A Mostly Online Geography Education Certificate for Working Instructors

Admission Requirements

• Possess (or be in the process of finishing) a baccalaureate 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 bachelor'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.

  If you have completed a master's degree, or at least 18 credit hours towards a master's degree, the GPA of your master's work will be used.

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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

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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 in order to be considered. Possible ways to demonstrate proficiency:

• Qualifying test scores: TOEFL iBT: 80, IELTS: 6.5, PTE: 60
• Completion of a degree in the U.S., or from an English speaking country (parts of Europe, Canada), within the last two years.

For this program, you do not need to submit financial documentation with your initial application. You will need to submit financial documentation about 6-8 weeks before you plan to arrive in the U.S. for your coursework (and again each time you travel to campus). 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. This is required before we can provide you with a DS-2019 form, which you will need when you apply for a J1 visa.

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Certificate Program Transfer Credit Policy

Our graduate certificate programs feature highly specialized learning outcomes determined by our expert faculty. Therefore, to ensure that certificate graduates attain this specialized knowledge, students will need to complete all certificate coursework directly from this UNC program.

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 2020-21 academic year (which runs Fall, Spring, and Summer terms) is $555 per credit hour. Tuition for the 2021-22 academic year will be determined mid-June 2021.

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Financial Aid

Certificate program students (non-degree seeking) are not eligible for aid through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Details about the federal aid program are available at https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa. Your program coordinator may be aware of your eligibility for any discipline or campus-based aid if available.

For more specific help, Extended Campus students may contact Lisa Schuller in Financial Aid: schedule a meeting or email her at OFA.Extended@unco.edu. You can also reach the Office of Financial at 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.