Navy exams "passed, not-advanced" may equate to college credit

All Hands, May, 2004 by Amanda Hotz

Some educational institutions have begun offering college credits for Navy advancement exams. Sailors who pass their career advancement examinations but are not advanced in their rate earn "passed, not-advanced" (PNA) points, which until recently were only helpful in enhancing their chances of being advanced in the next exam cycle.

According to the American Council on Education (ACE) Guide, if PNA appears on a member's profile sheet and is posted on the Sailor Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART), they may qualify for a certain amount of college credit.

Electronics Technician 3rd Class Patrick Darby of Ground Electronics Maintenance Division of Naval Station Rota, Spain, found out about the ability to gain more college credits when he was attempting to get a copy of his SMART for an officer's program called STA-21 (Seaman to Admiral).

"I was trying to get an official copy of my SMART transcript for an application to the University of New Orleans and for my STA-21 application," said Darby. "The Navy College Center in Pensacola, Fla., sent me an email asking me if I had PNA'd my last rating exam for E-5. He said that if I had, then according to the Navy, even though I hadn't advanced because of quotas, I had proven myself capable of E-5 credit and work, and was eligible for the college credit."

The term PNA means that a person has demonstrated their occupational proficiency by passing the exam but has not been advanced because of an insufficient amount of points from sources other than the exam, or there may simply be no openings in a particular rate.

Darby received news Jan. 9 that he was able to take advantage of the credits. He sent his profile sheet a few days later to Navy College Center, and it showed up on his SMART soon after.

"I received an e mail from the Navy College Center saying they had updated my transcript," said Darby. "So I went to the website to verify, and there it was in my case, for an ET3 [Electronics Technician 3rd Class] going for ET2 [Electronics Technician 2nd Class], I received an additional nine [college] credits."

According to Darby, the points from the exam will help him in the pursuit of his degree and his goal to enter into the STA-21 program.

"I am trying to get a commission through the STA-21 program, which only gives you 36 months to complete your Bachelor's," said Darby. "I would like to get my degree in Naval Architecture with the University of New Orleans. I submitted my SMART transcript to them, and now I am waiting to see what they accepted so I can start planning which classes to take with University of Maryland that will be the most beneficial."

According to www.tpub.com, the Integrated Publishing page, the ACE Guide recommends the amount of credit to be awarded, but it does not guarantee that amount will be given to the member by civilian educational institutions. The college or university a student attends determines if the points on their SMART will qualify as academic credits and grants the credits according to the student's degree program.

"University of Maryland has accepted all of my credits, with most of them counting as electives," said Darby. "But I still haven't heard back from the University of New Orleans."

Navy members may receive college credit from civilian schools for certain Navy training and work experiences, as well. These include service schools that are at least 45 contact hours; job experience in the Sailor's rating; limited duty officer or chief warrant officer specialties; and certain Navy enlisted classification codes that have been evaluated and recommended for college credit.

According to Darby, the credits are especially helpful to those who are very near graduating and need just a few more credits to complete their degree, or for individuals who are nearing the end of their enlistment and plan on going to school.

"They might leave the Navy as an E-4 or E-5 and have the college credit for the next pay-grade" said Darby. "It could save them a couple thousand dollars when they get out."

Story by J03 Amanda Hotz, who is assigned to the public affairs office, Naval Station Rota, Spain.