EMPLOYEE PART-TIME UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE-COMPLETION PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Employee Part-Time Undergraduate Degree-Completion Program enables qualified employees to be admitted to the University as undergraduate degree candidates, continue their employment, and remain part-time students, while completing requirements for a degree. It does not create a new UNC-Chapel Hill degree, but provides a means for employees to earn an existing undergraduate degree on a part-time basis. The program is offered as a pilot,
for a three-year period, to determine the feasibility of offering this to employees
on an ongoing basis. It is a degree-completion program
for junior transfer students who have demonstrated their academic capabilities
through previous college or university enrollment at UNC-Chapel Hill or other
post-secondary institutions. Timing The pilot program began in the fall semester of 2005 and will continue for a three-year period in terms of student admissions. Employees admitted to the program may continue pursuing their degrees beyond the three-year pilot period. Number of Participants The target for admission will be ten students per year. Eligibility and Admissions Criteria The program will be open to permanent EPA and SPA UNC-Chapel Hill employees who work at least 30 hours per week and have been employed at the University for at least one year. Employees who are admitted into the program may remain in it even if they leave the University while enrolled. Admission criteria will be the same as for other transfer students applying to the University. As with all junior transfers, both academic background and personal achievement will be factors in admissions decisions. The applicant’s experience in the workplace may be taken into consideration, but will not be a substitute for regular admissions criteria. Prior Academic Work Applicants will be required to have earned at least 51 transferable credit hours at the post-secondary level (including hours previously earned at UNC-Chapel Hill) to qualify for admission. The maximum number of credits that may be transferred is 75 from a four-year institution and 64 from a two-year institution (for students who have attended both types of institutions the maximum is governed by the type of institution last attended). Application Requirements and Deadlines All employees who are interested in applying to the pilot program will be required to complete a special version of the transfer application. To download a copy of the application, click here. The application deadline for Fall 2007 admission is May 1, 2007. Employees who meet the May 1 deadline will be notified by June 1, 2007. All applicants
will be asked to verify that they have discussed their intent to participate
in the program with their supervisor. The University encourages supervisors to be supportive of employees’ participation and to accommodate work schedule modification requests if at all possible. Supervisors have the discretion to consider up to three hours of employees’ participation in the program per week as work time if the program is determined to be work-related. It is also important for employees to maintain expected standards of performance in the workplace while enrolled in the program. High school and college transcripts will be required. SATs should be submitted if taken within the previous five years. The normal application fee will be waived. The Office of Undergraduate Admissions is available to advise employees on the application and admissions process. Students participating in the program will be expected to be enrolled in classes each fall and spring semester and to take three to eight credit hours per semester. Requests for exceptions to the course load requirement will be considered by the student's academic school or college. Modifications in the work schedule to accommodate the proposed class schedule will require the approval of the supervisor, and students should plan their course loads accordingly. Also, it is recommended that students wishing to take more than eight hours in a given semester obtain the approval of their supervisor for the work schedule modification this will require before seeking the approval of the academic school or college. Students who are not enrolled for a fall or spring semester will need to apply to Undergraduate Admissions for readmission to the program. Academic Requirements Individuals participating in the program will be subject to general University standards for academic eligibility and personal conduct. As part-time, transfer students, they will be required to maintain cumulative UNC-Chapel Hill grade point averages in the following manner: 1.0 after 6 hours attempted, 1.5 after 12 hours, 1.75 after 24 hours, 1.9 after 36 hours, and 2.0 after 48 hours. Students will be subject to a requirement comparable to the nine-semester limit for full-time students but it will be based on the same conversion formula used for other part-time students; it will not reflect the student’s physical presence on campus for a specific number of semesters. The UNC-Chapel Hill catalog year that will govern academic requirements for individuals in the program will be determined in the same manner as for other transfer students. The requirements of the new curriculum will be applied to students in the program in the same manner as for other transfer students. Responsibility for reviewing issues of academic eligibility and the special circumstances of individual students in the program will reside with the dean’s office in the student's academic school or college. Academic Advising The student's academic school or college will provide academic advising. General academic information about the program will be provided to prospective students by the Friday Center for Continuing Education, and academic advisors in the Friday Center will consult with academic advisors in the degree-granting units on issues related to the needs and circumstances of adult learners. Work-Time Considerations In initiating this program the University encourages supervisors to be supportive of employees’ participation and to accommodate work schedule modification requests if at all possible. Such flexibility on the supervisor’s part is essential in order for the program to be successful. Supervisors have the discretion to consider up to three hours of employees’ participation in the program per week as work time if the program is determined to be work-related. It is also important for employees to maintain expected standards of performance in the work place while enrolled in the program. Student Fees Student fees will be waived for participants in the program. (This does not apply to fees specific to a course or program). Individuals enrolled in the program may choose to pay fees but in doing so must pay fees in their entirety. Students who leave University employment while enrolled in the program will be required to pay student fees. Financial Assistance Like other University employees enrolling in University courses, employees
enrolled in the program can take up to three courses per year under the Tuition
Waiver program. Please note that the tuition waiver isn't automatic; instead,
you will need to apply for the waiver each semester you enroll in a course.
For detailed instructions, as well waiver application deadlines, refer to: When you receive a tuition waiver, your student fees are automatically waived.
However, if you want to take more than the two courses covered by the tuition
waiver in a given year, you will need to apply separately to have your student
fees waived. The fee waiver form is available at http://cashiers.unc.edu/forms.htm,
and additional information can be found at http://cashiers.unc.edu/stupoli.htm. Educational Assistance Employees can also apply for Educational Assistance to cover tuition (but not
books or supplies) for up to $350 per year. To learn more about Educational
Assistance, visit http://hr.unc.edu/employees/spa-employees/training/ Employee and Dependent Scholarship Program You may also be eligible for financial support under the Employee and Dependent
Scholarship initiative, which is a need-based program. A program application
and additional information are available at http://hr.unc.edu/formfinder/ Other Programs In addition, there are some financial aid and loan programs for which part-time degree students are eligible. These generally require the student to be enrolled in at least six credit hours per semester, though federal Pell Grants are available to eligible students who are enrolled for fewer than six hours. More Information For more information, contact the Office
of Scholarships and Student Aid at
(919) 962-8396 or visit studentaid.unc.edu. Additionally, please refer to the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) website at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Updated information about the pilot program will be provided on the learning and development web page that is now in preparation as part of the University web site. General questions about the program may be directed to the Friday Center for Continuing Education. Questions about admissions and the application process may be directed to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. |
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