Compass Program
It takes more than a college degree to get a good job or be accepted to graduate school. You need to be “Career Ready,” which includes demonstrating your ability to be a leader, learning to communicate confidently and professionally, and using critical thinking to make smart decisions. These skills are difficult to develop in a classroom setting.
A great way to develop these skills is to get involved on campus and take advantage of the many opportunities available to all students. Connecting those experiences and everything you do outside the classroom with the Compass Experiential Learning office ensures those projects will be documented on your transcript and will help you build an impressive resume.
Participation in the Compass Experiential Learning Program is a graduation requirement. Students enrolled at Piedmont for all four undergraduate years (96-120 credit hours) must complete one experiential learning project. Transfer students are also required to complete one experiential learning project. Students enrolled in a degree program requiring an internship, observation hours, or clinical rotations satisfy the experiential learning graduation requirement through those degree-embedded activities.
Students can satisfy the requirement by participating for a minimum of one semester in a co-curricular on-campus activity. Eligible projects include, but are not limited to, on-campus leadership opportunities such as SGA, SAIL, MANE Leaders, Hall Council, CAB, Residence Life, and Team Piedmont; participation in Summer Travel Study and Alternative Spring Break trips; co-curricular independent research; officer of a Piedmont-sanctioned club; travel abroad; participation in academic, musical or dramatic competitions at the regional, state or local level; participation in a major Piedmont University theatre production, musical or recital requiring 40+ hours of rehearsal and performance time; as well as projects designed by the student.
Students may satisfy the Compass Experiential Learning graduation requirement if they have:
- Active military or military veteran status
- 3+ Years of full-time professional work experience while not enrolled as a student
- A completed bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution
- Enrolled in Piedmont’s engineering or dual law degree programs
Students who complete two or more projects are eligible for the Compass Program Honor Society. There is no limit to the number of projects that can be registered with the Compass office. All completed projects are documented on the student’s academic transcript.
Questions may be emailed to compass@piedmont.edu.