Adult Degree Program

The Prescott College Adult Degree Program, our distance B.A. completion program, begins with Orientation, an Adult Liberal Learning course, and the design of your educational program in collaboration with friendly and helpful faculty. Each term, your classes start with a contract with your mentor that describes what you want to learn and how you will demonstrate it and ends with a self-evaluation, as well as a personalized evaluation by your mentor. If you are a degree seeking student, you will attend a Liberal Arts Seminar, which encourages students to examine their lives and values, before you graduate. Your program will also incorporate an individually designed internship or experiential component that demonstrates your competence in the field and culminates with a Graduation Portfolio.

If you live Tucson or southern Arizona you can pursue the Adult Degree Program through the Tucson Center.

Orientation
All students are required to attend a three-day weekend Orientation at the Prescott campus when they enroll. Orientation workshops inform and prepare students for their courses of study. The information presented includes academic processes, study skills, and library resources, and gives students opportunities to interact with others in the program. Orientation is a substantial part of the residency requirement and has proven essential for successful completion of the program: therefore, attendance is mandatory.

All students from the Tucson area attend the first day of Orientation at the Tucson Center and complete the last two days of Orientation at the main campus in Prescott.

Adult Liberal Learning Course or Critical Issues and Applications
Students are required to take their first course, either the Adult Liberal Learning (ALL) or Critical Issues and Applications (CIA), with their core faculty member. This course ranges from 3 to 6 credits and is an extension of Orientation, helping students become familiar with the College's philosophy and methods. The course introduces students to particularly effective tools and strategies of learning to help them achieve high levels of knowledge and skill in the liberal arts. Most students will combine the foundational components of the course with one of their upper division competence area courses. Course content varies by each core faculty member.

Liberal Arts Seminar
Degree-seeking students are required to take a three-quarter credit Liberal Arts Seminar (LAS). Traditionally the LAS has been held at our Prescott campus as a residency event. As of the 2007-2008 academic year the format of the LAS has changed in order to reduce our ecological footprint, reduce the travel expenditures by students, increase student contact with their core faculty, and provide more discipline-specific and community-based learning opportunities. All degree-seeking students are still required to take the LAS during the second enrollment period; however, students will not be required to take the seminar at our Prescott campus. Students will complete their LAS with their core faculty through various formats (e.g., in-person, via email, phone, and/or our online learning area). The seminar encourages students to examine their lives and values and carry their findings into their own communities. In this way, the seminar is aimed at enhancing the liberal education of all students, regardless of their specific educational goals.

Mentors
To facilitate community-based education, students find mentors in their home communities who agree to work with them on a particular individualized course of study. Students locate mentors who are approved by their core faculty members and who also meet the Program's criteria: usually a minimum of a master's degree and, preferably, teaching experience at the college level. Interested mentors are often easily found in universities and community colleges, at local elementary and high schools, and in businesses and other professional fields. The ADP office can assist students in finding mentors in their communities.

The student-mentor relationship is different from the traditional student-teacher relationship. Students are expected to direct their own learning using mentors as resources and guides. Both students and mentors bring much experience to this learning relationship; they often leave the relationship having experienced a mutual learning process. Finding mentors also provides students with a valuable network of professionals in their field of study. Often, these connections lead to internships, recommendations, and jobs. Students normally take no more than three courses with any one mentor. Mentors are paid a stipend for working with ADP students.

Mentored Studies
Mentored courses combine tutorial and traditional independent study. Students meet weekly with their mentors, at times and locations that are mutually convenient, to discuss material and review progress. Students can schedule vacations or special events by agreeing on a make-up schedule with their mentors. This format fosters the development of initiative, organizational ability, and motivation to learn. Students normally take no more than three courses with any one mentor. Mentors are paid a stipend for working with ADP students.

Study Contracts
The most important component of the student's program is the development of learning contracts. Students design the objectives and activities of their courses by writing a learning contract for each course. Mentor and student discuss the format of the course at the first meeting and agree upon the content of the contract during the next few meetings. The contract is submitted to the Adult Degree Program at the beginning of the course for core faculty approval.

Evaluation
The quality and detail of our evaluation system sets Prescott College above other distance completion programs. The mentor and student determine how the student will be evaluated in the course. Students may request a grade or request credit with no grade. Credit is granted only for a grade of "C" or higher. The basis for evaluation (papers, class discussions, projects, and/or a learning journal) are described in the course contract and approved by the core faculty member. Prescott College believes that a letter grade only partially reflects the learning and growth that has occurred in a course. Each student comes to a course with a unique combination of prior learning and experience, so each student's learning and growth in a course is measured individually. The College also respects students' rights to evaluate their own growth and performance. Therefore, narrative evaluations written by the students and mentors are included on the course contracts and made part of the students' permanent transcripts. Upon completion of the course and an award of credit and/or grade by the mentor, the completed evaluations are submitted to the Adult Degree Program office. Credit is granted after receipt of completed evaluations. At the end of each course, students are requested to evaluate their mentors. These evaluations are treated as confidential.

