Quick Guide to the Degree Programs

What We Offer

Ohio University offers these distance-learning degree programs:

Bachelor of Specialized Studies

Bachelor of Criminal Justice

Bachelor of Technical and Applied Studies

Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, and Associate of Individualized Studies

(We also offer a program for individuals in prison through our College Program for the Incarcerated.)

How It Can Help You

An Ohio University degree can help you secure a promotion, get a new job, go on to graduate school, or fulfill a lifelong goal. We are regionally accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

What It Costs to Enroll in the External Student Program

Our current costs are listed below. Follow the link to find out what the fee covers and why we charge it. We do not charge to transfer credit to Ohio University.

Application fee: $25 (one time)
Correspondence Courses: $136 per quarter hour plus $20 per course for the course guide.

Most courses are 4 quarter hours, so the average course cost is $136 x 4 quarter hours + $20 = $564 (books and other materials are extra).

Please note: Effective September 8, 2009, you must add $2 per credit hour for each course, not to exceed $22.00. See the table on the Bursar’s website for more information.

Some students in the External Student Program may qualify for Pell or Federal Direct Student Loans (reduced for non-term-based programs).

How Long Does It Take?

We cannot answer this question. How long it takes any person to earn a degree is dependent on many different factors. A partial list includes:

• How much credit you already have in transfer;
• How much, if any, credit you obtain through our portfolio program;
• How much time you can devote to working on your courses (most of our students have some mix of the following: full-time work, family, and community obligations that affect how much time they can spend working on courses);
• How many courses you can take at one time (we recommend starting with one or two courses, and adding more courses if you have additional time); and
• What method you use to take courses (correspondence and web based courses take longer than course credit by exam, but also have a better chance for success).

You should be aware that we are not an accelerated program, and the rate at which our students complete their degrees is roughly equivalent to attending campus on a part-time basis.

How You Get Started

Request our catalog (if you haven't already).

Contact your previous colleges and universities and have them send official copies of your transcripts to our office (address is here).

Complete the application for admission (in our catalog) and send it in with the application fee of $25.00.

Once we receive your application and all of your transcripts, we will complete a transfer evaluation and you will be assigned to an advisor in our office. You will receive your admission packet directly from your new advisor.

After you receive your materials, you should review all of your materials, contact your advisor if you have questions, and get started.

Step-by-Step Guide

Please review our Step-by-Step Guide for more in-depth information about choosing a distance learning degree program, what Ohio University can offer, earning credit, and how our program works.

• Questions to ask yourself and us
• Available degrees
• Fees
• Transfer credit
• Options for earning credit
• The next step?
• Application process
• International Admissions Information

Printable Application
Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader