UNISSIST Programs Overview

UNISSIST

Overview - Admissions - