Graduate Program General Information

Applying for Admission

To qualify for admission to the Upper Iowa University Graduate Program, the student must meet the requirements listed in this sec­tion. The graduate academic advisor will evaluate prior educational experience and grades to determine admission to Upper Iowa Uni­versity’s Graduate Program. The student will be notified in writing of the approval or denial of admission.

A student should check with the program staff to determine whether graduate degrees are offered with the student’s learning experience.

MBA, M.Ed., MHA, MPA, MSC, MSA

Admission Requirements:

1. A baccalaureate degree from an institution accredited by an agency that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Post-secondary Education (USDE-OPE) or by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). (If from a foreign institution, an English transla­tion and evaluation must accompany the record.)
2. GPA or GRE/GMAT score:
   1. A cumulative GPA of 2.75 or better in undergraduate degree, or
   2. 3.00 GPA or better in a minimum of 6 semester hours of graduate credit
   3. For MBA, MPA and MSA, an acceptable GRE or GMAT score. An acceptable score is 1090 for GRE, 308 for GRE revised General Test, or 550 for GMAT. An official GRE/GMAT transcript, which is only available for five years following completion of the GMAT or GRE must be submitted directly to Upper Iowa University. See www.gre.org or www.gmat.org for information on these exams.
3. Verification of English language proficiency requirements. See English Proficiency Requirements  .
4. International students must provide proof of financial responsibility. Contact advisor for more information.

Additional requirements for MSC:

1. Two professional and/or academic letters of recommenda­tion
2. Personal Statement essay
3. Completion of a Criminal Background Check (Note: A second criminal background check will be required before practicum.)
4. Group interview

If the minimum GPA or GRE/GMAT test score is not met, addi­tional documentation may be requested by the graduate program chair or director for further consideration.

1. MBA and MHA: Resume; an essay may also be requested
2. M.Ed and MSC: Complete two graduate courses as non-degree seeking and earn a grade of B or above in each course to be considered for admission to the program
3. MPA and MSA: Two letters of recommendation, resume, and essay

Application Procedure

1. Submit an application for admission. Apply online at uiu.edu/apply.
2. Submit official transcript from the college/university where the baccalaureate degree was conferred. If you have earned graduate level credit at another institution(s), submit those transcripts as well. Transcripts must be submitted directly from the granting institution. Transcripts cannot pass through the student’s hands. Paper copy transcripts should be sent directly to Upper Iowa University, Attn: Student Enrollment Center, P.O. Box 1857, Fayette, IA 52142. Electronic transcripts using a secure site (e.g. Parchment or Clearinghouse) should be sent to IECOperations@uiu.edu.
3. The complete admission file will be reviewed and a letter will be forwarded to the student concerning admission status.
4. Once admitted, the student receives an advising worksheet and may register for classes.

Students who complete the admission process and do not register within one year may be required to resubmit certain documents.

Transferring Credits

The MBA, M.Ed, MHA, MPA, MSC and MSA programs will accept up to 12 relevant graduate credits from graduate institu­tions and/or programs accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education Office of Post-secondary Education (USDE-OPE) or by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Transfer credit should be arranged at the time of applica­tion. Only courses in which the student has earned a grade of B or above are eligible for transfer. All graduate transfer credit is subject to review and credit will be transferred only from institutions recog­nized by the above listed agencies or graduate level ACE evaluated coursework. Experential learning without an ACE recommendation is not an option in the graduate program. All credit transferred must be closely related to the student’s program. The substitution of any transferred course for a core or emphasis course will be based on an evaluation of the student’s exposure to equivalent subject matter. Approved transfers of credit will be officially recorded after the student is accepted in the program and completed at least one course with Upper Iowa University. All requests for transfer of credit must be submitted in writing by the student to the graduate academic advisor, Upper Iowa University, PO Box 1857, Fayette, IA 52142.

