Work & life experience

Work and life experience portfolio

Your professional, community, leadership, and life experiences may have helped you develop college-level knowledge and skills. Through the Work/Life Experience Portfolio process, students can demonstrate learning gained outside of formal coursework and request evaluation for academic credit.

Examples of experiences:

• Professional employment and career progression
• Leadership roles and supervisory responsibilities
• Workforce training not captured through certifications or ACE recommendations
• Community service and volunteer leadership
• Entrepreneurial experience
• Specialized technical or industry experience

Students seeking portfolio assessment must provide documentation demonstrating how their learning aligns with specific academic learning outcomes.

Documentation may include:

• A resume or curriculum vitae (CV)
• Professional work products or projects
• Employer verification
• Professional development records
• Reflective narratives connecting experiences to learning outcomes
• Other evidence supporting college-level learning

A verification of employment will always be required for work experience.

Faculty review

Faculty reviewers evaluate the portfolio using established academic standards to determine whether the demonstrated learning is equivalent to learning achieved through NAU coursework.  Academic units establish whether their program accepts work/life experience, and if they do, each has their own evaluation criteria, required documentation and transfer pathway for awarding credit.  

Additional notes

Important: Credit awarded through Work/Life Experience Portfolio review may only be applied as department course equivalencies or department elective credit. General elective credit is not awarded through this PLA pathway.  Review the list of majors accepting Work/Life Experience to determine if this pathway is appropriate to your discipline. (LINK TO THE NEW WEBSITE CONTAINING PLA LISTS).