Required Coursework
To see a typical list of courses per term, visit an example Current Program Students page.
Certificate (12 Credit Hours)
Endorsement (24 Credit Hours)
All certificate courses listed above, plus the following courses:
Master of Arts Degree (33 Credit Hours)
All certificate and endorsement courses listed above, plus the following courses:
For full details, see the official program listings 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.
-
Teaching License (if you plan to use this degree to teach). If you wish to also take
coursework for initial teacher licensure, please contact the Program Coordinator about
adding this coursework.
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
This Mostly-Online Program
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.
Face-To-Face Option
The UNC School of Special Education offers an on-campus (Greeley) delivery of these
programs. All international students interested in an on-campus experience should
contact a Program Coordinator for more information.
Transferring Credit
Master's Degree Transfer Credit Policy
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.
Certificate & Endorsement Programs Transfer Credit Policy
Our graduate certificate and endorsement programs feature highly specialized learning
outcomes determined by our expert faculty (and, in many cases, driven by state endorsement
preparation requirements). Therefore, to ensure that graduates attain this specialized
knowledge, students will need to complete all certificate or endorsement 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.
Financial Aid
Master's Degree Students
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 March 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 2021-22 school year is released on Oct. 1, 2020, and
is based off of 2019 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 March 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.ed.gov/sa/fafsa
Certificate & Endorsement Students
Certificate and endorsement-only 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.
All Students
For more specific help, Extended Campus degree-seeking students may contact Adrina
Pawlak in Financial Aid at OFA.Extended@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.ed.gov/sa/resources. Most of the resources are available in English, Spanish, and Braille.
Student Health Insurance for Master's Degree Students
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.
