Fully Online Master's Degree
The Special Education MA – Visual Impairment program is delivered fully online, and
you can start the program any fall, spring or summer term. If you add the School Orientation
& Mobility Endorsement noted below, there will be some on-campus requirements.
Coursework (42 Credit Hours or Less)
Note: if you are already licensed as a special education teacher, you will likely
be able to complete this master's degree with 33 credit hours because you may be able
to waive three courses.
For an example of upcoming courses, visit the Current Students page for this program.
For full program requirement details, see the official program listing in the UNC Graduate Catalog.
School Orientation & Mobility (O&M) Endorsement
UNC also offers a School Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Endorsement (Ages 0-21yrs).
Eligibility
- If you are applying to the Special Education MA – Visual Impairment program, you will
have the option to add the O&M Endorsement/coursework.
- If you would like to take the O&M Endorsement only, you will need to meet the eligibility
requirements noted for the MA program, and will need to have completed (or be in the
process of completing) a Visual Impairment master's degree program.
Location
- Spring term: online.
- Summer term: four weeks in-person on campus in Greeley, Colorado.
- Practicum experiences: can be done near where you reside.
You can start the program any academic term, and the time to completion will be based
on when you start the program and how many practicum credits you take each term. Contact
the Program Coordinator for additional information.
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.
Note: the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) is NOT required for this program.
Eligibility by State
At this time, UNC can provide distance education to students from every state, the
District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. UNC cannot provide
distance education in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia,
and the Republic of Palau.
Certain distance education activities that occur outside of Colorado may have additional
state approval processes or requirements. This most commonly occurs for experiential
learning placement activities such as practica, internships, student teaching, and
healthcare clinicals. Please review the State Authorization (SARA) page for additional information on UNC’s ability to offer distance education across state
lines and a list of activities and states where approval may be required. For additional
information or questions, please contact jake.henderson@unco.edu.
Licensure Eligibility by State
All UNC professional licensure programs are designed to lead to Colorado licensure.
However, since each state has their own educational preparation requirements, UNC's
programs may or may not meet these requirements in each state. For a complete list
of states where UNC has determined that this program will or will not fulfill educational
requirements for licensure, please visit the UNC Licensure page.
UNC encourages all students entering a professional licensure program to understand
licensure requirements in the state where they intend to seek employment. Please review
the State Licensure Boards page to find contact information for licensing agencies in each state.
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.
Master's Degree-Only Students
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.
All O&M Endorsement Students
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
Master's Degree Students
UNC graduate school accepts applicable graduate credit with a grade of C or higher
from accredited institutions. Please note that if your chosen program has a higher
grade minimum for any program coursework, that minimum would apply to transfer requests
for those courses. Graduate program faculty are responsible for reviewing any proposed
transfer credit to ensure that course content and objectives match program content.
- Students must complete at least 50% of their graduate program credits at UNC, not
including research, capstone, seminar, internship/externship/practicum, thesis, dissertation
proposal, dissertation and any credits graded with S/U (P/F).
- Courses requested for transfer must not be more than five years old for master's degree
credit, and cannot have been used to fulfill requirements for a previously awarded
degree. See the full Graduate Transfer Credit Policy.
O&M Endorsement-Only Students
Graduate 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 endorsement program completers attain this
specialized knowledge, students will need to complete all coursework directly from
this UNC program.
Tuition
This is an Extended Campus program, which means:
- We charge a flat per-credit tuition rate for all students (in-state or out-of-state).
- There are no added student fees or technology fees. However, certain courses may carry
specific course fees to support additional services and materials.
Program tuition for the 2024-25 academic year (which runs Fall, Spring, and Summer
terms) is $636 per credit hour. Tuition for the 2025-26 academic year will be determined
mid-June 2025.
Estimates of additional costs: For the purposes of determining financial aid, UNC
follows Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE) and federal guidelines to develop
an estimated, average Cost of Attendance (budget) for different student classifications.
For your personal tuition estimates, we recommend using the program-specific tuition
information above. But UNC's official Cost of Attendance/Student Budgets page can help you identify other estimated expenses for which you may be responsible while
completing your program.
Financial Aid
Master's Program Students
Degree-seeking 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 UNC FAFSA/financial aid page for graduate students has key dates and support, including the release date and deadline for each academic
year (a Fall-Spring-Summer cycle which begins each August).
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
O&M Endorsement-Only Students
Certificate program students (non-degree seeking) are not eligible for aid through
the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (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, 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 (for Master's Degree Students Only)
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.
