Kinds of Courses
Undergraduate and Graduate Credit Courses
Courses listed in this catalog are credit courses which have been approved by the Faculty Governance process (either the Council on Undergraduate Education or the Council on Graduate Education). In general, they may be applied to Gallaudet University degrees and graduate certificate programs, unless there is a specific restriction linked to a particular course.
Undergraduate Non-Degree Courses
Courses with numbers lower than 100 are remedial courses, offered in English and Mathematics. These courses may not be applied to Gallaudet University degrees.
Professional Studies Courses
Gallaudet University offers a wide range of professional studies courses that bear the prefix PST. PST courses carry Gallaudet University credit, but are not applied toward a Gallaudet University degree or certificate program. Degree seeking students often take PST classes to supplement their current studies, but credits earned will not be factored into the graduate or undergraduate GPA. Other universities and accrediting organizations may accept PST credits, but students wishing to transfer credits should check to determine the applicability of the coursework at their home institution. Some PST courses are offered as clusters that lead to professional certificates.
Enrichment Courses
Summer and Enrichment Programs offers learning-for-pleasure courses throughout the academic year. Some courses offer students Continuing Education Credits (CEU's). Enrichment courses may not be applied toward Gallaudet University degree programs.
Graduate Independent Study Courses
Students may pursue independent coursework for academic credit through the opportunity to study one-on-one with an instructor possessing unique expertise in a field of study. An independent study course is offered at the discretion of the proposed instructor, the program coordinator, and the department chair.
There are two types of independent study - directed studies and individualized studies.
Directed Studies
Directed Study is designed to substitute an existing course not offered in the semester in which the student wishes to enroll. The material covered in a directed study course is the same as that covered in the existing course. Modifications may be necessary to deliver the content and assignments at an individual level, and not all courses can be modified. Courses that can be modified tend to be non-traditional courses (e.g. guided research courses, internships, practicums, and clinical duties). Directed study courses use original course titles as assigned by the department and course numbers 799 for masters-level and 899 for doctoral-level classes. Directed studies may be substituted for core degree requirements at the program's discretion.
Individualized Studies
Individualized Study is intended to be an extension of an existing program of study. Providing the student with an opportunity to pursue/research a subject in a manner not possible in an existing course, an individualized study course's content should be supplemental to the curriculum and should align with program-level student learning outcomes or domains. Individualized study courses use course numbers 799 for masters-level and 899 for doctoral-level classes. Individualized studies enable advanced study of a topic of interest to the student and the faculty member, not covered in the curriculum and may only satisfy elective course requirements.
Please click https://my.gallaudet.edu/graduate-school-forms-and-documents/independent-studies for independent study guidelines and procedures.
Note: A completed Registrar’s Office Graduate Student Independent Study Form (http://www.gallaudet.edu/registrar/forms) and syllabus must be submitted to the Office of the Dean of the Graduate School before the add/drop period ends to register for an Independent Study.
Delivery Systems for Courses
Gallaudet courses may be taken in a number of different formats. While most of our classes are offered as face-to-face classes on campus, an increasing number of courses are involving some degree of technological transmission. Many of our teachers combine face-to-face teaching with online materials. In addition, we offer a variety of online courses, both for college credit and for PST credit. Through our extension programs, we can also bring credit courses or contract classes to requested sites given an adequate group of participants. Gallaudet University also has up-to-date facilities to provide video conferencing on the main campus and at the Gallaudet University Regional Centers in various parts of the United States.
The following categories and descriptions of course delivery formats available at Gallaudet University are:
In-Person Courses:
Classroom Course: Course activity is organized around scheduled face-to-face (in-person) class meetings. Classroom courses require students to be present on campus.
Distance Education/Distance Learning Courses include:
Online Courses: Online courses can be asynchronous or synchronous.
Online Asynchronous: Students are NOT required to login at a specific time. Online Asynchronous courses achieve the required credit hours primarily through time spent online at the time of the student's choosing.
Online Synchronous: Students are required to login at a specific time. A synchronous course will indicate this information either within the course description or list a specific online meeting time. Time online could vary between 1% to 100% of course time and activities.
Hybrid Courses: Courses that include a face-to-face component and an online component. A course is designated hybrid if time online is substituted for 51% or more of required in-class time. Hybrid courses can be asynchronous or synchronous. Students are required to attend class meetings or exams on campus, as well as, to participate in an online element.
Hybrid Asynchronous: The online component of hybrid asynchronous courses achieve the required credit hours primarily through time spent online at the time of the student's choosing. Students are NOT required to login at a specific time.
Hybrid Synchronous: The online component of a hybrid synchronous course requires students to login at a specific time. A synchronous course will indicate this information either within the course description or list a specific online meeting time. Time online could vary between 1% to 100% of course time and activities.