Transferring within UIU Graduate Programs

Students who have been admitted to an UIU graduate program but would like to switch to a different UIU graduate program will need to complete the Change of Major form located on myUIU. The completed form is emailed by the student to uiuregistrar@uiu.edu and the student’s academic advisor. To be considered for admis­sion into the new program, the applying student must meet the new program’s admission requirements.

Graduate Link Program

Courses completed through the Graduate Link Program at UIU follow the above transfer credit policy when applying credit to a graduate program.

Military Tuition Assistance

Active-duty Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve personnel must register through the ArmyIgnitED portal. All other military personnel using military tuition assistance (MTA) will have their education officer approve the class and submit the completed TA form to an academic advisor. All military tuition assistance forms must be received before the first day of the session. Forms may be mailed to Upper Iowa University, SEC, PO Box 1857, Fayette, IA 52142 or scanned and emailed to distance@uiu.edu. If a student needs assistance applying for Military Tuition Assistance, they should contact the respective education office.

Employee Tuition Assistance

If a student is receiving tuition assistance, a voucher approved by Upper Iowa University must accompany any portion of the payment for which the student is responsible. Contact an aca­demic advisor for more details.

Writing

The ability to write clearly and succinctly is essential for success in the graduate program. Students should expect that assignments in every course will require demonstrated writing competency. All graduate courses require the use of a current style guide for all formal assignments.

Graduate Tuition and Fees 2023-2024 Academic Year

In accordance with University policy, all semester charges are due and payable the Wednesday before start of semester/session. Students receiving financial aid will be required to pay any difference between total expenses and the aid. Payment plans must be in place by Wednesday before the start of the semester if charges and fees won’t be paid in full. Default of payment may result in the student’s enrollment being delayed or denied; satisfactory arrangements must be made before reinstatement.

Accepted financial aid is applied to the student’s account beginning the 3rd week of each session upon verification of attendance. Student refunds will be processed within 14 calendar days from the date the credit balance was created on the student’s account. Diplomas, certificates, or transcripts will not be released until all financial obligations are met.

Online Program Information

Online Program Registration

New students must register with their admissions advisor.

All returning Upper Iowa University students register through myUIU, Upper Iowa University’s online portal. Access to myUIU is on the University website at uiu.edu. Step-by-step instructions for course registration are listed under the Aca­demics tab in the Student Help folder. All students are issued a username and password by Information Technology Services after their first Upper Iowa University registration.

Tuition and any course-related fees are due at the time of registration or by the Wednesday before the start of the session. Payment may be made through the myUIU portal in a secure environment.

Registration begins approximately six weeks before the start of each session. Students are strongly encouraged to register early as capacity is limited in all classes.

Session start dates are published on page 5 of this catalog and on the website at uiu.edu/online. No registrations will be accepted after the published last day to register for the session.

Auditing a course is not an available option in the Online Pro­gram.

Changes in Registration (Drop Procedures)

Students may drop a course at any time during the registration period and up to the last day prior to the first day of the session/semester.

Changes in Enrollment

Refer to Academic Policies  for information on attendance, validation of enrollment and course withdrawal.

Administrative withdrawal will affect financial aid funding. If financial aid funds have been released to the student because of a credit balance on the student’s account at Upper Iowa Univer­sity, then the student may be required to repay some or all of the amount released to the student. This policy is subject to federal regulations. Contact the Financial Aid Office for details.

Course Attendance and Participation

The Online Program course week begins on Monday and ends the following Sunday, except in week 8 when the last day is Thursday. Students will be given access to their classroom the first day of the course.

A student is expected to actively participate and contribute to the learning experience in the course at least four days of each seven days in an academic week. Participation means providing sub­stantive comments, questions and contributions that advance the learning process for the student and other learners in the course.

Attainment of the minimum expected participation is repre­sentative of an average student. Participation in excess of the minimum is expected of superior students. For grading purposes, the faculty member will determine the number and quality of postings for participation. If the student actively participates in the course, the student should not have an attendance issue.

