Educational Initiatives and Innovation

Educational Initiatives and Innovation

Offer 91次元 Extended Credit

Community providers of education can offer 91次元 credit for their courses by working with the Specialty and Extended Programming team. 

By partnering with academic departments at UM, and a variety of outside organizations, Extended Credit Programs offer an array of academic credit courses designed with the community in mind. Whether striving for professional development, academic enrichment, or completing recertification as a teacher - all extended credit courses meet 91次元 standards for academic rigor. 

The most common offerings are field courses or experiential courses, continued training or recertification for teachers and international travel courses. Courses begin and end throughout each semester and course length varies from a long weekend to several months. Students may register and pay a course fee directly to the sponsoring agency, in addition to a credit recording fee paid to UM. 

We help facilitate the approval of credit for sponsored courses by reviewing course proposals for credit criteria and gaining approval from department chairs, deans and the graduate school. Once credit is approved, students may:

  1. Register with and pay a course fee directly to the sponsoring agency and,
  2. Enroll for credit and pay a credit recording fee (currently $155/course) to UM Extended Credit.

To propose a new Extended Credit program or discuss your idea, please complete the Inquiry Form:

Course Proposal Informational FAQ's

  • A minimum of 15 hours of instruction over a 2-3 day period is required for each academic credit offered.

    Instructors must possess a master's degree to teach undergraduate credit or a combination of undergraduate/graduate credit. To teach graduate credit, a doctorate or other terminal degree is required. 

    A minimum of six to eight weeks is required between the submission of the Course Proposal packet and the course start date. This allows time for academic review and signature approval. Courses may not be advertised for academic credit until signature approvals have been obtained, so plan to submit your course proposal 6-8 weeks before you wish to begin advertising. 

    Students will be charged a flat $155.00 (USD) credit recording fee for up to 5 credits for each course in addition to the fee charged by your agency. Regular tuition and fees are not charged for sponsored courses.

  • The campuses of the Montana University System routinely offer academic credit via the sponsored funding model, in accordance with Montana Board of Regents policy.

    Common examples of sponsoring agencies are a private business, non-profit organization, school district, professional association, or grant-funded project.  

    The entity offering the course (sponsoring agency) shall collect all registration revenue from students, and all direct costs of the course shall be paid by the sponsoring agency. Direct costs are defined as the instructional costs associated with an individual course, such as instructor stipend, travel costs, rental of space for the course, and promotion of the course. The sponsor determines the cost of the course based on their own expenses. 

    In layman terms, using the sponsored funding model means the sponsor is financially responsible for the course. The sponsor collects the revenue and pays the expenses of the course. Only when a grant is funding the course should the revenue and expenses be administered through a 91次元 account.

  • While sponsored courses offer UM credit, they are quite different from state-supported courses due to their funding model.  

    Since standard tuition & fees are not paid to UM, sponsored courses:

    • do not count toward the tuition flat spot
    • do not count toward minimum credits for UM student services (gym membership, UM health insurance, Griz Card, etc.)
    • do not generate FTE for the university 

    Additionally:

    • There is no price differential for residents and non-residents.
    • Courses are not publicly listed in GrizPortal or the Academic Planner
    • Credit enrollment is not through GrizPortal, but usually a paper Credit Registration Form distributed by the sponsoring agency. 
    • Formal admission to UM is not required.
    • Student financial aid does not automatically apply, but some types of aid may be possible with additional paperwork.
    • Credits do not automatically apply toward a degree program, so students should ask their academic advisor before enrolling. 

  • As an instructor or sponsoring agency, you will complete a Course Proposal Form detailing information about your course, prepare a syllabus to describe the course content, and provide an up-to-date Curriculum Vitae for the instructor of record. When your course proposal packet has been received and reviewed by Extended Courses, it will be forwarded to the appropriate academic department for the necessary signature approvals. Approval of academic credit is not guaranteed. 

    After your course has been fully approved, you will receive a registration packet and instructions to help students register to receive academic credit. We will process academic credit registrations and provide you with a grade roster to assign grades. 

    We'll provide all the forms you'll need, definitions, guidelines, information on how to prepare a syllabus, and we'll consult with you throughout the process. 

    Sponsoring agencies who offer the same course year after year are eligible to submit a simplified Section Addition Form instead of the full Course Proposal. 

  • A complete course proposal packet includes:

    There is no fee to submit a course proposal. 

    Send the complete course proposal packet to: 

    Specialty & Extended Programming
    91次元
    UH 126
    32 Campus Drive
    Missoula, MT 59812

    If you need to hand-deliver materials, we are located on the second floor of University Hall (RM 205). 

  • Is your sponsored course essentially the same year after year? 

    If the course was recently approved for credit and there are no substantial changes, you may now submit a Section Addition Form instead of a full Course Proposal form. UM still needs to know course specifics, but there is no lengthy approval process. Submit a Section Addition form 6 to 8 weeks before advertising that the course offers UM Credit. 

    Submit a Section Addition Form

    Please note, substantial changes to a course may require submitting a full Course Proposal Form. These changes may include: 

    • Course number or course title
    • Number of credits
    • Grading Method
    • Instructor(s)
    • Number of Contact Hours
    • Major Curriculum Changes