University policies and programs, as well as course descriptions. See the catalog.

Honors Options

There are three types of honors that University Studies students may be eligible for at the University of Hartford.

Option 1: Graduation honors are awarded to University Studies students who have completed a minimum of 45 credits for a grade in residence at the University of Hartford. Bachelor's degrees are conferred cum laude on students whose cumulative GPA is 3.25 or above, magna cum laude on students whose cumulative GPA is 3.5 or above, and summa cum laude on students whose GPA is 3.75 or above. Courses taken on a pass/no pass basis are not counted towards the 45 credit minimum requirement.


Option 2: The University Honors program is designed for academically motivated students and offers an enriched curriculum and additional learning experiences. Students completing the honors program requirements will have university honors noted on their diplomas.

For more information visit the University Honors Program.


Option 3: The Alpha Sigma Lambda National Honor Society was established in 1946 to honor superior scholarship and leadership in adult students. To be eligible for the University of Hartford's Beta Psi Alpha Chapter, students must have senior status, must have earned a minimum of 24 graded semester hours in an undergraduate degree program at the University, and must have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a scale of 4.0. Eligible students are invited to join and are inducted once a year during the spring.

For more information about the University's Beta Psi Alpha Chapter, contact the chapter coordinator, Kellie Westenfeld.

Alternative Forms of Credit and Testing

The University of Hartford allows a limited number of credits from testing and alternative sources of credit to count towards an undergraduate degree. Students should consult with the admissions office and their college evaluator for specific information on their degree programs requirements and limitations.

The American Council on Education evaluates non-academic training programs for college credit equivalency. Training programs, not the University or individual students, initiate requests for evaluation. The University of Hartford considers ACE equivalencies when evaluating a non-traditional student for transfer.

ACE Credit Recommendation Guide

The CLEP Program, developed by the College Entrance Examination Board of Princeton, is based on the assumption that many people know more than their records of education suggest. By taking CLEP exams, people can gain academic recognition for what they know and can do, regardless of how or where their knowledge was acquired. As of December 2011, the University of Hartford no longer administers the CLEP exam on site; however, the University continues to accept CLEP credits for transfer to help students meet their degree requirements.

Students interested in pursuing CLEP credit should follow the procedure below:

  • Verify course credit. Before registering to take an exam, it is important to check with your advisor and your college evaluator to make certain that the credits for the course can be applied to your degree program.
  • Check the College Board website for more information on the tests, course equivalencies at the University of Hartford, test study guides, and test center locations.
  • Register for the exam at the center that offers the most convenient time and place for you.
  • Request that CLEP scores be sent to the University of Hartford. You will have an opportunity to do this when you sign onto the computer the day of the exam. The University’s test code is 3436. Students should allow a minimum of three weeks from the time of their exam to when they need the credits to be posted on their University of Hartford transcript.

Equivalents at University of Hartford

Individual departments may make the credit by exam option available to University of Hartford students. This option allows students to earn credit for specific courses by passing a comprehensive examination.

Process for Earning Credit through Credit by Exam

  • Student discusses possibility of credit by exam with professor.  If the professor agrees, then student proceeds.
  • Student obtains the Application for Admission to Credit by Examination from their school office coordinator or from the Student Administrative Service Center
  • Student completes all three copies of the Application for Admission to Credit by Examination.
  • Student takes all three copies to the department offering the class and obtains signatures of the Chair of the department offering the class and the Dean of the School in which the department resides.
  • Student takes all three copies of the Application to Student Administrative Service Center (2ndFloor Computer and Administration Center) and pays the appropriate fee.
The Student Administrative Service Center (SASC) Representative will:
    • stamp all three forms,
    • will give the student a Request for Payment for Make-Up/Credit by Exam form which they will stamp paid,
    • will give the student 2 copies of the receipt for payment of fees.
  • Student brings four forms (the three copies of the Application plus the Request for Payment) AND one copy of the receipt for payment to the exam at the prearranged date and delivers them to the professor.
  • Upon completion of the exam, the professor completes the Examiner’s Report section on all three Application forms, as well as the appropriate sections of the Payment Request form.
  • Professor/Examiner forwards the signed Request for Payment form ALONG WITH the student’s receipt to Bursar’s Office, CC 218. This will trigger a payment to the examiner for test administration.
  • Professor submits all three Application forms to the Dean of the school offering the course for the Dean’s signature.
  • Dean keeps one Application form for school records and forwards the other two copies to the Registrar’s Office, CC 217.
  • The Registrar’s Office, puts the credit on the system and returns one form by mail to the student and keeps the other copy for the student’s file.

Credit by Exam Process

University of Hartford's portfolio challenge program allows students to earn credit for learning that has taken place outside the academic environment. Basically, LINCS requires students to document learning related to specific courses offered by the University.

Information on LINCS

Transfer credit from other colleges is evaluated initially by the Undergraduate Admissions Office. Even though transfer credit has been accepted by the Admissions Office, students must check with their college evaluators to determine how the credit will apply towards their degree program.

External Testing

The University of Hartford does not administer the following tests, but it does serve as a test site for them. For more information on these tests, click on the following links:

Special Term Course Scheduling

Winterterm

Winterterm is a very concentrated session that begins immediately after New Year's and ends before the start of the spring term.

Read more
Mayterm

Mayterm runs for three weeks and allows students to focus exclusively on a single course in a concentrated period of time.

Read more
Summerterm

Summerterm comprises two sessions of seven weeks each.

Read more

Meet the Team

Kellie Westenfeld
Director
Division of Graduate and Professional Studies

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Regina C. Graziani
Program Director
Division of Graduate and Professional Studies
Paralegal Studies

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Sharron D. Dillon
Program Manager
Paralegal Studies

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Paige Bray
Chair, Department of Education; Director of Early Childhood Education & Montessori Studies; Associate Professor of Early Childhood Education & Montessori Studies
Education

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