If a student does not meet the minimum attendance requirement (attended by discussion post, reply to a post, quiz completion, or assignment submission) for 14 consecutive days, the student will receive an AW for the course which may affect financial aid funds for payment of the course. Financial aid and tuition adjustments will be calculated based on the day the student last posted to the online classroom. Merely logging into the online classroom website is not considered a posting for attendance or participation purposes.

Collaborative Learning

Online courses may incorporate one or more collaborative learning assignments that utilize “virtual teaming.” In collabora­tive assignments a group of students works on and submits an assignment as a team. Work done in the group is not considered participation for grade purposes. In general, all members of the group will earn the same grade on the assignment. If the faculty member determines that one or more group members did not do a fair share of the assignment, those students may receive a lower grade. Some faculty members assign the members of groups while others allow students to self-select their group. A faculty member’s policy on this will be in the course syllabus.

Technical Requirements

It is UIU’s goal to make the student’s learning experience the best it can be. One way to achieve this goal is to ensure that certain essential tools are available when students access their web-based course. Information related to technical requirements for the Upper Iowa University learning management system, uiuLearn, can be found under the browser information section on the uiuLearn Student Tutorials page.

Learning Management System

Upper Iowa University utilizes D2L Brightspace learning manage­ment system (LMS). UIU has branded the LMS with the name uiuLearn. All students who enroll in online classes are expected to complete the student orientation tutorial and have appropriate knowledge to use the system effectively. The system is supported by a 24/7 helpdesk chat as well as via email and phone at help­desk@d2l.com or 877-325-7778.

U.S. Center Program Information

Center Program Registration

• New students must register with the center.
• Currently enrolled students should register through myUIU.

All Upper Iowa University students register through myUIU, Upper Iowa University’s online portal. Access to myUIU is on the University website at uiu.edu. Step-by-step instructions for course registration are listed under the Academics tab in the Student Help folder. All students are issued a username and password by Information Technology Services after their first Upper Iowa University registration.

Registration begins at least six weeks before the start of each semester. Students are strongly encouraged to register early. Classroom capacity may limit the size of classes, but, if enrollments dictate and there is adequate lead time to make the necessary arrangements, a second section of a course may be added. Without adequate lead time, courses may close when enrollment reaches classroom capacity.

Tuition and any course-related fees are due at the time of registration or before the first night of class. International students need to contact their advisor regarding specific information on admission and registration.

Changes in Center Program Registration

Note the following policies for changing registration:

1. A student may not add a course after it meets for 1/8 of the total hours it is scheduled to meet.
2. If a student wishes to withdraw from a course, the student must complete a Course Withdrawal Card (contact the center office) prior to the last day of the fifth week of the session. Failure to attend class does not constitute withdrawal. Students who register for a course and fail to attend it will be assigned a grade of NA unless a withdrawal form is completed prior to the first day of the session.

Changes in Enrollment

If a student decides to withdraw from the University before the end of a semester or session, the student’s charges, financial aid, tuition assistance, and/or veteran benefits could be affected. All students should consult with the Business Office and Financial Aid Office to understand the financial impact of withdrawing prior to initiating the withdrawal process.

Tuition adjustments are independent from academic and financial aid deadlines. Tuition will be adjusted based on the percentages listed in the table below for the weeks completed in the eight-week enrollment period. The student’s last date of attendance is the official withdrawal date that will be used when calculating a refund.

For students from Wisconsin, Maryland, Georgia, Oregon or Arizona, state laws apply. Wisconsin students and Military Tuition Assistance (TA) students refer to Graduation and Beyond .

Leave of Absence

Upper Iowa University does not grant a leave of absence. A student needing to withdraw from the University will follow the withdrawal procedures.

Delivery, Schedule and Refund

Delivery & Schedule

The goal of Upper Iowa University is to offer its curriculum on a schedule that allows students to take courses and continue their careers. Please contact the program office for the course schedule and exact starting dates. A schedule is available at uiu.edu/online.

Refund Policy and Course Withdrawal

If a student decides to withdraw from the University before the end of a semester or session, the student’s charges, financial aid, tuition assistance, and/or veteran benefits could be affected. All students should consult with the Student Accounts Office and Financial Aid Office to understand the financial impact of with­drawing prior to initiating the withdrawal process.

