State authorization and distance learning: US states districts and territories

STATE AUTHORIZATION AND DISTANCE LEARNING: U.S. STATES, DISTRICT AND TERRITORIES

Academic Program Catalog Educational Requirements for Professional Licensure and Certification

STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT (SARA)

On September 11, 2015, Michigan State University (MSU) became an official member of the National Council of State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) and began participating in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA).

About SARA SARA is a voluntary agreement among member states, districts and territories that establishes comparable nationwide standards for interstate offering of postsecondary distance education courses and programs. SARA does not supersede state laws governing institutions with a physical presence in the state.

Prior to SARA, accredited postsecondary institutions were required to obtain approval to deliver distance education in every state in which online degree or certificate programs were offered. Under SARA, colleges or universities in a SARA state only need authorization from the state where the main/central campus or central administrative unit resides – known as the "home state" – to offer distance education to residents of any other SARA member state.

MSU and Other SARA Participating Institutions are obligated to comply with other states’ laws regarding the delivery of distance education. For purposes of this summary, distance education includes any traditional, online, and hybrid program or course involving instruction given, in whole or in part, outside the state of Michigan. State laws regarding distance education vary state by state, and even program-by-program within a state. Consequently, compliance with state authorization requirements is an ongoing process. To learn more about SARA, visit www.SARA.org .

Participating SARA U.S. States and Territories - Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Non-Participating SARA State - California.

Non-Participating U.S. Territories – American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, North Mariana Islands, Republic of Palau, and Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Physical Presence “Triggers” - For purposes of SARA, an institution has physical presence and therefore must meet the state’s current non-SARA requirements if it does any of the following:

Establishes a physical location for students to receive synchronous or asynchronous instruction;
Requires students to physically meet in a location for instructional purposes more than twice per full term (quarter or semester) course for a total of more than six hours;
Establishes an administrative office;
Provides information to students for the purpose of enrolling students, or provides student support services, from a physical site operated by or on behalf of the institution in the state;
Offers a “short course” that requires more than 20 contact hours
Provides office space to instructional or noninstructional staff;
Maintains a mailing address or phone exchange in a state.

Physical presence under SARA is not triggered if the instruction provided for a short course or seminar takes no more than 20 classroom hours. Class meetings during a full-term course do not trigger physical presence if the instructor and students physically meet together for no more than two meetings, totaling less than 6 hours. Apparent abuses of these provisions may be brought to the attention of the home state.

ABOUT STATE AUTHORIZATION - U.S. STATES, DISTRICT, AND TERRITORIES

Student Physical Location – Course and program availability varies by state. Admission into a program is granted at the time of initial acceptance into the program and is dependent on program availability in the state where the student is physically located at the time of admission. If a student moves to a different state after admission to the program, continuation within the program will depend on the availability of the program within the new state where the student is physically present. It is the student’s responsibility to notify the institution of a change in physical presence.
Military Personnel - Whether military personnel stationed outside the state of Michigan may enroll or continue in a MSU distance education program is based on where military personnel are stationed.
Title IV Higher Education Act Notice | Change of State Residence – A student who changes their state of residence while enrolled in a program may become ineligible for Title IV Higher Education Act funding if the change in residency results in a student participating in a program in a state in which MSU does not meet licensure or certification requirements in that new state of residence.
Traditional Courses - Regulations also vary state by state with respect to traditional courses that take place outside the state of Michigan (internship, externship, clerkship, practicum, rotation, clinical, independent study, study away, mentoring, advising, proctoring, and the like) and may not necessarily be the same as regulations regarding online distance education outline in the following state by state information.
Supervised Field Experience - Under SARA a “supervised field experience” means a student learning experience under the oversight of a supervisor, mentor, faculty member or other qualified professional, located in the host state, who has a direct or indirect reporting responsibility to the institution where the student is enrolled, whether or not credit is granted. Courses and programs incorporating a “supervised field experience” are covered by the provisions of SARA as long as the field experience does not involve a multi-night stay across state lines in a SARA memberstate.
Out-of-State Student Educational Learning Placements - A student out-of-state learning experience placement means an internship, externship, clerkship, practicum, rotation, clinical, student teaching, independent study, study away, and the like, taken by a student who is physically present at a facility, site or location that takes place in a U.S. state, district, or territory outside the state of Michigan (excluding foreign countries). This applies to traditional, online, and hybrid courses, regardless of the course or section number.

