New Mexico State University

Office of Distance Education and Weekend College

Las Cruces, New Mexico

DISTANCE LEARNING PROGRAM

The mission of New Mexico State University's Office of Distance Education is to provide comprehensive distance learning opportunities to meet diverse educational and professional needs anytime, anywhere. As the state's land-grant institution, the University has a long history of outreach and distance education, and the future looks bright.

Eighteen degree, certificate, and licensure programs are now available via distance learning at New Mexico State University and include bachelor's degree completion programs, master's degrees, and doctorates. In addition, individual courses are offered to meet the students' interests and needs. With new programs always in development, NMSU continually brings students greater choice in program selection.

DELIVERY MEDIA

Distance education courses from NMSU are delivered using the most innovative, cutting-edge technology and methods available, including satellite television, interactive television (ITV), the World Wide Web, faculty exchanges, and off-site classes. Courses may use one or more types of learning technologies to promote engaging and effective instruction. As the Internet becomes the telecommunications medium of choice for many distance education students around the world, NMSU offers complete programs and individual courses that use Web-based interactive digital technologies. Prospective students are encouraged to learn more about course delivery and to check out the distance education schedule for more details.

PROGRAMS OF STUDY

Four bachelor's degree completion programs are available through NMSU. The College of Arts and Sciences' degree completion program leads to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in sociology. A Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) can be completed through the College of Business Administration and Economics. The College of Engineering awards a bachelor's degree in information and communication technology, and students may complete a bachelor's degree in human and community services through the College of Health and Social Services.

Four master's degrees are offered. The Master of Criminal Justice (M.C.J.) is conferred by the College of Arts and Sciences, and the College of Education awards the Master of Arts (M.A.) in education with a learning technologies emphasis. The College of Engineering offers the Master of Science (M.S.) in industrial engineering and in mechanical engineering, each with a minor in manufacturing.

The College of Education offers several doctoral-level degrees. The Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in educational administration is offered with an emphasis in either community college leadership or educational leadership, while the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in curriculum and instruction has an emphasis in learning technologies.

New Mexico State University (NMSU), which began in 1888 as an agricultural college and preparatory school, is a comprehensive institution dedicated to teaching, research, and service at the graduate and undergraduate levels. It is the only land-grant institution that is also classified as Hispanic serving by the federal government and ranked by the Carnegie Foundation in the top research category, Doctoral/Research University–Extensive. The University is also home to the state's only NASA Space Grant Program. With extension and research sites in every county, New Mexico State is developing distance education capabilities to extend its reach to all the citizens of the state. It is located in the southern New Mexico city of Las Cruces, which has a population of about 75,000. The region features desert mesas, the farmlands of the Rio Grande Valley, and the Organ Mountains, an extension of the Rocky Mountain chain.

Total enrollment for the NMSU main and branch campuses is 23,578. The main campus enrollment is 16,174, which includes 3,377 graduate students. Minority enrollment at the main campus is more than 48 percent (41.7 percent Hispanic, 2.9 percent Native American, 2.7 percent African American, and 1.3 percent Asian American).

New Mexico State University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA-HLC).

Certificates and licenses offered by the College of Education include the Information Technology Coordinator Endorsement and the Special Education Alternative Licensure. Programs in bilingual endorsement and school counseling are under development.

The College of Engineering offers certificates in finite-element analysis, lean manufacturing, and simulation.

FACULTY

Regular faculty members on the main campus number 665. Eighty-four percent of the full-time faculty hold doctoral degrees. The student-faculty ratio is 19:1.

ADMISSION

Students who wish to enroll in distance education courses must apply for admission to New Mexico Sate University. Former students of NMSU who have been out of school for a regular semester or longer are required to make formal application for readmission.

CONTACT

Office of Distance Education and Weekend College
New Mexico State University
MSC 3WEC
P.O. Box 30001
Las Cruces, New Mexico 88001-8001
Telephone: 505-646-4692 800-821-1574 (toll-free in New Mexico)
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.nmsu.edu/distance

TUITION AND FEES

Residents of New Mexico pay $152.75 per credit hour for undergraduate instruction and $164 per credit hour for graduate instruction. Nonresidents pay $468.75 per credit hour for undergraduate instruction and $481.25 per credit hour for graduate instruction. Nonresidents may take up to 6 credits at in-state rates each semester. Reciprocal tuition agreements are in place for Texas and Colorado residents. There is an additional $15 per credit hour fee for distance education courses. All students (except international students) enrolling at New Mexico State University for the first time pay a nonrefundable $15 admission application fee. International students are charged $35. A late registration fee of $25 is charged for all registrations during the late registration period, plus $5 per day thereafter.