Tuition adjustments are independent from academic and financial aid deadlines. Tuition will be adjusted based on the percentages listed in the following table for the weeks completed in the eight-week enrollment period. If the course meets on an alternative schedule, consult the center for the refund schedule. The student’s last date of attendance is the official withdrawal date that will be used when calculating a refund.

For students from Wisconsin, state laws apply.

Session-long course refund schedule

Semester-long course refund schedule

These percentages will also be used to determine eligibility for state aid the student may have received. Examples of refund calculations are available online www.uiu.edu/financialaid or upon request in the Financial Aid Office.

Course withdrawal may impact financial aid eligibility. A financial aid counselor is available to discuss this decision with students.

Upper Iowa University is required to use a pro rata schedule to determine the amount of Title IV aid the student has earned at the time of withdrawal. If financial aid funds have been released to the student because of a credit balance on the student’s account at Upper Iowa University, the student may be required to repay some or all of the amount released to the student. This policy is subject to federal regulations. Contact the Financial Aid Office for details.

Withdrawing from a course in progress may result in significant student account charges. Consult with the Student Accounts Office before withdrawing. For more information on financial aid implications, go to uiu.edu/financialaid.

Classification and Course Loads

Classification of Graduate Students

Registration Status

1. Full-time: A student registered in a graduate division for six or more credits each semester.
2. Half-time: A student registered for three to five credits per semester.
3. Less than half-time: A student registered for less than three credits per semester.
4. Non-Matriculated: A student attending classes for the purpose of obtaining credit, but not a candidate for degree.

Course Loads

Students enrolled in the UIU Graduate Program are considered full-time with the completion of six or more graduate credits during each semester. Enrollment in six semester graduate credits during an eight-week session is allowed as long as the student is successfully completing the course requirements. Graduate students should carefully consider personal time management issues, including commitments outside the university, before enrolling in more than one graduate course in a session.

Graduation Requirements

A student will have five years after initial enrollment in the first graduate level course to complete the graduate program under the requirements in effect at the time of enrollment. If the student does not complete the graduate degree program within the five-year period, the requirements in effect at the time of the next enrollment will be used to determine the student’s graduation requirements. Upper Iowa University reserves the right to make changes in its academic regulations and requirements when, in its judgment, the best interests of the institution are served.

Additional Coursework

Students completing a graduate degree with Upper Iowa University may not take additional courses exceeding the required credits to graduate. If additional courses are desired, a letter of request must be submitted to the graduate advisor/program director with information supporting the reason for the additional courses, including but not limited to transfer of courses for an additional degree or required for employment or certification. The request must be received four weeks prior to the session start and must specifically list the courses and sessions the student plans to complete. The graduate advisor will review the request and, following discussion with the student, approve or deny the request. In general, a request will not be approved if taking the additional courses would delay or interfere with the student’s progress toward a degree. Students using financial aid for degree-required courses are not eligible for additional funds for courses that do not count towards the degree.

Multiple Masters Degrees

Students who have earned one master’s degree at Upper Iowa University may desire to earn one or more additional masters degrees at UIU. There may be certain courses in common for these programs.

1. A student may use a graduate course taken at UIU in satisfaction of one graduate degree towards the requirements of another graduate degree provided that the grade earned was B or better. This grade requirement is consistent with the grade requirement for graduate courses transferred to UIU from external graduate programs.
2. Not more than 12 semester credits in total from a prior UIU master’s degree or transferred from another institution may be used towards a subsequent UIU master’s degree.

Graduate degrees represent attainment of advanced knowledge in specific disciplines. Therefore, each graduate degree will have its own grade point average calculation (GPA). Courses not part of the graduate degree will not be included in the calculation of a student’s GPA for that degree.

Students may complete only one area of emphasis in each graduate degree. Students who wish to change areas of emphasis should submit a petition to do so to their Graduate Academic Advisor who will approve or deny the petition based on whether the change is justified by changes in the student’s career circumstances.

