This mostly online doctoral program begins near the end of the Summer term (late July).
The minimal face-to-face requirements allow you to attend from anywhere, while still
allowing you to meet your fellow students and fulfill doctoral residency requirements.
- Fall and Spring terms: coursework is completely online.
- Summer terms: you will have one course delivered in Loveland, Colorado, for three
days each of the first three Summers.
- Your dissertation defense will also be presented in person during the final semester
of your program.
Degree Requirements (64 Credit Hours)
To see a typical list of courses by term, visit an example Current Students page for this program.
Educational Studies Core (12 Hours)
Innovation and Education Reform Cognate (24 Hours)
Research Core (12 Hours)
Dissertation (16 Hours)
Scholarly Paper Requirement
Students are required to submit for publication one paper to a professional journal
prior to dissertation proposal hearing. Other research endeavors prior to the dissertation
are encouraged. Students may take EDF 795 Comprehensive Seminar (3) to support the writing of a scholarly paper.
For full details, see the official program listing in the UNC Graduate Catalog.
Admission Requirements
Possess (or be in the process of finishing) a master's degree from a regionally accredited
college or university, or a comparable degree from a foreign institution.
Have a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better (on a 4.00 point scale) for the most recent
degree earned or current degree in progress. If you are still completing your master's
degree at the time you apply, admission will be based on your current cumulative GPA,
and you will need to re-submit your official transcript (showing your conferred degree
and final GPA) during your first semester. If your final GPA fell below 3.00, you
will be given additional requirements as defined by the academic program that must
be met within one calendar year to remain enrolled at UNC.
Note: the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is NOT required for this program.
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Prerequisite course: SRM 600 Introduction to Graduate Research (3) or equivalent
Eligibility by State
At this time, UNC can serve online education to students from every state, the U.S.
Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. We are not currently accepting students to our online
programs who reside in the CNMIs.
Because some states may have additional requirements or limitations for certain programs,
please check the following page to verify your eligibility. Note: if your state is
showing "limited authorization" it means you are likely eligible with additional documentation,
but please contact lisa.grimes@unco.edu for details.
Current State Authorizations for This Program
International Student Eligibility
International students residing outside of the United States are eligible to apply
to our online programs. Applicants for online programs must demonstrate English proficiency,
or enroll in the UNC Intensive English Program, in order to be considered.
This program requires occasional visits to the United States. You will need to submit
financial documentation before you plan to arrive in the U.S. (and again each time
you travel to the U.S.). The financial documentation needs to demonstrate that you
can pay for the cost of tuition and living expenses for the days that you will be
in the U.S.
Please visit the International Students Admission Requirements page for details about English proficiency requirements, financial documentation and applying
as an international student.
Transferring Credit
Applicable graduate credit with a grade of A or B from a regionally accredited university
may be able to be applied towards this academic program. Doctoral students must complete
a minimum of 40 semester hours through UNC of the 64 minimum required for a doctoral
degree. If the program requirements exceed the 64 credit minimum, students are allowed
to transfer additional credits, as determined by their advisor. All work counted in
a doctoral degree program must be completed within eight years. The time limit is
calculated from the beginning of the first class transferred in and counted in the
degree program. See the full Graduate Transfer Credit Policy.
Students must submit an original transcript to their advisor for review. Student and
advisor then complete a (pdf) Transfer of Credit form to submit along with the original transcript to the Grad School for review and final
approval.
A student who possesses a specialist degree may count a maximum of 21 semester hours
of specialist work in the doctoral program with the approval of the Graduate School,
the program advisor, and all members of the doctoral committee. Schools may have requirements
that exceed the minimums established by the university.
Tuition
This is an Extended Campus program, which means:
- A flat per-credit tuition rate for all students (in-state or out-of-state)
- There are no student fees – they are incorporated into our flat tuition rate
- Certain courses may carry specific course fees for additional services and materials
Program tuition for the 2022-23 academic year (which runs Fall, Spring, and Summer
terms) is $630 per credit hour. Tuition for the 2023-24 academic year will be determined
mid-June 2023.
Financial Aid
Students who cannot pay for tuition alone are encouraged to apply for federal financial
aid. Students must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The FAFSA priority filing date for each academic year (a Fall-Spring-Summer cycle
which begins each August) is June 1, although the form is now available by October
1 of the previous year and requests tax information from the year prior. For example,
the FAFSA form for aid for the 2023-24 school year is released on Oct. 1, 2022, and
is based off of 2021 tax return information.
Late submissions of the FAFSA are still accepted throughout the school year but you
may not be considered for the maximum amount of aid. If the priority deadline has
passed for the upcoming/current school year, we encourage you to apply for FAFSA consideration
as soon as you enroll for your first courses. Depending on the time of year, you may
be able to submit an application for the current academic year and an early/priority
application for the following academic year.
Doctoral degree students must be enrolled in a minimum of 5 credits per academic term for financial aid eligibility. Full time
enrollment is based on 9 credits per term.
To apply for federal financial aid assistance
Fill out the FAFSA form at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
For more specific help, contact the Office of Financial Aid: ofa@unco.edu, 970-351-4862 or via the UNC Financial Aid website.
Students can also find helpful information such as the Guide to Federal Student Aid
at https://studentaid.gov/resources. Most of the resources are available in English, Spanish, and Braille.
Student Health Insurance
The University of Northern Colorado offers a Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP)
to all degree-seeking students who enroll in courses on our main UNC Campus, an Extended
Campus Center, or Online.
Degree-seeking graduate students enrolled in 6 or more credit hours will automatically
receive this benefit each term. SHIP premiums will appear on your semester bill. If
you have comparable insurance coverage, and do not want to be charged for SHIP coverage,
you must opt out of this plan each Fall via an online waiver process.
Please visit the UNC Student Health Insurance pages for more information about the insurance plan.