Demonstration of Competence and Breadth
Prescott College believes that for learning to be fully assimilated, it must be applied through an internship, related job, student teaching, or research project. Students work with a core faculty member to develop an appropriate internship experience. Most students demonstrate competence and breadth after completing their Prescott College courses. In some cases, demonstration of competence and breadth occurs through a life experience portfolio or practicum in which students document application of learning through prior professional experience. Some students may demonstrate competence and breadth in their current job by taking on new projects and responsibilities. Teacher Education students demonstrate competence through student teaching.

Math Proficiency Requirement
The College requires that students demonstrate college-level mathematics skills by passing a brief written examination or completing a college-level math course as approved by the core faculty member. The course may be completed as a mentored study or at another institution.

Writing Proficiency Requirement
Students are asked to demonstrate college-level writing skills by submitting a research paper from one of their classes and writing an essay in a proctored setting. At the beginning of the Program, students are asked to evaluate their own skills and, if necessary, work with a tutor or take a writing class early in their enrollment.

Credit for Life Experience
A great deal of academically meaningful learning occurs outside of the classroom, in professional work or in structured workshops, seminars, and training. To receive credit for that learning, qualified students may use the Life Experience Documentation process to complete a conversion portfolio, life experience portfolio, or practicum. During Orientation, interested students attend a workshop that explains the process. Eligible students consult with their Core Faculty member and then submit an application and the $50 fee to the Life Experience Coordinator. Upon approval, the coordinator guides students in documenting the learning that can be applied toward degree requirements. The process of documenting life experience is demanding as well as rewarding. Official documentation such as letters from supervisors or instructors, certificates of completion, job evaluations, business records, and official publications must be provided. The conversion portfolio evaluation fee is $250. Students enroll in a 5 or 10 credit course for both the life experience portfolio and practicum, and pay an evaluation fee ranging from $100-$300. Credit received becomes a part of the Prescott College transcript.

Please Note: Some graduate schools do not accept bachelor's degrees that include life experience credit. Students planning on attending graduate school may wish to research the policies of prospective graduate schools and/or discuss this option with their Core Faculty member.

Required Enrollment
Students pursuing completion of a degree are referred to as Degree Students, and must be enrolled full-time for a minimum of two enrollment periods in order to graduate.
Students who have already earned a Bachelor's Degree are referred to as Special Students. In general, they enroll in the Adult Degree Program to earn an Arizona teaching credential or to complete endorsement courses. Occasionally, special students take courses to prepare for admission to graduate school or solely for personal interest.

In most cases, Special Students will be enrolled for a minimum of two 6-month enrollment periods. All Special Students attend Orientation and are required to take 2-quarter credits of Liberal Arts coursework. This will consist of a 2-quarter-credit Adult Liberal Learning course.

Typical Enrollment
Typically a student takes 2 five-quarter credit courses every three months (12 weeks). This equals 20 quarter credits for a six-month enrollment period. The maximum course load for a full-time student is 24 quarter credits, and the minimum required is 18. Students are encouraged to complete 2-3 courses each quarter to maintain a timely schedule.

The Prescott College Adult Degree Program is on the quarter system, with four quarters per year; most courses are three, five, or ten quarter credits. (Semester credits translate into quarter credits by multiplying them by 1.5, i.e., 3 semester credits x 1.5 = 4.5 quarter credits.)

The following are guidelines for course hours:

Quarter Credits		Length		Number of Meetings		Total Learning Hours
3		8 weeks		8		90
5		12 weeks		12		150
10*		3-6 months		10-20		300

* A 10-quarter credit course is frequently an internship or a demonstration of competence.

Part-Time Enrollment
In general, Degree Students who have been enrolled full-time for a minimum of two consecutive 6-month enrollment periods may enroll part-time. This helps students who need only one or two courses or student teaching to complete their degrees. Special Students can apply for part-time status for up to one year once they have completed one enrollment period.

The Graduation Portfolio
To graduate, degree seeking students must demonstrate competence in their field through the creation of a Graduation Portfolio. In this portfolio, students demonstrate, document, and synthesize their learning. Portfolios are reviewed and approved by a Graduation Committee composed of faculty members. Preparation of the portfolio is an ongoing process throughout each student's program. Six months before scheduled graduation, each student submits a final graduation portfolio/outline (final draft). When the final portfolio is accepted, the student is approved for graduation (providing all other requirements have been satisfied).