Coursework (30 Total Credit Hours)
To see the upcoming courses, visit this program's Current Students page.
Required Courses (18 Hours)
* EDSE 509 Strategic Studies for Students with Exceptionalities or PSY 640 Cultural Issues in Educational Psychology may be substituted for ECLD 602 with approval from your advisor.
** PSY 500 Educational Psychology for Teachers or PSY 540 Theories and Principles of Learning may be substituted for PSY 681 with approval from your advisor.
*** For the research experience, students will complete a series of Action Research courses
and are required to form an advisory committee with a minimum of three qualified faculty.
These courses require research on a current problem in K-12 science education relevant
to students' teaching situations. The student will develop goals, review relevant
literature and plan and complete an action research project. A research paper will
also be developed with the assistance of the student's advisor and committee.
Science Pedagogical Content Electives (12 Hours)
Choose 12 hours from the following self-paced courses:
Comprehensive Exam
Students are required to provide an oral presentation of the research to the student's
advisor and committee.
For full details, see the official program listing in the UNC Graduate Catalog.
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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One year of teaching experience in K-12 education; current professional teaching position
is preferred.
Eligibility by State
At this time, UNC can serve online education to students from every state, the U.S.
Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. However, we are not currently accepting students to
our online programs who reside in the CNMIs. Due to how fluid these agreements can
be at the state or federal level, we recommend checking our Eligibility by State page for details.
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.
Students in completely online UNC programs are not required to come to the United
States. You will not need a student visa or receive any immigration documentation,
and do not need to provide financial documentation.
Please visit the International Students Admission Requirements page for details about English proficiency requirements 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. Master's
degree students must complete a minimum of 24 credits at the University of Northern
Colorado. All work counted in a master's degree program must be completed within five
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 Transfer of Credit form to submit along with the original transcript to the Grad School for review and final
approval.
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 $583 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.
Master's 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.