What if I don't have an undergraduate degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders?

If your undergraduate degree is in a field other than Communication Sciences & Disorders, you MUST have at least 18 semester hours of required undergraduate courses.  The specific AREAS that the 18 sh's should be in are defined on our website under "Admission Requirements - Prerequisites".

Do you offer any financial aid/assistance for the Distance Education student?

You should contact ECU Student Financial Aid Office (252 328-6610) for information regarding financial aid.

I have taken some graduate courses in the field at another university.  Will you accept transfer credits toward the degree?

We will accept up to 12 semester hours of graduate transfer credit from another institution(s). Requests for such transfer credit must be made at time of application. Official transcripts from the transferring institution must accompany the request. The course(s) to be transferred must be in the content area of the courses required in our department. Further, the student must Audit our course that is the equivalency of the transfer course before the transfer credit is accepted. A minimal fee is charged for auditing courses.

The program-of-study is for three years.  Can I shorten it by taking more than two courses per semester?

Because we offer undergradute, master's and PhD degrees for full time students, we must adhere to a schedule and class size that we can effectively manage. We therefore cannot make any changes in the program-of-study without those changes adversely affecting the quality, and possible accreditation of the program. Therefore, you will not be allowed to take more than what has been outlined. Further, we have found that most students are in the DE program because they are working. Our experience tells us that two graduate courses per semester is MORE than enough to handle, and handle well! (Remember...as is required of the full time student, the DE student must maintain a B average and cannot have more than 6 credit hours of "C"in order to stay in the program).

What is a residency and where can it occur?

A residency means that a student spends time on the University's campus.  The residency offered for our Distance Education program means that you spend ten weeks on our campus.

What are the dates of the summer residency?

The specific dates will vary from summer to summer. The residency begins at the beginning of the scheduled First Summer Session which generally begins in the middle of May. The residency then lasts for 10 weeks from that beginning date and therefore, generally ends by the 4th week of July.

Is housing provided for the summer residency?

Students can choose to stay on campus or find local housing. Students are encouraged to stay in the dormitories on campus as this provides for bus transportation around campus and access to dining facilities.If staying on campus for the summer term, the student is required to take the meal plan as well. Specific information related to costs, dormitories available, etc. is provided to the student during the Spring Semester of their first year. Information regarding housing can be obtained by accessing the ECU Home Page (http://www.ecu.edu), clicking on "Future Students" then scroll down to "Housing and Dining".

I want to take a specific course(s) for purposes of transfer to another graduate program or for purposes of continuing education. What do I need to do?

First, requests for admission to our Distance Education Classes for above purposes MUST be made no later than 8 weeks before the beginning of the semester in which the course is being taught. (See Program-of-Study page for the courses offered during each term: Fall, Spring, Summer) Requests received after that time will not be honored under any circumstance.

Each request requires that you have reviewed and have met the required prerequisites for the course being requested. This information can be found in the Course Description Link on the Home Page.

You should then contact via email, the Director of the Distance Education Program. If approved and, if there is available space in the class, the Director of the Distance Education Program will assist you in the application process. Do NOT make any requests to anyone other than the Director of the Distance Education Program. ALL REQUESTS MUST BE RECEIVED IN WRITING AND NO LATER THAN 8 WEEKS PRIOR TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SEMESTER IN WHICH THE COURSE IS BEING TAUGHT. This is to ensure that all registration, documentation, etc. deadlines can be met.