SARA Rule of 10: Under SARA, a member institution cannot provide placement of more than ten (10) students in an individual academic course who are receiving simultaneous instruction at one instructional, clinical or practicum site without prior official approval from the state where the out-of-state learning experience takes place. Please contact the Office of Accreditation, Assessment, Curriculum (AACC) at ES.AACC@msu.edu to obtain further information and details regarding state approval.

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATION
Federal regulations require MSU to publicly disclose, for each educational program designed to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for employment in an occupation (or advertised as meeting those requirements), information about whether program completion would meet those requirements in a state. These public disclosure requirements apply to all programs, regardless of their modality (i.e., on-ground, online, and hybrid programs). MSU discloses the required information related to the educational requirements for professional licensure and certification in the table at https://reg.msu.edu/Read/PDF/Professional Licensure and Certification - Public Disclosures - Final.pdf .
All current and prospective students are encouraged to contact the applicable professional licensure/certification boards in their respective states for additional information regarding professional licensure/certification requirements, including, without limitation, information regarding any non-educational requirements (such as work experience, background clearance, or examination by outside entities, such as bar examinations). Visit State Professional Licensure and Certification Boards (this is not an all-inclusive list of licensed or certified professions).
The information provided should not be construed as guaranteeing that any particular professional licensure/certification authority will approve a student’s application; nor should the information be read to imply that other requirements for professional licensure/certification do not exist or that other requirements for professional licensure/certification have been determined to have been met by MSU’s program/course, or that any necessary approvals for clinical or other experiential learning placements are secured by virtue of a student’s enrollment at MSU.
State professional licensure/certification requirements are subject to change at any time.

INTERNATIONAL ONLINE DISTANCE EDUCATION STUDENTS
MSU offers global access to its online degree and certification programs to provide high quality programs for international students. MSU monitors international requirements in offering distance education to students in other countries; however, it is the student's responsibility to understand current circumstances or special requirements of whether the online degree will be recognized in the country of residence; how the collection of student data may be used in your country; and, whether you will be subject to additional withholding taxes in addition to the price of tuition.
Some countries may not formally recognize foreign online degrees and certificates - which may have implications for students who may subsequently wish to enroll in other educational programs or those seeking employment with that country’s government or other employers requiring specific credentials.
International students considering enrolling in an online program that leads to professional licensure it is highly recommended they contact the appropriate professional licensing board their country of residence or the country where they intend to work in order to determine whether an online degree or certificate from MSU will be recognized.

TUITION AND FEES

Current tuition, fee, tax, and housing rates can be found on the Office of the Controller’s Student Accounts website that also includes a Tuition and Fees Calculator and Net Price Calculator. The Office of the Controller provides a list of Department Telephone Numbers and Hours along with list of Office of the Controller departmental email addresses at Contact Us to assists students and their families with any inquiries they may have.

STUDENT COMPLAINTS
Michigan State University takes student complaints and grievances seriously and has a number of processes in place to ensure that complaints are addressed appropriately and in a timely manner. At any stage in these processes, an individual may consult with the Office of the University Ombudsperson for assistance. Students enrolled in Michigan State University courses who have a complaint about a course or experience should follow the University’s conflict and grievance system procedure.
A student living in a SARA reciprocity agreement state who is not satisfied with the outcome of the institutional conflict and grievance process, and resolution was not found, may file a student complaint with the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, P.O. Box 30726, Lansing, MI 48909; Phone: 517-256-8670.
Information regarding filing a SARA student complaint can be found at Student Complaint Process on the SARA website along with helpful FAQ’s .
Michigan State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The Higher Learning Commission is an institutional accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Students may submit a complaint about an HLC-accredited institution using the HLC complaint process.

ALABAMA

SARA MEMBER STATE

Approved January 1, 2016

Academic Program Catalog Educational Requirements for Professional Licensure and Certification

State authorization and distance learning: US states districts and territories

STATE AUTHORIZATION AND DISTANCE LEARNING: U.S. STATES, DISTRICT AND TERRITORIES

STATE AUTHORIZATION RECIPROCITY AGREEMENT (SARA)

ABOUT STATE AUTHORIZATION - U.S. STATES, DISTRICT, AND TERRITORIES

EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE AND CERTIFICATION

TUITION AND FEES

STUDENT COMPLAINTS

ONLINE PROGRAM ENROLLMENT AND CONTINUATION RESTRICTIONS:

Applied Behavior Analysis (MA)

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical - M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical - M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Applied Behavior Analysis – M.A.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.

Social Work – Statewide Blended Regular Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Advanced Standing Statewide Blended Clinical M.S.W.

Social Work – Weekend Master of Social Work Program – M.S.W.