Brief Accounts of Institutional Philosophy

Charter Oak State College was established by the Connecticut General Assembly in 1973, to provide adults with an alternative means to overcome the barriers of time and place in the quest to earn an undergraduate degree. Charter Oak State College is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and by the State of Connecticut.

Charter Oak offers online courses and also serves an aggregator of credits. Students can earn an associate or bachelor's degrees by transferring credits other colleges, by passing college-level achievement tests, through portfolio assessment, through college-level training courses offered by business and other organizations that have been evaluated for credit by ACE, PONSI or Charter Oak, and through individually developed learning contracts with faculty. Charter Oak offers a general studies degree with concentrations in many of the majors offered by traditional colleges. Students must earn nine credits prior to enrolling at Charter Oak and are required to complete a capstone course.

Charter Oak State College, an online, regionally accredited institution, provides diverse and alternative opportunities for adults to earn associate and bachelor degrees. Relying on the judgment of professional educators, the College validates learning acquired through examinations, independent study, work experience, non-collegiate-sponsored instruction, technology-mediated learning, and traditional study, including Charter Oak online courses.