- Return to Complete Graduate Program Table of Contents
- Master of Business Administration (MBA)
- Master of Public Administration (MPA)
- Applying for Admission
- Graduate Cost to Attend
- Financial Aid
- Online Program Information
- U.S. Center Program Information
- Delivery, Schedule, and Refund
- Classification and Courseloads
- Grading System
- Graduation and Beyond
- Course Descriptions
U.S. Center Program Information
Center Program Registration
- New learners must register at the Center.
- Currently enrolled learners may:
- Register at the center
- Complete an automated request to register by going to your center schedule page which is located under the U.S. Centers section site.
Registration begins approximately four weeks before the start of each term. You are strongly encouraged to register early! Classroom capacity may limit the size of classes, but, if enrollments dictate and there is 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 by the first night of class. You must complete a registration card to be officially registered for a course.
International learners need to contact their advisor regarding specific information on admission and registration.
Changes in Center Program Registration
Note the following policies for changing your registration:
- You may not add a course after it meets for 1/8 of the total hours it is scheduled to meet.
- If you wish to withdraw from a course, you must complete a Course Withdrawal Card (contact your center office) prior to the last day of the fifth week of the term. Failure to attend class does not constitute withdrawal. Learners 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 term.
Registration for each course must be validated by attending at least one of the first three class sessions. A class session equals 2.75 hours. You must attend either the first session or the second session in order to validate your enrollment. Failure to validate enrollment when courses begin will result in a grade of NA (never attended) and removal from the course.
If you miss three consecutive class sessions (a class session is defined as 2.75 hours) the center coordinator will initiate the administrative withdrawal procedure and the staff will contact you. In the absence of extenuating circumstances, a grade of AW will be recorded and you will be removed from the class.
Excused Absences/Leaves of Absence
Upper Iowa University does not distinguish between types of absences. Official leaves of absence are not granted. Records on tardiness are not maintained by the Registrar's Office.
Delivery, Schedule, and Refund
Delivery & Schedule
The goal of Upper Iowa University is to offer its curriculum on a schedule that allows learners to take courses and continue their careers. In general, the six eight-week terms begin as follows:
| Term | Begins |
| Term 6 | July |
| Term 1 | August |
| Term 2 | October |
| Term 3 | January |
| Term 4 | March |
| Term 5 | May |
Please contact your program office for the course schedule and exact starting dates. A schedule is also available at www.online.uiu.edu.
Refund Policy and Course Withdrawal
Withdrawing from classes is an expensive decision. Tuition will be adjusted based on the percentages listed below for the weeks completed in the eight-week enrollment period. If course meets on an alternative schedule consult your program office for refund schedule. For students attending Wisconsin centers, state laws apply.
|
Refund Percentage | |
| Withdrawal before the first class meeting | 100% |
| Withdrawal during week one | 75% |
| Withdrawal during week two | 50% |
| Withdrawal during week three | 25% |
| Withdrawal during week four | 25% |
| Withdrawal after week four | 0% |
* International Center Students should check with the local center for withdrawal and refund policy.
These percentages will also be used to determine eligibility for state aid you may have received. Examples of refund calculations are available in the Financial Aid Office.
Course withdrawal may change the amount of, or eligibility to receive financial aid; a financial aid counselor is available to discuss this decision with you.
Upper Iowa University is required to use a statutory schedule to determine the amount of Title IV aid that you have earned when you cease attendance based on the period of enrollment. Up through the 60% point in each period of enrollment, a pro rata schedule, based on number of days in attendance divided by number of days in the payment period, will be used to determine the amount of Title IV aid you have earned at the time of withdrawal.
You may appeal the tuition refund calculation if you feel there are extreme circumstances that warrant an exception to the published policy. Make your request in writing, documenting the extreme circumstances, and submit it to your program office. A response to the appeal will be made within two weeks.
Classification and Course Loads
Classification of Graduate Students
Registration Status
- Full-time: A learner registered in a graduate course for three or more credits a term.
- Less than full-time: A learner registered for less than three credits per term.
Official Status
- Regular: A learner whose record and current standing indicate systematic pursuit of study toward a degree.
- Transient: A learner attending classes for the purpose of obtaining credit, but not a candidate for degree.
If taking undergraduate foundational courses please see Classification of Learners.
Learners enrolled in the UIU Graduate Program are considered full-time with the completion of three semester graduate credits during each eight-week term. Enrollment in six semester graduate credits during an eight-week term is allowed as long as the learner is successfully completing the course requirements.
Learners completing undergraduate foundational requirements should refer to page 26 regarding undergraduate course loads.
Graduate learners should expect to spend approximately 17-20 hours per week on course-related matters (per course). Learners should consider this when deciding how many credits to register for each term. Graduate learners should carefully consider personal time management issues, including outside the university commitments, before enrolling in more than one graduate course in a term.
Learners 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 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 term start and must specifically list the courses and terms the learner plans to complete. The graduate advisor will review the request and, following discussion with the learner, approve or deny the request. In general, a request will not be approved if taking the additional courses would delay or interfere with the learner's progress towards a degree. Learners using financial aid for degree-required courses may not be eligible for additional funds to pay for extra courses.
Learners who have earned an MBA degree at Upper Iowa University may desire to earn an MPA degree at UIU, or vice versa. There may be certain courses in common for these programs.
- A learner 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.
- Such courses will satisfy the appropriate requirement of the subsequent degree, but will not be counted towards the semester credits required for the degree. Learners must take electives to complete the required number of credits for the graduate degree.
- 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 learner'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 the appropriate Program Coordinator who, in consultation with the Dean, will approve or disapprove the petition based on whether the change is justified by changes in the student's career circumstances.
Textbooks may be purchased through MBS Direct, UIU's textbook partner, or locally through other sources. Textbook titles and editions will be provided upon request by program staff.
To order, call MBS Direct at 800-325-3252, identify yourself as an Upper Iowa University learner, and indicate your program and the course number. You may also access the Virtual Bookstore at www.uiu.edu or www.mbsdirect.net. You may pay by Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express. Orders will be shipped within 24 hours. Textbooks are delivered via UPS by one of three methods: Ground, Second Day Air, or Next Day Air. You pay the current UPS rate based on the weight of the package and where the package is being shipped. (FedEx and Priority Mail are also available). Textbook buy back is also available. Call MBS Direct or visit their website for a quote, buyback, or mailing label.
Students purchasing texts from a source other than MBS must ensure that the ISBN of the purchased text matches, exactly, the ISBN specified at the MBS site. Failure to do so can result in missing course materials.
International Program learners should check with their local center for textbook purchase options.
All graduate courses require the use of the current APA style guide.
As a learner of Upper Iowa University, you have access to the resources of the Henderson-Wilder Library on the Fayette campus. If travel to the campus is not feasible, you can access the library through the University's website. Go to: www.uiu.edu and click on Library. Library staff members are available to assist you with questions, including how to access the online resources available to you as a UIU learner.
