Credit Conversion Program
The Independent Study Credit Conversion program is a path to fast and affordable college credits. This program is 100% online and often utilized by public safety and emergency management professionals as well as accountants seeking credits for their CPA.
What is Credit Conversion?
The Mid-Atlantic Center for Emergency Management & Public Safety at Frederick Community
College (MACEM&PS|FCC) awards college credit for eligible FEMA independent study course
completions. This process is called credit conversion.
How Others are Using Credit Conversion
Accountants
This program offers fast and affordable college credits towards your CPA and professional development requirements.
Law Enforcement & Public Safety
Strengthen your expertise in emergency management while checking off your academy or promotional credit requirements. Get the credits you need to advance your career on a schedule that respects your shift work.
Students & Student Athletes
Need a few more credits to stay on track or hit your degree goals? Knock them out fast and affordably with this flexible program.
Continuing Education
Advance your career and meet your professional requirements with ease. Our fast, affordable courses offer a streamlined path to earning the credits you need for ongoing development.
Why Students Choose Frederick Community College
Get Started
Program Information
- Credit conversion cost is $95 per credit.
- College credit is assigned a ‘P’ for Passing. A ‘P’ is equivalent to a grade of ‘C’ or better and does not factor into calculating GPA.
- FEMA courses must be completed prior to requesting college credit.
- Status updates will be sent via email.
- Independent Study courses are completed online at your own pace.
- After completing the course and submitting the Credit Conversion Request Form, your credits will be processed within 2-3 weeks.
- MACEM&PS | FCC will notify you via email when your college credit is posted to your student record. The email is titled “Your Credit Conversion Request has been processed!”
- It is important for you to wait to request an official FCC transcript until after you receive this email confirmation.
- An official FCC Transcript can be requested through Parchment.
FCC courses are posted to preassigned semesters that correspond to the academic calendar. This means that the FCC transcript reflects FCC course completion within a designated semester and does not reflect the date that the FEMA course was completed.
- Summer 2026 Semester: 5/29/26 – 8/21/26
- Fall 2026 Semester: 8/22/26 – 1/4/27
- Spring 2027 Semester: 1/5/27 – 5/31/27
Credit is awarded year-round. The date that your Credit Conversion Request Form is
received will initiate when your credit will be posted; however, we will honor your
request for credit within the academic semester that you meet all criteria.
To obtain credit within your desired academic semester, you must meet all of the following
criteria:
- The required FEMA EMI and/or CDP course(s) must be completed any time prior to the end of the desired academic semester.
- The Credit Conversion Request Form must be completed within the desired academic semester.
- Your official course record must be sent to FCC within the desired academic semester
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know what college credits to select on the Credit Conversion Request Form?
Please choose college credit based on the EMI IS and/or CDP courses you have completed
successfully. FCC courses are identified by the term FEMA followed by three numerical
digits.
If you would like a copy of your IS course record, please visit FEMA’s EMI Student Portal.
To review CDP courses you have completed, please visit FEMA’s CDP Student Portal.
Can I submit more than one Credit Conversion Request Form if I want to earn some credits
now and some credits later?
Yes, just be sure to review your FCC student record prior to submitting a new credit
conversion request to avoid requesting duplicate credit.
Also, please be mindful that when FEMA updates EMI IS and/or CDP coursework, MACEM&PS|FCC
may update the FCC Course List as well. Learn more under the “IS Courses” heading
below.
Once I submit the Credit Conversion Request Form, how long does it take to post my
college credit to an FCC transcript?
Validating and awarding college credit takes approximately 2-3 weeks. You will receive
a confirmation e-mail from MACEM&PS at FCC once your request for college credit has
been processed.
What should I do if I made an error within my credit conversion request?
Please reach out to MACEM&PS|FCC for assistance by e-mailing creditconversion@frederick.edu.
What is the difference between the FEMA course record and the Frederick Community College (FCC) transcript?
