Founded in 1870, Syracuse University is a major private research university of more than 14,000 residential students and an additional 3,700 part-time adult students located in central New York State. Organized into twelve separate schools and colleges, each offering a variety of baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral degrees, Syracuse has excellent research facilities, including sophisticated computer networks and a library containing more than 2.8 million volumes. Syracuse is one of the select group of universities chosen for membership in the prestigious Association of American Universities.

Distance Learning Programs
The University's innovative Independent Study Degree Programs (ISDP) are a form of nontraditional education in which Syracuse was a pioneer. Offered through six of the University's academic units, ISDP is one of the three oldest external degree programs in the United States. The programs have been active since 1966 and reflect the University's response to the demands for creative educational techniques and programs in a constantly changing society.

Syracuse's Independent Study Degree Programs (ISDP) have a limited-residency structure: they combine short periods of intensive on-site instruction with longer periods of home study, during which students and faculty members communicate at a distance by correspondence, telephone, fax, and computer. There are currently about 1,000 students actively enrolled in twelve different degree programs through ISDP, approximately one sixth of whom are international students or Americans living abroad. Syracuse degrees earned through ISDP are the same as those earned by traditional Syracuse students in comparable campus programs and have the same accreditation.

All students are provided with free computer accounts and have access to the Syracuse University library and computer facilities. Online students have access to a help desk for technical problems. All distance students at Syracuse have access to a full range of online student services, including academic advising, financial aid, assistance, and registration.

The associate degree program accepts a maximum of 30 credits to be transferred from another postsecondary institution. The baccalaureate program accepts a maximum of 90 transfer credits, which may include 66 credits from a junior college. Transfer credit is granted for most courses in which a grade of C or better has been earned, provided courses are from an accredited college and fit the ISDP degree requirements. For credit to be accepted from an international institution of higher learning, the institution must be a recognized third-level institution.

A maximum of 30 credits gained through testing may be applied toward an undergraduate degree program. DANTES, CLEP, and Syracuse advanced credit exams may be used for this purpose. However, credit awarded through testing does not count toward the minimum number of credits that must be taken at Syracuse in order to earn a degree. On the graduate level, there is no provision for experiential credit. However, 6 credits may be taken in transfer from other accredited graduate programs, with a grade of C or better.

ISDP courses are taught by full-time Syracuse University faculty members, who participate in the limited-residency programs in addition to their full-time campus responsibilities. In the case of the M.A. programs in advertising design and illustration, additional visiting faculty members are drawn from among the world's most recognized designers and illustrators.

Programs of Study
ISDP offers two undergraduate and nine master's programs by means of the limited-residency, distance education format. Undergraduate degrees include an Associate of Arts and a Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies. The Associate of Arts degree is 60 credits. The bachelor's degree is a 120-credit program.

The master's degrees include an M.A. in either advertising design or illustration, a Master of Library Science (M.L.S), an M.S. in communications management, an M.S. in information management, an M.S. in telecommunications and network management, a Master of Social Science (M.S.Sc.) with an international relations emphasis, an M.B.A., and an M.S. in engineering management. The M.A. and M.S.Sc. degrees are 30-credit degrees; the M.L.S., M.S. in communications management, and M.S. in engineering management are 36 credits; the M.S. in information management and the M.S. in telecommunications and network management are 42 credits; and the M.B.A. is 54 credits.

In addition to state and regional accreditation, several of the master's programs enjoy professional accreditation appropriate to the field of study. The advertising design and illustration programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the M.B.A. program is accredited by AACSB International-The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, and the M.L.S. program is accredited by the American Library Association.

Students may initially enroll in the A.A., B.A., and M.S.Sc. degrees on a nonmatriculated basis. All other degrees require matriculation prior to participation.

Applying for Distance Education
Candidates for admission to the associate and baccalaureate programs should have a high school diploma or its equivalent. Transfer students must have at least a 2.0 (C) average for the liberal studies program. On the graduate level, candidates may take the GMAT, depending upon qualifications, for the M.B.A. program and must take the GRE for the communications management, information management, library science, and telecommunications and network management programs. Applicants whose primary language is a language other than English must also take the TOEFL.

Applicants for all programs must submit official transcripts of prior academic work, three letters of recommendation, and a personal statement that accompanies the application form.

Applicants to the Master of Library Science, communications management, engineering management, information management, and telecommunications and network management programs must also have a computer with at least a Pentium microprocessor, Windows 95 or NT 4.0 (or higher), 32 MB RAM, Internet access via cable or dial-up 56.6 kbps modem, Netscape Navigator 4.0 or MS Internet Explorer 5.5 (or higher), and MS Word 6.0 or Claris Works 6.0 (or higher). Macintosh users need the same capabilities with Mac 05 8.0 or higher with browser compatibility.

The undergraduate programs and the M.B.A. and M.S.Sc. programs admit students on a continuous basis, and students can begin in the fall, spring, or summer terms. The other master's programs require newly admitted students to begin each summer. In-person interviews are not required, although they can be arranged upon request. Portfolios, required for the communications management and M.A. programs, may be sent to the appropriate office. Portfolios will be returned.

Cost and Financial Aid
The undergraduate tuition rate is $585 per credit, and the graduate rate was $796 per credit. Additional expenses for room and board during the on-site residences vary depending upon the choice of facility, and book charges averaged $190 per course.

ISDP students who are U.S. citizens are eligible for all the standard federal grants and loans available to part-time students. Selective institutional aid is available for several of the programs listed above; detailed information is available upon request. Syracuse University awards more than $100,000 to ISDP students each year. International students (non-U.S. citizens) are not eligible for financial aid.

For Additional Information

ISDP Marketing Communications Department
Syracuse University/University College
700 University Avenue
Syracuse, New York 13244-2530
Telephone: 315-443-3480
800-442-0501 (toll-free, U.S. only)
Fax: 315-443-4174
E-mail: distanceed@uc.syr.edu
http://www.suce.syr.edu/isdp

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