The Graduate College seeks to support units in their efforts to expand and improve off-campus/online educational opportunities and to encourage greater participation by academic units in the lifelong education of nontraditional students, particularly as it relates to continuing professional education. Graduate College policy allows students to satisfy their graduate residence requirement either through courses meeting on campus, online, or through courses that are offered by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, but meet off-campus. All courses must be approved before they can be offered. See Developing Courses and Programs for the graduate course approval policy and procedure.
While Graduate College policy has expanded access to graduate education, it is also clear that high quality graduate programs often involve more than required courses. Graduate programs often include an independent experience, whether it be professional or research, that challenges the student to examine a topic in detail and draw a unique conclusion. In addition, programs must also involve such elements as a capable and accessible faculty, motivated students, a strong curriculum, competent academic advisement, appropriate and accessible academic facilities, and skilled program administration. Attention to these elements is particularly important in the case of off-campus/online graduate programs because learners may not have as many synchronous interactions with their classmates or the rest of the campus community during their program, as a student residing on campus.
Definition
Graduate degree and certificate programs delivered off-campus/online are those in which more than one-half of the graduate hours required for the degree or certificate completion are offered either online to students at a distance or at off-campus sites.
Authorizations
Authority is vested in the Graduate College for approval of post-baccalaureate (graduate-level) degree and certificate programs.
Graduate programs determine whether or not on-campus graduate students may enroll in the courses they offer online.
All programs offered online and off-campus must be reported to the Illinois Board of Higher Education. However additional reports, reviews and approvals may be necessary depending upon the type of program and the location/mode of delivery as follows:
- Certificates. New credit-bearing certificate programs where more than 50 percent of the coursework is not associated with an existing previously approved degree program will require review and approval by the Higher Learning Commission. Certificates offered off-campus/online will require reporting to the Higher Learning Commission.
- Degree programs. Any off-campus site-based degree program will require review and approval by the Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission prior to enrolling any students. The Office of the Provost will oversee the submission of proposals and reporting of approvals at all levels above the Graduate College.
- Off-site. Any new site outside of Illinois where five or more courses are offered must be approved by the Higher Learning Commission. All new sites outside of Illinois must comply with any local or state regulations for delivery of educational programs.
- Online. All Title IV-eligible degree or certificate programs where 50 percent or more of the coursework is delivered online or through another means of distance education must be approved in advance by the Higher Learning Commission.
Approval of Off-Campus/Online Graduate Certificate and Degree Programs
Graduate degree and certificate programs offered off-campus/online must be approved by the following units:
- The department, and school, if applicable;
- the academic college;
- the Office of International Programs and Studies (if instruction will take place outside the U.S.) to secure needed campus and university approvals, and;
- the Graduate College;
- the Academic Senate.
Some proposals may need additional reviews.
The Illinois Board of Higher Education and the Higher Learning Commission (the organization that accredits the campus) have complex rules controlling the offering of courses, certificate, and degree programs off-campus or online. In some cases, the approvals required before any students matriculate in the new program may take as much as a year.
Courses may be offered online or off-campus as part of that program. In most cases, the online or off-campus program will not provide the same variety of courses available to students enrolled in the similar program on-campus. However the courses offered must allow the student to be able to complete the program as approved. Thus required courses and adequate electives must be offered using an equivalent mode of distance delivery and in a time period to allow for completion within the Graduate College time limit policies.