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The Value of SNHU’s Online Degrees

Accreditation

International recognition; distinction in home country; quality education

In the U.S., universities undergo voluntary, rigorous evaluation processes to demonstrate their high standards of academic quality by independent agencies recognized by the U.S. government in order to be awarded accreditation. Institutions that offer online, on-campus or hybrid courses are all eligible for accreditation.
SNHU is regionally accredited by SACSCOC. This level of accreditation is considered the most prestigious type of accreditation as the quality of academic standards and admissions criteria are generally the most rigorous. Regional accreditation is generally awarded to private nonprofit institutions and public, state-owned institutions.

Read more about what accreditation means in the US and why it's important in this blog post.

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Graduate from SNHU wearing a cap and gown

20+ Years delivering excellence in course design

Designing the online learning experience requires experience and expertise. SNHU has delivered online courses for 20 years, and has Faculty, course designers and other learning experts drive the online course experience.

Online classes that follow an asynchronous learning format do not meet at a defined time each week. Instead, you’ll have the flexibility to do coursework when it makes sense for you within the framework of the course schedule.
For instance, at SNHU, courses in online degree programs are broken out by week-long modules with due dates clearly defined each week. You may choose to complete all assignments for that week within a two-day period or chip away at work throughout the week. Depending on whether you're a night owl or an early bird, you can find the time of day that's most convenient and productive for you.

Rather than an in-class discussion, you’ll use online forums for discussion posts and responses. There may be readings and additional resource materials, along with quizzes, academic papers, presentations and other assignments pertinent to specific areas of study.


Quality and training of faculty in online education at SNHU

Credentials required to be hired

Faculty play an important role in the online learning experience. Learning from Faculty with extensive academic and professional experience in the relevant subject area for the course offers students a high-quality learning experience.

  • Minimum of a master's degree in the area of study - a doctorate degree is required for technical degrees, such as cybersecurity courses
  • Have completed and published research in the subject area
  • Experience teaching at a university for 2 or more years
  • A minimum of 2 years of personal experience working within the subject area
  • Relevant, up to date certifications in the subject area

Online teaching training required of all faculty prior to leading our courses

Faculty play an important role in the online learning experience. Faculty at University SNHU are trained specicially to deliver excellence in online learning and supporting the academic success of learners.

In addition to adhering to our strict hiring standards, each SNHU faculty member goes through our Online Faculty Training and Assessment course. This three week intensive course ensures each faculty member begins their teaching career online with SNHU with the skills needed to be a successful virtual instructor.

A mix of asychronous and synchronous components over the three weeks ensures faculty leave with the following skills:

  • A familiarity with with SNHU's academic community, the resources available within the learning management system (LMS), the role of instructors, and SNHU's teaching standards.
  • Our grading tools, effective feedback techniques, and academic integrity policies.
  • The necessary tools and resources dsigned to support teachers in their role as SNHU faculty members and concludes with reflection and goal synthesis.

Course materials and resources available for students

  • Access to Shapiro Online Library and Librarian
  • Office 365 (OneDrive)
  • Ability to book a one-on-one session with the faculty/subject matter expert 
  • A weekly one-hour live interactive session to discuss important topics, and case studies and resolve doubts 

University tools including:

  • Power BI
  • Tableau
  • Visio
  • MS Power Apps
  • MindEdge
  • ZyBooks
  • Macmillan Achieve Platform
  • Cengage MindTap

For tech programs, access to:

  • Infosec
  • uCertify
  • Java SK
  • NetBeans 

Student support

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Student support

Each student is paired with a tutor from the time they submit their official documents for admission to the day they graduate. These tutors serve as a single point of contact for students to help them navigate their entire university experience. Tutors can be expected to:

  • Support the learner through the admissions process, including guidance on document submission
  • Support in onboarding into the university and program, including orientation, assistance registering for courses, help logging into LMS, library and other university provided resources.
  • Support with payment plans and processes.
  • Support with ongoing course registrations and degree planning.

Online teaching training required of all faculty prior to leading our courses

Faculty play an important role in the online learning experience.

In addition to engaging with students through the LMS, faculty members are open to communicating however works best for their students, whether that's via email, phone or WhatsApp. If needed, students may also arrange 1:1 support sessions with faculty members depending on their availability. This, in combination with weekly live sessions and reminders in the LMS, ensures that our faculty members are connected in order to help each student on their academic journey.

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