Grading System

Grades in the program are as follows:

All grades of “F” posted at Upper Iowa University are considered to be earned “F” grades.

* C+ grades and lower are below the standard expected of graduate students.

Instructors are required to implement +/- grades in their courses. The instructor’s course syllabus will outline the +/- grading scale and assigned percentage associated with each grade.

P - Pass (for PA internship only)

I - Incomplete

A temporary grade assigned by the faculty member that will be changed to a letter grade of A-F by the end of the following session (center or online courses) or semester (Fayette Campus courses and semester long courses).

W - Withdrawal

The grade W is used to denote courses dropped (student-initiated) between the first and the fifth week of an eight-week session or between the first and fourth week of a six-week session. Courses no longer attended after the fifth week of the eight-week session will be issued a letter grade based on work completed in relation to total course requirements.

AW - Administrative Withdrawal

The grade AW is assigned to courses in which the student has been administratively withdrawn (normally due to lack of attendance).

NA - Non-Attendance

If a student has not attended class (or posted in each of the student’s registered online class(s) one or more notes to the main class meeting during the first week of the session) the student will be considered to be in non-attendance and will be withdrawn from the course. An NA will be recorded on the student’s transcript and financial aid funding will be affected.

A student’s official grade is the grade posted to myUIU at the end of the grading period. It is the student’s responsibility to check myUIU grades for accuracy. Grades leading to academic warning or suspension apply to one three-semester credit course or any combination of courses that equal three semester credits. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 in graduate-level courses is required to receive a graduate degree from Upper Iowa University.

Expected Timeline for Graduation

A full-time graduate student will normally enroll for 3 semester credits per eight-week session (session 6 is a six-week session). A student who enrolls for 3 semester credits in each of the six sessions may earn 18 semester hours of credit per year. When computing expected graduation dates we normally assume a full-time student will complete 18 semester hours of credit per year.

Students completing a 36 credit master’s program may complete in approximately two years.

Students completing a 42 credit master’s program may complete in just over two years.

Students completing a 60 credit master’s program may complete in just over three years.

Students who are allowed to enroll in more than 3 semester credits per 8-week session may complete the graduate program in less time than listed above.

Academic Misconduct

Cheating, academic dishonesty, and plagiarism constitute a violation of the offender’s own integrity, as well as the integrity of the entire University. These actions will not be tolerated. Violators will receive sanctions based on the level of academic misconduct.

Cheating includes, but is not limited to:

1. The use of unauthorized books, notes or other sources in the giving or securing of help in an examination or other course assignments.
2. The copying of other students’ work or allowing others to copy your work. The submission of work that is not your own or allowing others to submit your work as theirs.
3. The submission of the same work for two or more classes without the approval of the instructors involved.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:

1. Sharing academic materials knowing they will be used inappropriately.
2. Accessing another person’s work without permission.
3. Providing false or incomplete information on an academic document.
4. Changing student records without approval.
5. Obtaining and using texts or other materials intended for instructor use only.

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

1. The presentation of another’s published or unpublished work as one’s own.
2. Taking words or ideas of another and either copying them or paraphrasing them without proper citation of the source.
3. Using images, charts, graphs, statistics or tables without proper citation.

Levels of Academic Misconduct and Sanctions

The faculty member teaching the course has the primary responsibility for resolving allegations of academic dishonesty, though egregious violations will be resolved by the School administration, the Academic Misconduct Board, or some combination thereof. The final decision on the level of a violation rests with the Academic Misconduct Board. Options for resolving an alleged case of academic dishonesty range from dismissing the allegation with no negative sanction to being expelled from the university. A negative sanction is defined as an action taken by the faculty member that affects the student’s grade for the assignment or his or her cumulative grade for the course. Anytime academic misconduct is detected, the procedures outlined will be followed. The incident will be maintained in a searchable database.

Additional information regarding sanctions is located in Policy 107 at uiu.edu/about/policies-reports.