Online Degrees Available at the University of West Florida
The University of West Florida appears in our ranking of the Top 50 Most Affordable Master’s in Computer Science Online.
The University of West Florida offers 17 graduate degree programs, one doctoral program and an education specialist program online. One of those programs awards graduates a Master’s of Public Health and allows students to pick a concentration in either public health or health promotion, education and behavior. This program requires that students do an internship that takes place over two semesters for six credits. They will also take a comprehensive exam before they graduate. The program includes required courses like Public Health Policy, Biostatistics for Public Health and Environmental Health.
It also offers a Master of Arts in English with concentrations in creative writing or literature. The creative writing program allows students to focus on their writing and get feedback from their professors and peers. Many students actually have the chance to publish their work before they graduate. The literature program can help students study specific areas of literature and become professors later. UWF encourages students to submit their work to the literary journals that the university has.
Students with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing can enroll in the UWF Master of Science in Nursing program. This MSN program has three specializations available in family nurse practitioner, nursing education and nurse executive. Those applying to the online version of this program must go through an interview with a representative from the nursing school. This representative will use the interview as a way to gauge whether the student can handle doing advanced work online. The University of Western Florida MSN program features both electives and some required classes, including Project Development and Management for Healthcare Professionals and Fiscal Administration for the Healthcare Professional.
About the University of West Florida
The University of West Florida is a public university in Florida that goes by the names of West Florida and UWF. Established in 1963 as a new university that would offer opportunities for students living in northwest Florida, it slowly grew over the years and now welcomes students from all across the nation. Construction on the campus began almost immediately, but it took four years before the university opened and accepted its first class of students.
West Florida has a large campus in Pensacola that covers more than 1,000 acres. Many students like studying here because of the wooded areas and other natural wonders that surround the campus. It also owns a historic preservation company in Florida and now owns a number of historic buildings that are open to the public. The university uses some of those properties for its classes.
Though many people know UWF for its Pensacola campus, the university also maintains a medium-sized virtual campus. This campus offers a number of online programs for graduate students that let them work on their degrees regardless of where they live. Online graduate programs do not have residency requirements for students, and many programs allow students to earn credit for work they do in their own cities. The University of West Florida has a student body that includes more than 10,000 undergrads and nearly 3,000 graduate students.
University of West Florida Accreditation Details
Online degree programs give students the chance to earn their degrees at the same time that they work and deal with other commitments. Many of those students will want to transfer credits into a UWF program, which they can do because this university has regional accreditation. That accreditation comes from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). UWF also has accreditation for its nursing, public health, education, music, social work, engineering, technology, and business programs.
University of West Florida Application Requirements
The Graduate School at the University of West Florida offers several online programs and programs on the Pensacola campus. Students applying to start classes in the fall must submit their applications by June 1, and those who want to start in the spring will need to submit their applications by October 1. The university also has an application deadline of March 1 for those who want to start in the summer. UWF must receive the completed application and any other documents needed by this deadline.
UWF offers an application for all degree-seeking students which they can fill out online. This application includes a section on background information, contact information, and professional experience. UWF looks for students who received good grades in an undergrad program and those who have more experience in the fields they want to study.
The only two requirements for prospective graduate students beyond the application is an official transcript and a test score. UWF offers guidance and advice online for students taking the GRE, MCAT or a similar exam. Students can request that the testing board send their scores to the university as soon as it processes their exam, but they can also view their scores first and then have the test scores sent to the university. UWF will only accept students who maintained a grade point average of at least 3.0 in the last 60 credit hours of courses taken at the undergrad level. The transcripts that students submit must list both the classes they took and the grades received in each one.
Tuition and Financial Aid
UWF offers an in-state tuition rate and a nonresident tuition rate for online students. Online students who live in Florida pay approximately $385 per credit hour. The rate for non-residents is much higher at around $1,045 per credit hour. UWF offers a discounted tuition rate for students living in Alabama because those students are so close to the Florida state line. Those students pay around $490 per credit hour. The tuition rate for online students is slightly higher than the base rate that traditional students pay, but this rate includes all the technology and other miscellaneous fees that the university usually charges.
Graduate students attending UWF include professional adults and students who recently finished a bachelor’s degree program. Older students can use the FAFSA and use their own tax records and information on this form. Younger students will use their parents’ tax records in place of their own. The FAFSA will determine whether these students quickly for any government grants or loans. Federal unsubsidized loans for graduate students let them borrow a little more than $20,000 for each year that they enroll full-time in a degree program. Students can also apply for private and alternative student loans.