Distance Education
Frequently Asked Questions


(Also see the Student Information Page)

When are the term dates? How much does it cost? Do I need to travel to the Oceanographic Center for classes? What do I need to register? When should I register? I'm interested in the 4-course Graduate Certificate in Coastal Studies ... which courses can I take?
I'm interested in the 4-course Graduate Certificate in Marine and Coastal Climate Change ... which courses can I take? When I've finished my 4-course Graduate Certificate, what do I need to be accepted into the full MS Coastal Zone Management degree program? Can I do a blend of distance and in-class courses towards my graduate degree? What if I decide to drop a course? What are the technical requirements? What about financial aid?
Information for Active duty Army and Guard Reserve

Please note: The following information relates primarily to distance learning courses administered by the Oceanographic Center; e.g. the Graduate Certificate in Coastal Studies and the distance MS in Coastal Zone Management.

The online MS in Education with Specialization in Environmental Education is administered by the Fischler School of Education and Human Services.

The M.A. in Cross-Disciplinary Studies is administered by the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences.

Term dates, costs and other administrative details will vary accordingly.

When are the term dates?

Oceanographic Center based courses are offered in each of four terms, each lasting 12 weeks.

Fall Session 1 runs from August 24 to October 16, 2009
Fall Session 2 runs from October 19 to December 11, 2009
Winter Session 1 runs from January 4 to February 26, 2010
Winter Session 2 runs from March 8 to April 30, 2010
Summer runs from May 3 to June 23, 2010

How much does it cost?

Our distance courses may be taken individually for general interest or graduate credit towards a graduate certificate or a Master's degree (usually the distance MS in CZM). When you first register, there is a one-time $50 non-refundable application fee and for all courses, there is a $25 registration fee.

Course costs for the 2009-10 academic year (commencing with the Fall 2009 term) are as follows:

To take a course for general interest (audit) costs $1198.50
For graduate credit, the fee is $799/credit hour. 3 credit course = $2397.

Student Services Fee
4 credit hours or more 187.50/term
3 credit hours 93.75/term

Do I need to travel to the Oceanographic Center for classes?

Not unless you wish to!  All of our distance learning courses are available either on CD-ROM or directly from the World Wide Web.

What do I need to register?

Instructions for applying for admission for distance courses may be found online at:

www.nova.edu/ocean/online_application.html

If you wish to apply for the full online MS in Coastal Zone Management, please contact Julio Perez (Administrative Assistant) at 1-800-541-6682, Ext. 23610 (email "Julio Perez" <oconline barney nova fred edu>).

When should I register?

You may submit an application form at any time. Generally, formal course enrolment begins two-three weeks prior to each term and remains open until the beginning of the end of the first week of term.

I'm interested in the 4-course Graduate Certificate in Coastal Studies … which courses can I take?

You can choose from any of our distance or in-house CZMT/MCCC courses. This Graduate Certificate will be awarded on successful completion of any 4 courses at a graduate level.

I'm interested in the 4-course Graduate Certificate in Marine and Coastal Climate Change ... which courses can I take?

For the Graduate Certificate in Marine and coastal Climate Change you must complete 2 cores in Marine and Coastal Climate Change and any 2 choices of distance or in-house CZMT/MCCC courses.

When I've finished my 4-course Graduate Certificate, what do I need to be accepted into the full MS Coastal Zone Management degree program?

