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Departmental Exams | Office of Student Accommodations & Testing | Wichita State University

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Departmental Exams

Test Information

A number of academic departments at Wichita State University have developed Departmental Credit by Examination (CBE) assessments. Enrolled WSU students interested in attempting to earn credit through a departmental exam should contact the main office of a department. Departmental exams are primarily administered by the department offering the course; however, some courses may be available through the Office of Student Accommodations & Testing (OSAT).

Students will be able to register for specific departmental exams on RegisterBlast.

Examination Process & Requirements

The chairperson of the department oversees the departmental exam and will be responsible for advising the student about the content of the examination. All course prerequisites must be completed before testing. The requirements to take a departmental exam are as follows:

  • The student must be enrolled at Wichita State University.
  • A department exam will not be administered to a student who has been previously enrolled in the class, unless a "W" was received.
  • If a student has previously taken the course and failed, they are not allowed to take the exam and must repeat the course.
  • Students may only take the departmental exam once.
  • Departmental exams are written and scored by faculty.
  • The grade recorded for a Departmental CBE is CrE.
  • The processing time after taking a departmental exam may take up to three weeks to be documented.
  • Any credit received may not transfer to other institutions.

Departmental Exam Procedures

To take a departmental exam, please do the following:

  1. Student must be admitted to Wichita State University and obtain departmental approval to be eligible to take the exam.
  2. Pay any department fees through your Student Account Suite on myWSU portal or through Accounts Receivable, located on the second floor of Jardine Hall.
  3. Schedule your departmental exam through RegisterBlast. Each exam will be $28.00.
  4. Upon completion of your test, the exam will be sent to the respective department for scoring and will be determined whether you will earn course credit.

Departmental Exam List Offered Through OSAT

To see the most up-to-date Departmental CBE list offered through OSAT, students will need to:

  1. Go to RegisterBlast and select Credit by Exam (CLEP, DSST, Departmental).
  2. Once selected, the next dropdown list should be Departmental Exam (CBE).
  3. The following will be the list of exams offers through the Office of Student Accommodations & Testing.

If an exam is not listed on RegisterBlast, please contact the main office of the subject department for further instructions.

Credit for Life Experience

Wichita State University awards credit for life experience to admitted WSU students. The learning from the life experience must match the content of a course listed in the catalog. A faculty member must verify that the experience aligns with the course material, and students may pay an administrative fee for evaluation. These credits are recorded as transfer credit on the transcript once validated but cannot replace grades, duplicate existing credit, or substitute for completed WSU courses. For more information, visit the Credit for Life Experience page.

Transfer of Military Credit

At Wichita State University, we understand that transferring to a new school can be a daunting task and want to help ease the process for our military-affiliated students. It is vital that you transfer all of the credits you have earned through military training, AP/CLEP/DANTES (DSST) testing, and credits from other institutions to WSU. For more information, refer to WSU's Military & Veteran Services webpage.

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