The FEMA course record reflects the courses you have successfully completed at FEMA’s
EMI and/or CDP. The FCC transcript details the college credit(s) you have obtained
through the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 1007 North Orange Street,
4th Floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE 19801.
If you want to submit a transcript to another institution or employer that lists your
college credit, please request an official FCC transcript through Parchment.
How can I obtain an official transcript of my college credits?
Students may request an FCC official transcript through Parchment. Individuals pay $8.00 for electronic delivery per transcript and $10.95 for a paper
transcript to be mailed via USPS.
Effective January 6, 2025, sales tax will be applied to all outgoing official transcript
orders. The sales tax will be added to a transcript order after the order is placed
on the Parchment storefront order at checkout. This change may impact the total cost
of a request based on various factors such as document type, delivery method, and
location. Additional information can be found via FCC Transcript Services.
Please do not request a transcript until you receive a confirmation email from MACEM&PS
at FCC that your credit conversion request has been processed. Transcripts requested
prior to receipt of the MACEM&PS confirmation email will not reflect the courses recently
converted. No refunds are provided for requesting transcripts too early.
What versions of the FEMA courses will be accepted towards credit?
The current or previous version of a FEMA course will be accepted for conversion into
credit.
For example, FCC will accept credit for successful completion of IS-230e.(current
version) OR IS- 230d.(previous version). Please note that earlier versions (IS-230,
IS-230.a, IS-230.b, and IS-230.c) can no longer be converted into college credit.
The FEMA course that I completed is not listed as a course that is available for college
credit. What does this mean?
Unfortunately, not all FEMA courses are eligible for college credit. The FEMA courses
that are eligible for credit conversion can be found within the eligible course list.
I took a FEMA course that was available for college credit when I completed it, but
the course has since been removed from FEMA’s website for revision or retirement.
Can I still receive college credit?
Any course that is eligible for college credit at FCC will continue to be awarded
through the end of the semester that FEMA revises or retires a FEMA course. Please
reference the eligible course list often for course updates.
Are CEU's (Continuing Education Units) the same as college credit?
No. FEMA’s CEUs are values FEMA awards for professional licensing requirements and
do not pertain to this College Credit Conversion program. If you wish to earn college
credit, make sure you are taking the courses that are on the eligible course list.
Are there any age restrictions on obtaining college credits?
Yes, FCC does not award credit to students that are 10 years of age or younger.
Does the college credit I earn through FCC transfer to other institutions?
FCC is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 1007 North
Orange Street, 4th Floor, MB #166, Wilmington, DE, 19801. However, it is up to the
receiving institution to determine which, if any, college credit they will accept.
Students are responsible for verifying acceptance of FCC credits by the receiving
institution.
What level of credit are the college credits offered through FCC?
Lower-division 100 level credits.
How can I request enrollment verification when participating in FEMA credit conversion?
Certain situations require students to submit enrollment verification. Please reach
out to MACEM&PS|FCC for a letter by emailing creditconversion@frederick.edu.
Note that converting FEMA course(s) does not denote full-time or part-time enrollment
status per our Academic Standards.
When requirements change for FCC FEMA credits, can I receive more than 1 college credit?
If you have already converted college credit for an FCC FEMA course, you cannot earn
additional credit for the same course, even when requirements change.
How safe is my personal information?
All information is secured using the latest electronic data encryption standards.
For further details, please review the Terms and Conditions policy.
What should I do if my personal or contact information has changed?
Please reach out to MACEM&PS|FCC for assistance by e-mailing creditconversion@frederick.edu.
Why do you need my personal information, particularly FEMA SID number, date of birth
and gender?
FEMA tracks your training record with a student identification number, also known
as a FEMA SID. MACEM&PS at FCC will use this information to create your student record.
FCC also asks for your date of birth and gender as a part of necessary information
required for granting college credit.
Will I receive a 1098-T tax form for the Credit Conversion program?
The MACEM&PS at FCC collects payment for credit conversion fees and will gladly send
you a receipt for payments made during the previous calendar year, during tax season,
upon request.
