Combining Undergraduate Education and Specialized Experience For GS-05 Technician Positions
Definitions:
EXPERIENCE: One year of work experience is twelve months working full-time (at least 35-40 hours per week). Part-time experience can be pro-rated (i.e., a year at 20 hours per week is credited as 6 months of experience). If your position consisted of mixed duties, experience credit is given for the percentage of time that you spent on qualifying duties (i.e., if you held a position for 2 years, full-time, consisting of 25% personnel work and 75% budget work, and then applied for a budget position you could calculate your experience as follows:. 2 yrs = 24 months. 24 months x 75% [percentage of time spent on budget duties] = 18 months of qualifying experience.)
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION: A year of undergraduate education is 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of college study. This education must have been obtained in an accredited college or university for which high school graduation or the equivalent was a prerequisite.
To combine your undergraduate education and specialized experience, you must convert each to a percentage and then add them together, following Steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 below.
Step 1—Undergraduate Education
Successfully completed progressive education in excess of the first 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours (i.e., beyond the first two years) of a course of study leading to a bachelor's degree is credited on its relationship to 60 semester hours, 90 quarter hours. Thus, 30 semester hours, 45 quarter hours or the equivalent of progressive study is comparable to 1 year of undergraduate education. Such education must include the appropriate number of required directly related credit hours in any combination of courses as described in the Qualification Requirements for the GS-05 level of the series you are applying for. When crediting education, prorate the number of hours of related courses required as a proportion of the total education to be used (see step 3 below). Compute your percentage of semester or quarter hours with this formula:
FORMULA: YOUR NUMBER OF UNDERGRADUATE SEMESTER HOURS(BEYOND YOUR FIRST TWO YEARS OF STUDY) DIVIDED BY 60 SEMESTER HOURS OR YOUR NUMBER OF UNDERGRADUATE QUARTER HOURS (BEYOND YOUR FIRST TWO YEARS OF STUDY) DIVIDED BY 90 QUARTER HOURS.
EXAMPLES:
- If you have 21 semester hours beyond the first 2 years of progressive study (81 semester hrs. total with 21 semester hrs. in excess of the first 60 semester hrs.), 21 divided by 60 = .35 (35%)
- If you have 45 quarter hours beyond the first 2 years of progressive study (135 quarter hrs. total with 45 qtr. hrs. in excess of the first 90 qtr. hrs.), 45 divided by 90 = .50 (50%)
Step 2—Qualifying Specialized Education
Determine your qualifying specialized experience as a percentage of the specialized experience required for this position.
FORMULA: YOUR NUMBER OF MONTHS OF PERTINENT EXPERIENCE DIVIDED BY 12.
EXAMPLES:
- If you have 5 months of the right kind of experience, 5 divided by 12 = .416 (42%)
- If you have 8 months of the right kind of experience, 8 divided by 12 = .666 (67%)
Step 3—Directly Related Courses
Compute the number of directly related course credit hours required with this formula:
FORMULA: PRORATE THE NUMBER OF HOURS OF DIRECTLY RELATED COURSES REQUIRED AS A PROPORTION OF THE TOTAL EDUCATION TO BE USED.
EXAMPLE:
If you have 8 months of specialized experience (67%) and 21 semester hours beyond the second year of study (35%), 8 of the 21 semester hours must be in directly related courses.
FORMULA:
100% (total requirement)
- 67% (% of the required specialized experience applicant meets)
33% (% of specialized experience education will be substituting for)
24 (# of semester hrs. of directly related courses normally required for 4 years of undergraduate education as shown in "(b)" of the education substitution)
x 33% (% of specialized experience education will be substituting for)
7.92 or 8 semester hrs (of directly related courses required)
Step 4—Combining Undergraduate Education and Specialized Experience
Now, take your percentage of undergraduate education and your percentage of specialized experience and add them together. In order to meet the requirements through a combination of education and experience, the total of the two percentages must be at least 100% or you do not qualify.
EXAMPLE # 1:
- Undergraduate education totaled 21 semester hours (8 semester hrs. are in directly related courses) beyond the first 2 years of progressive study.
(Formula: 21 divided by 60 = .35 or 35%) - Pertinent experience totaled 8 months.
(Formula: 8 divided by 12 = .67 or 67%) - TOTAL: 35% + 67% = 102% (100 % OR MORE = QUALIFIED)
EXAMPLE #2:
- Undergraduate education totaled 30 semester hours (14 semester hrs. Are in directly related courses) beyond the first 2 years of progressive study.
(Formula: 30 divided by 60 = .50 or 50%) - Pertinent experience totaled 5 months.
(Formula: 5 divided by 12 = .416 or 42%) - TOTAL: 50% + 42% = 92% (LESS THAN 100% = NOT QUALIFIED)