Distance Learning Frequently Asked Questions
Below are frequently asked questions from students interested in the Distance Learning courses offered by the Management Information Systems (MIS) department.
General Admissions Topics
- When is my application due?
- Do I need an undergraduate degree in Computer Science or MIS in order to receive acceptance into the program?
- How long will it take to complete one distance learning course?
- Do you accept international students?
- What is the background of your students?
Residency/Fees Topics
- How is “residency” determined by the University?
- I am not a US citizen, but I am living in the United States. Do I still need to apply as an international student?
- How much does one course cost?
Score Reports Topics
Preparing/Submitting an Application
- How is my GPA calculated for application eligibility?
- Does my application need to be complete in order to apply?
- When is the earliest that I can apply for the program?
- To which address should I send my application supporting materials?
- Where do I send my supporting documents to if I am an international student?
- Is my application complete? Have all of my supporting materials been received?
Distance Learning Course Information
These FAQ's are designed to help answer your questions AFTER you have been accepted and admitted into the program.
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After I am accepted into the Graduate College, how do I register for my first course?
What is the average time per week I will need to dedicate to the distance learning course?
Are the courses self-paced? Or do I need to complete my assignments on a weekly basis?
What are the suggested computer requirements for these courses?
How do I receive my homework, course assignments, tests and exams?
- How do I get my final grades?
- How do I print a grade report?
- How do I get my name and Student ID to show up on the report?
- How will I receive my CNSS certificate?
General Admissions Topics
The deadline for all students (domestic and international) to apply to the distance learning program is one week before the class begins. Click here to see our course calendar.
Do I need an undergraduate degree in Computer Science or MIS in order to receive acceptance into the program?
No. We accept students from a wide variety of academic and professional backgrounds.
How long will it take to complete one distance learning course?
Each course is 10 weeks in length.
Do you accept international students?
Yes.
Residency/Fees Topics
How is “residency” determined by the University?
The Office of the Registrar is the SOLE authority in all residency decisions at the University of Arizona. Neither the MIS department nor the Eller College of Management has any influence in these determinations. For more information on residency rules and requirements, please visit the following site: www.registrar.arizona.edu/residency/residenc.htm
I am not a US citizen, but I am living in the United States. Do I still need to apply as an international student?
Yes. In order to qualify and apply as a domestic student, you must be a U.S. Citizen.
How much does one course cost?
The cost of one distance learning course can be found here.
Score Reports Topics
The TOEFL is required only for international students. If you have a degree from an accredited US institution, you do not have to take the TOEFL.
How old can my TOEFL score be?
The TOEFL score must be less than 2 years old at the time of starting to take your first class. For example, classes begin on August 24, 2009, and you took the TOEFL test on August 23, 2007, that score would be invalid and you would have to take the test again.
Preparing/Submitting an Application
How is my GPA calculated for application eligibility?
The admission GPA that we use to determine your eligibility may be calculated in one of the following ways:
- Undergraduate GPA is calculated over the last 60 semester units or last 90 quarter hours of the US undergraduate degree. In this situation, only the highest grade of repeated courses is counted.
- If the undergraduate degree was completed outside the US, grades are converted to the US grading system and the GPA is calculated using the last two years of course work.
- If you have completed 12+ semester units or 16 quarter hours of graduate level coursework for graduate credit in the US, the Graduate College will ignore your undergraduate grades and use this GPA for admissions purposes. If you have completed a master's or doctorate degree in the US, the Graduate College will admit you based on this GPA. Grades that are excluded from the GPA calculation include: S, P, Audit, grades awarded for professional programs (i.e., law, medicine, etc.).
Does my application need to be complete in order to apply?
Not necessarily. All parts of your online application must be filled out by the deadline. You will be able to upload your unofficial transcripts and TOEFL scores during the application process. You can either send us your official transcripts by postal mail (address below) - or - you can bring them to the Graduate College 30 days AFTER you begin your class.
When is the earliest that I can apply for the program?
You can submit your application at any time during the year. We review the applications throughout the year, however only completed applications will be reviewed.
To which address should I send my application supporting materials?
If you are using a traditional mail service (like the US Postal Service), send them to the following address:
Department of MIS, Admissions Team
The University of Arizona
McClelland Hall 430
P.O. Box 210108
Tucson, AZ 85721-0108
Where do I send my supporting documents to if I am an international student?
Many times, international students want to send their application supporting documents via an express mail service (like UPS, FedEx, or DHL). But these carriers do not ship to P.O. boxes so please use the address below to do so.
Department of MIS, Admissions Team
The University of Arizona
McClelland Hall 430
1130 East Helen Street
Tucson, AZ 85721-0108
Phone: (520) 621-2748
Is my application complete? Have all of my supporting materials been received?
As a rule, the MIS department does not provide its applicants with notices of application completeness. We suggest that you double-check any packages that you send to us (to ensure that they are complete), and obtain a delivery confirmation receipt directly from the mail service.
