To earn a UAF occupational endorsement you will need to apply for admission to the program.  There is no cost. There are three sets of requirements to complete the endorsement:  general university requirements; occupational endorsement and program (major) requirements. These requirements are all described in this section of the catalog.  To apply for admission (Admission to OEC) Requirements for your major are found in the Occupational Endorsement Programs section.

If your endorsement program is delivered collaboratively within the UA system (e.g., information technology specialist, early childhood education, human services and rural human services), then the credits you earn from each UA institution will be counted toward the fulfillment of the program requirements and fulfillment of the minimum institutional residency requirements. Institutional residency requirements are the minimum number of credits you must earn from the campus where you earn a degree.

Occupational Endorsements Overview

Occupational endorsement programs are designed to give students occupational training in a specific field. These programs are 9-29 credit hours and will be posted to the student’s transcript upon completion and after approval by the academic department. The credit hours may be applied to other undergraduate degree programs where applicable.

General University Requirements

You must earn at least 9 semester credits at the 100 level or above for an occupational endorsement. At least 30 percent of the program must be earned at UAF. A minimum of a 2.0 cumulative GPA is required in all work as well as in your major field. In addition, you must earn a minimum C- grade in courses required for your occupational endorsement. Some programs may require higher GPAs for major coursework.

Unless otherwise specified by the appropriate academic unit, a course may be taken more than once toward fulfilling endorsement requirements. However, credit hours for such courses count only once toward the total credits required for the endorsement.

Students seeking an occupational endorsement do not apply for graduation. Certifying that you have met all major requirements is the responsibility of your department faculty, who will notify the Office of the Registrar.

If you want to use correspondence study credits from a school other than UAF to satisfy degree requirements, you must have the approval of those courses by the dean of the school or college from which you will graduate; otherwise, you take the risk the courses will not be accepted.

RESIDENCE CREDIT

Residence credit is course credit earned through any unit of UAF. Formal classroom instruction, correspondence study, distance-delivered courses, individual study or research at UAF are all considered residence credit. On the other hand, transfer credit, advanced placement credit, credit for prior learning, military service credit and credit granted through nationally prepared examinations are not considered residence credit, nor are credit-by-examination credits earned through locally prepared tests. None of these types of credit can be applied to UAF residency requirements.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT

Most universities have residency requirements that call for a certain number of credits toward a degree to be earned at the degree-granting school. At UAF, the residency requirement for occupational endorsements is 30 percent of the program.

In order to earn an occupational endorsement, students must be admitted to the program and complete the requirements listed in the program section (Admission to OEC) of this chapter. A minimum of 9 credits is required to earn an occupational endorsement. At least 30 percent of the program must be completed in residence at UAF. Additional residency credit requirements may be established to meet discipline or accreditation standards.

You must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0 in all coursework. Some occupational endorsement programs require higher GPAs.

Students may elect to complete their program under the requirements of the catalog in effect at the time of formal acceptance to an occupational endorsement program or the catalog in effect at the time of completion. Courses for occupational endorsement must be completed within five years of formal acceptance into the program. Admission will expire if requirements are not completed in five years. The student must reapply for admission and meet the admission and program requirements in effect at the time of formal acceptance. Program requirements may require completion in less than five years.

Students may earn more than one occupational endorsement by completing all requirements for each additional program. Additional occupational endorsements must differ by 3 or more credits.