Distance Degree Program (DDP) Policies
Before students register in DDP courses they should:
- consult with their advisors to ensure the courses will count toward their program of study;
- determine whether courses will be counted toward their graduate assistantships and whether they will be included in their tuition waivers;
- and find out if they will have to pay extra for those courses.
The majority of courses offered through DDP are state-funded and therefore count toward full-time tuition and are covered by tuition waivers. However, there are a few courses that are offered on a self-sustaining basis. These courses may be used on programs of study, and they will count toward the minimum 10 credits that students must be enrolled in to have a graduate assistantship. However, the tuition waiver associated with the half-time assistantship will not apply to those courses.
The Graduate School defines a full-time student as a student enrolled for 10 to 18 credit hours during the fall and spring semesters. Part-time students are those students registered for 2-9 credit hours. If students enroll in 10 credits, 3 of which are self-sustaining, they would be allowed to be on a graduate assistantship, BUT they would have to pay extra for those 3 credits; furthermore, the tuition waiver would be adjusted to not include those 3 credits. If students enroll for 13 credits, 3 of which are self-sustaining, they would receive the full tuition waiver, but would have to pay extra for the self-sustaining course.
Self-sustaining courses include:
1. All courses in the Online Graduate Instructional Design Certificate:
- Ed Ad 514: Curriculum & Instructional Design (3 credits)
- T & L 519: Educational Media (3 credits)
- Ed Ad 520: Seminar in Curriculum & Instruction (3 credits)
- Ed Ad 522: Topics in Education (3 credits).
2. Some courses that apply toward the Professional Certification Program, a program that allows certified teachers currently employed in a Washington state public or approved private school to fulfill requirements for completing an approved professional certification program or to improve their teaching techniques and explore personal growth opportunities. These courses include:
- Ed Ad 514 -- Basics of Curriculum Design (2 or 3 cr)
- T & L 520 -- Topics in Ed: Gathering Evidence for Professional Certification (2 cr)
- T & L 541 -- Professional Assessment Seminar [Professional Certificate Pre-Assessment Seminar] (3 cr)
- T & L 543 -- Advanced Professional Assessment Seminar [Professional Certificate Culmination Seminar] (2 cr)
3. Other Courses:
- UNIV 300 – Major and Career Planning
- GenEd 300 – Accessing Information for Research
- CropS/Hort 317 – Golf Course Management
- CropS 318 – Athletic Field Management
4. Courses offered at some events held around the state (e.g., at Learning Center Open Houses) are also offered on a self-sustaining basis.
5. All flexible enrollment courses.
Check the DDP website to view all courses, as well as to determine which courses are flexible enrollment. (Distance Degree Programs Course Catalog)