Colorado State University
The main campus of Colorado State University is located in Fort Collins, Colorado, a short drive from the beautiful Rocky Mountains. There are also several satellite locations. The school began in 1874 as Colorado's land grant university under the Morrill Act. The name of the institution was Colorado Agricultural and Mining University. Today, the US News and World Report ranks CSU as #127 of National Universities. The school's online graduate program in education ranks #130. The distance learning department at CSU is a part of the same system of excellence found in all traditional programs at the school. The programs are taught by the same faculty and students in the online programs have access have access to academic advisors, career services and library resources.
Colorado State University Accreditation Details
The university is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association. There are also many special program accreditations. Business courses are accredited by the Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business, ABET accredits programs in the School of Engineering, the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs accredits the Educational and Human Resource Studies degree program. There are many other accreditations by department.
Colorado State University Application Requirements
Students who want to take only one course at CSU need not submit an application. First-time freshmen applying to the school must complete the online application form found on the school website. They must also pay a $50 non-refundable application fee. Students must have their high schools send their final official transcripts. If a candidate has completed more than thirty credit hours of college coursework, the transcript will be used only to verify the student's graduation. If the student has completed less than thirty credit-hours of college courses, his high school transcripts will be used in the assessment process. Students should also have the agency that administered the ACT or SAT, whichever they took, send the official test results to the university. Transfer students do not have to submit a high school transcript. CSU recommends that students utilize the essay and letters of recommendation pages of the application to help the university get a complete picture of their profiles. Graduate students should talk to an advisor in the department that houses the degree they want to earn for specific requirements but, in general, they must complete the online application, pay the $50 application fee and submit their GRE scores, undergraduate transcripts and three letters of recommendation. The school advises applying graduate students to solicit these letters from faculty and professional associates.
Tuition and Financial Aid
Resident undergraduate students at Colorado State University pay $5,463.89 per semester in tuition. There are also fees and costs for books and supplies, as well as room and board charges. Non-resident undergraduate students pay $14,110.89 per semester plus the room and board charges, fees and cost of books and supplies. Resident status does not affect online degree tuition. That rate is an average of $444 per credit for undergraduate students, plus any applicable fees. Graduate online tuition varies by program. For example, the tuition for a graduate degree in Engineering Management is $1,035 per credit hour, and for a M.Ed. degree the tuition is $584 per credit hour. Again, there are fees that may be added to that figure. Online students should also calculate any needed books and supplies and the cost of maintaining an Internet connection.
Earning a degree traditionally, or online, is expensive. Few people are able to pay that cost without assistance. The first step in getting financial aid is to complete the FAFSA form. This federal government program uses the financial information submitted by the student to determine his or her eligibility for federal grants, loans and the work-study program. Loans available through the FAFSA program are The Stafford, direct subsidized or unsubsidized and parent loans. The awards letter usually is returned in a matter of a few weeks and then students can apply for school scholarships and grants and outside financial aid.
CSU administers state grants as well, like the Colorado Student Grant for undergraduates and the Colorado Graduate Grant for graduate students. Most scholarships are based on academic prowess, while some concentrate on need and some target both areas of eligibility. There is a full listing, arranged alphabetically, of CSU scholarships on the school website. Students may apply for CSU financial aid by completing the online application form. Many individuals, service organizations and corporations also fund scholarships. Students who have exhausted scholarship and government loan opportunities and work-study opportunities and are still short of meeting their financial obligations may consider taking out student loans through a lending organization.
Online Degrees Available
Students interested in earning a graduate degree in human resources online have two choices at Colorado State University. One of the programs is available through the College of Education and the other through the Psychology Department. Both of the programs are fully accredited and students have access to the same faculty and advisors as traditional students do. The Master of Education (M.Ed.) in Education and Human Resource Studies is a 33 credit-hour program that can be completed in two years. Graduates of the program will be able to analyze workspace issues, diagnose the need for organizational changes and view Human Resources at the organizational level. The degree program costs $659 per credit hour, and is directed at school staff issues. The other Human Resource degree offered online is the Master of Applied Industrial/ Organizational Psychology. The degree program has 38 credit-hours and costs $718 per credit. This program is business-oriented and students graduating from it will be able to identify training needs of staff, recruit and retain quality employees, design and implement employee leadership programming and deal with complex relationship issues such as discrimination. They will also be able to assess employee performance. This is considered a terminal degree.
Related Resource: Most Affordable Top Online Master's in Human Resources Degree Programs 2020
Students in the online program at this state university receive the same degree awarded to graduates of traditionally-delivered degree programs. Classes are taught by the same faculty as well. The difference is that students in the online degree paths can keep working and take the courses as they have opportunity. This makes earning a graduate degree through Colorado State University a great way to make career advancement while maintaining a regular work schedule.