State Authorization
As an institution that participates in federal financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965, Michigan State University is required to comply with recently published regulations
regarding distance education. On December 19, 2016, the U.S. Department of Education published regulations, with an effective date of July 1, 2018, clarifying the state authorization requirements an institution
must follow and added sections on required institutional disclosures for distance education and correspondence courses. The regulations require institutions of higher education to obtain approval from the states
in which they provide postsecondary education programs. The regulations allow authorization to come directly from a state or through a "state authorization reciprocity agreement".
MSU participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA), which is an agreement among states that establishes national standards for the interstate offering of postsecondary
distance-education courses and programs. Through SARA, MSU may provide distance education to residents of any other SARA member state without seeking authorization from each SARA member state.
All states other than California participate in SARA (as an accredited public institution, MSU is exempt from approval by the California Bureau of Private Postsecondary Education). Courses and programs incorporating a "supervised field experience"
are considered distance education. 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. Examples include practica, student teaching or
internships.
Domestic Residency & Change In Physical Presence
Course and program availability vary 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.
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.
International Students
International Students are advised to understand and be apprised of the rules, regulations, and requirements related to online distance education programs in their country of residence, particularly:
- If the country will recognize an online degree;
- Whether the program meets licensure or certification requirements in the country; and
- If the country charges any additional taxes, withholdings or fees associated with online distance education programs.
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).
The information in the table should not be construed as guaranteeing that any particular professional licensure/certification
authority will approve a student’s application; nor should the information in the table 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.
Student Complaint Information
The University encourages students and prospective students initially to address complaints relating to MSU institutional policies and consumer protection issues with personnel in the office,
department or college that caused the alleged grievance. Senior University administrators will be involved, as needed, to resolve the complaints.
The following contact information is provided for filing complaints that remain unresolved after engaging in the above-referenced process. Complaints concerning broad institutional
academic practices, such as those that raise issues regarding the University's ability to meet accreditation standards, may be forwarded to the Higher Learning Commission, 230 South LaSalle Street,
Suite 7-500 Chicago, Illinois 60604 or http://www.hlcommission.org/. Complaints concerning consumer protection violations may be directed to the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Michigan,
Consumer Protection Division, P.O. Box 30213, Lansing, MI 48909-7713 or https://secure.ag.state.mi.us/complaints/consumer.aspx.
The Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs' Corporations, Security & Commercial Licensing Bureau is the agency designated to review complaints against institutions of higher
education providing distance education. Complaints concerning MSU’s distance education activities regulated by Michigan's Higher Education Authorization and Distance Education Reciprocal Exchange
Act (2015 PA 45) may be directed to the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, Corporations, Securities & Commercial Licensing Bureau, P.O. Box 30018, Lansing, MI 48909 through the process
described at http://www.michigan.gov/documents/lara/Post-Secondary_Student_Complaints_498839_7.pdf.