Distance Learning Course Information
How do I get my Student ID and PIN?
IDs and PINs are issued by the University of Arizona Graduate College upon admission into the college. If you have been admitted into the Graduate College and have not received your ID and PIN, contact the college. Instructions are on the Office of Curriculum and Registration web page. These are permanently assigned numbers. They do not change from semester to semester. Please store them in a safe place – you'll need them to access various student services.
I need a UANetID and email account. How do I get them?
Once you have your ID and PIN, go to the UANetID page to establish your email account and set up your access to UA online services, including Student Link.
A UA NetID and password are required to:
- establish and use your UA email account
- access the UA Library online
- access some web courses
- access computing accounts required for some courses
- access University-licensed software
- and more …
Establishing a UA email account:
- You must have your UA NetID and password in order to apply for a UA email account.
- To establish your email account, go to the Account Program and follow the instructions.
- Your email address will be <your netID>@email.arizona.edu
Forwarding your UA email account to another email address:
Many students prefer to use an alternative email address to receive email from the University of Arizona. To forward your UA webmail account to another email address:
- Log in to your UA email account.
- Click on “Filters.”
- Click on “Forward.”
- Enter the email address(es) where you’d like your email forwarded.
- If you wish to keep a copy of your messages in your UA email account, check the box before closing out.
If you have technical problems in establishing your email account, contact the UITS Help Desk at 621-HELP (4357) M-F 8am-5pm MST or file a problem report on line at: http://the247.arizona.edu/
After I am accepted into the Graduate College - how do I register for my first course?
Once you have been accepted into the program, the University of Arizona Outreach College will send you a link to a webform you will use to register for your online courses.
Do I have to take the courses in order?
No, you do not have to take the courses in any special order. Please refer to the calendar page to see what courses are being offered when.
What is the average time per week I will need to dedicate to the distance learning course?
Whereas each course will be different, the average is 10 - 15 hours of time dedicated per week to each course.
Are the courses self-paced? Or do I need to complete my assignments on a weekly basis?
The course work is not self-paced and students will need to complete thier assignments on a weekly basis. Once you are registered for a course you will have access to the syllabus that will define what assignements are due per week.
How are the courses structured?
Most of the courses are structured will be delivered using a combination of online flash driven voiced-over material supplemented by online labs, assignments, projects, reading materials, quizzes, and exams. Please visit our "Course Structure" webpage for more details.
What are the suggested computer requirements for these courses?
Please refer to this page for details.
How do I know what books I need to purchase for the course? Will all courses have books that I need to purchase?
Each instructor and their course curriculum will be different. Some will require you to purchase hard copies of books and some will provide special readings and/or articles that are incorporated into the course work, therefore no hard copies of books are needed. Each course will list this information in the introduction section of the curriculum.
How do I receive my homework, course assignments, tests and exams?
The MIS Distance Learning professors use Blackboard as their means of delivering the course material to you.
Blackboard is The Eller College of Management's electronic course management system. Blackboard enables instructors to provide students with a course syllabus, instructor information, course materials, discussion boards, online assessments and many more features.
Blackboard can be found at the following URL: http://blackboard.eller.arizona.edu/
In order to access Blackboard you must have a valid UA NetID. If you do not have one please visit: http://netid.arizona.edu/
Once you have created a NetID you must register and setup an account with CCIT at: http://account.arizona.edu/
If you have questions or need to report a problem with Blackboard please e-mail the Eller Blackboard Administrator.
The University of Arizona no longer mails grade reports. The final grades are posted by the Office of Curriculum and Registration in Student Link.
You can get your official final grade online from Student Link:
- Go to the UA home page (www.arizona.edu).
- Click on "Student Link" on the lower navigation bar.
- Enter your student ID (SID) and PIN to get access to your student records.
- Then click on "Grades."
- Use the drop-down menu to get to the semester you’re interested in. Click on “View.”
- On the upper navigation bar, click on “Print View.”
- Click on “Print.”
- Close the Print View window after you’ve printed the report.
- If the Print View is open, click on “Close.”
- On the lower navy blue navigation bar, click on "Preferences"
- Click on "Display Settings."
- In the box "Show Display Name" check the box (“Click this box to display the student name and SID on all Print Views.”).
- Click "Update."
- A message will say “Successfully updated user preference.”
- Click on “Academic.”
- Click on “Grades.”
- Use the drop-down menu to get to the semester you’re interested in. Click on “View.”
- On the upper navigation bar, click on “Print View.”
- Click on “Print.”
- Close the Print View window after you’ve printed the report.
How do I print a grade report?
How do I get my name and Student ID to show up on the report?
A report can be printed for various uses such as submitting to employers for tuition reimbursement. When printing for official use, make sure the display option is turned on showing your name and student ID.To activate the display option to print out a copy with your name and SID on it:
How will I receive my CNSS certificate?
Upon successful completion of your course your CNSS certificate will be available in your Blackboard account.
For additional information, please contact us.
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