While 1098-T tax forms are issued for tuition payments only, you may use a receipt
as proof of your credit conversion fee payment for purposes such as educational expenses.
Please consult your personal tax accountant for further information.
Can a third party pay my college credit fee?
Yes. Simply enter the third-party payment details during checkout, or contact creditconversion@frederick.edu to discuss additional payment options.
What is your refund procedure?
To request a refund, you must send an email to creditconversion@frederick.edu within six months of the date that you submitted your credit conversion request.
Any refund request made after six months will not be honored.
Can I obtain a refund for FCC FEMA credit that has already been awarded and posted
to my FCC transcript?
Refunds are not available for college credit that has already been awarded and posted
to a student record.
I am having technical problems with the Credit Conversion Request Form. Who can I
contact for assistance?
Contact MACEM&PS|FCC at: creditconversion@frederick.edu or 301.624.2854
I am having technical problems with the FEMA EMI website. Who can I contact for assistance?
Please reference EMI’s technical information guide. If you continue to have trouble, you may reach out to the Independent Study Program
(ISP) Office at 301.447.1200 or Independent.Study@fema.dhs.gov. ISP Office hours are 8:00a.m.-4:30p.m. ET Monday – Friday, except federal holidays.
I am having technical problems with the FEMA CDP website. Who can I contact for assistance?
Student Services can be reached at 256.847.2132 or studentservices@cdpemail.dhs.gov. CDP Office hours are Monday - Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. CST.
Terms & Conditions
This privacy policy tells you how we use personal information collected at macemps.org, frederick.edu, and affiliated website properties and forms. Please read this privacy policy before using the site or submitting any personal information. By using the site, you are accepting the practices described in this privacy policy. These practices may be changed but any changes will be posted and changes will only apply to activities and information on a going forward, not retroactive basis. You are encouraged to review the privacy policy whenever you visit the site to make sure that you understand how any personal information you provide will be used.
Collection of Information
We collect personally identifiable information in order to fulfill our request for college credit. Frederick Community College (FCC) will use the information you provide to verify your Emergency Management Institute FEMA Independent Study course completions, issue you college credit per your conversion request, enroll you as a student at FCC, notify you of the progress of your conversion request, and, when applicable, send your college credit transcript to you and the institutions you specify in Parchment request(s).
Occasionally, you may receive an email from FCC with information on new courses or offerings that may be of interest to you.
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Distribution of Information
We may share information with governmental agencies or other companies assisting us in fraud prevention or investigation. We may do so when: (1) permitted or required by law; or (2) trying to protect against or prevent actual or potential fraud or unauthorized transactions; or (3) investigating fraud which has already taken place.
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Privacy Contact Information
If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about our privacy policy, you may contact us using the information below:
Safe & Secure Payment Processing
All online transactions completed at macemps.org and frederick.edu for the purpose of FEMA Independent Study credit conversion are securely processed by Authorize.net, a leading payment gateway since 1996.
MACEM&PS|FCC partners with Authorize.net to accept credit cards and electronic check payments safely and securely for our customers and students. The Authorize.net Payment Gateway manages the complex routing of sensitive customer information through the electronic check and credit card processing networks.
The company adheres to strict industry standards for payment processing, including:
- 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology for secure Internet Protocol(IP) transactions.
- Industry leading encryption hardware and software methods and security protocols to protect customer information.
- Compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
For additional information regarding the privacy of your sensitive cardholder data, please read the Authorize.net Privacy Policy.
We reserve the right to make changes to this policy. Any changes to this policy will be posted.
Program Contacts
MACEM&PS | FCC
Credit Conversion Program
creditconversion@frederick.edu
301.624.2854
FEMA IS Courses
FEMA Independent Study Program Office
Independent.Study@fema.dhs.gov
301.447.1200
CDP Courses
Center for Domestic Preparedness
studentservices@cdpemail.dhs.gov
256.847.2132
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