Fort Peck Catalog > Course Information > Challenge Courses

Challenge Courses

Challenge courses provide the student with the opportunity to earn college credits and grade points without formal course attendance. A student who has completed the work of a college course on his or her own initiative and time may, with the approval of the student’s academic advisor, the instructor, and the Academic Vice President, take a comprehensive examination in the subject matter of the course. Performance in the examination will become the basis for a grade in the course and the results will be recorded on the student’s permanent record. A student must register for the course challenged and pay tuition and fees. Official permission forms must be secured in advance from the Office of the Registrar. A student must be registered at FPCC at the time the challenge examination is taken and must have passed 15 credits of regular course work at FPCC before the challenge grade will be recorded on the permanent record.

The challenge examination for credit in a course that is a prerequisite to a second course must be taken before completion of the second course. Students who have enrolled and received a grade other than a “W”, or have taken a regular course for zero credit, may not challenge that course. Challenges are not permitted in any workshops or special topics courses.

No course in which any part of the grade is dependent on the student’s physical participation (e.g., science labs, physical education, or speech/debate) or courses numbered lower than 100 may be challenged. If a student challenges and fails the challenge examination, an “F” grade will be recorded on the transcript. The student will then be expected to take the regular course in that subject again with full costs to better the failing grade.