For acceptance with academic requirement (provisional):

  • A science major or concentration is preferred
  • 3 letters of recommendation
  • A statement of career goals
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores of 40% (verbal), 40% (quantitative) and 40% (analytical).
  • All official undergraduate transcripts
  • An undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.75 (major) and 2.5 (overall).
  • Provisions (varies with individual, typical equal to or greater than 3.0 in first four graduate courses).
  • In the case of foreign students for whom English is not a first language, a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required with a score of over 550. Certification may also be submitted from other institutions' intensive English programs).
For full acceptance:
  • A science major or concentration is required
  • 3 letters of recommendation
  • A statement of career goals
  • Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores of 55% (verbal), 55% (quantitative) and 55% (analytical).
  • All official undergraduate transcripts
  • An undergraduate Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 (major) and 2.9 (overall).
  • In the case of foreign students for whom English is not a first language, a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required with a score of over 600. Certification may also be submitted from other institutions' intensive English programs).
For more information on graduate programs at the Oceanographic Center, please contact Ms. Twyla Herrington (Administrative Assistant) at 1-800-541-6682, Ext. 23610 (email "Twyla Herrington" <imcs barney nova fred edu>).

Can I do a blend of distance and in-class courses towards my graduate degree?

Absolutely - there is no "minimum" or "maximum". You could, for example, take some distance courses towards your MS, then spend some time in residence studying and doing courses in-house at the Oceanographic Center (or some of our field courses), and then supplement this with more distance courses.

What if I decide to drop a course?

Withdrawal and Refunds

Distance students may withdraw from a course at any time before the fourth week and receive a partial refund. A request for tuition refund must be made in writing at the time of withdrawal. Refunds will be made solely at the option of the University and will be based on the legitimacy of the reason for withdrawal. If granted, refunds are adjusted as follows:


Before the end of the 1st week of a session 100% refund
Before the 2nd class meeting (end of 2nd week for online students) 75% 
Before the 3rd class meeting (end of 3rd week for online students) 50% 
After 3rd meeting or week 0% 

Students have three working days from the date of signing an enrollment contract or financial agreement with the University to cancel the contract and receive a full refund of any tuition and registration fees paid. Further, a student shall receive a full refund of tuition and registration fees paid by the student prior to the commencement of instruction if the student submits a written request to the institution within three working days of the payment.

What are the technical requirements?

Online students are provided NSU computer accounts but must obtain their own Internet service providers. Students may use either an IBM-compatible PC or an Apple-Macintosh computer. The following are the suggested minimum computer system requirements:


IBM-compatible PC:  Macintosh: 
Pentium 200MMX processor or higher, Pentium II processor recommended
Windows 95 or Higher, Windows NT4 or higher
32 megabytes of RAM or higher
28.8kb modem or faster Internet connection
Floppy, CD-ROM, hard drive
Full duplex sound card with speakers, headphones and microphone
SVGA 800x600 or higher display 
PowerPC 120Mhz processor or higher; G3 processor recommended
System 8.0 or higher operating system
32 megabytes of RAM or higher
Full duplex sound with a microphone
28.8kp modem or faster Internet connection
Floppy CD-ROM hard drive
800x600 or higher display resolution, thousands of colors
Software

Netscape 4.04 or higher, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or higher 

Suggested: Microsoft Office 97 or higher 

If you use other “office” type programs, please note that some professors may require you to convert your files to a MS-Office compatible format for online submission. 

What about financial aid?

NSU Office of Student Financial Assistance

Information for Active duty Army and Guard Reserve

Prospective students who are soldiers on active duty with the US Army should apply for distance study with the Oceangraphic Center through the GoArmyEd portal.

For questions about GoArmyEd at NSU, please contact:
Dr. Stephanie Zedlar
"Email" <szedlar barney nova fred edu>
Phone: (800) 541-NOVA ext. 25122


Is there more you'd like to know? If none of the above links answer your question regarding distance learning via NSU Oceanographic Center, don't keep your distance - please get in touch with:
Jane Dougan, Coordinator of Distance Learning, NSUOC, or Julio Perez, Administrative Assistant
By email: "Jane Dougan" <douganj barney nova fred edu>. or "OcOnline" <oconline barney nova fred edu>.
By telephone: 1 (954) 262-3600 or 1-800-39-OCEAN, Ext. 23621
By fax: 1 (954) 262-4098
We look forward to hearing from you!