Information for Online Students

[...] Continuing Education Online Degrees & Courses

Verification of Program Compatibility

The completion of a fully online graduate program at Worcester State University does not meet any state requirements for licensure in Education or Nursing fields. However, the successful completion of a fully online graduate program may prepare students to self-petition for licensure in their home states depending on their home states’ licensure requirements. Students must refer to the requisite professional licensing agency in their home state to assess the compatibility of state requirements and Worcester State program specifications. State-by-state contact information for those agencies responsible for licensure can be found below.

Education

Additional questions regarding licensure in Education fields can be addressed to Michelle LeBlanc, Licensure Officer in the Education Department at mleblanc7@worcester.edu.

Nursing

Additional questions regarding licensure in Nursing fields can be addressed to the appropriate graduate program coordinator:

Public and Population Health – Dr. Amanda Cornine, acornine@worcester.edu

Nurse Education – Cara Cohen, ccohen2@worcester.edu

Student Complaints

Worcester State University values its students and is committed to resolving all student complaints, be they academic or non-academic, in a fair and efficient manner. The University outlines its policies and procedures for resolving any nondiscrimination or Title IX complaint in its catalog here:

Policy on Nondiscrimination

TITLE IX/Policies and Inquiries

The University also outlines its policies and procedures for resolving any academic grievance in its undergraduate and graduate catalogs here:

Undergraduate Grade Appeal Procedure

Graduate Grade Appeal Procedure

The Massachusetts Department of Higher Education (DHE) makes available to all students a Student Complaint Process for appeals that can be filed with the DHE against Worcester State based on their residency.

This form may be completed by currently enrolled online students in a graduate-level Education or Nursing program.
Name(Required)
First Last
Email(Required)

What best describes the nature of your concern or complaint?(Required)
This complaint relates to nondiscrimination and/or Title IX
This complaint relates to an academic grievance
This complaint relates to financial aid, student billing, or registration
This complaint relates to technology or the course Learning Management System (LMS)
This complaint relates to another matter
If this complaint relates to nondiscrimination/Title IX or an academic grievance, have you reviewed the complaint procedures and contacted out to the appropriate parties?(Required)
Yes
No
Please briefly describe your complaint. If the complaint relates to nondiscrimination/Title IX or an academic grievance, please explain where you are in the filing process for such complaints.(Required)
Comments
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

For Massachusetts Residents and Online Students in Non-SARA Member States and Territories

After you have exhausted the complaint procedures made available above, if your complaint has not been resolved, you may file a consumer complaint with the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education by using the consumer complaint form. The DHE form should be used by students who are located in:

Massachusetts
Non-SARA Member States or Territories (e.g., California, Guam, etc.)

For Online Students Located in SARA Member States and Territories

After you have exhausted the complaint procedures made available above, if your complaint has not been resolved, you may file a complaint with the DHE by using the SARA complaint form. The form should be used by students who are located in SARA member states and territories. This includes all students who are located in SARA member states and territories for the purposes of completing out-of-state learning placements, such as internships, practica, clinical experiences, etc. in SARA member states and territories outside Massachusetts.

Additional information from the DHE’s SARA complaint website is below. The SARA complaint process is as follows:

Students must first attempt to resolve their complaint using internal administrative procedures offered by the SARA institution.
After all administrative remedies have been exhausted with the MA-SARA institution, the student may submit a SARA Complaint.
The Department shall send a copy of the complaint to the institution that is the subject of the complaint;
Within 30 days of the date that the Department sends a copy of the complaint to the institution, the institution must provide a written response to the student and the Department.

DHE’s Complaint processes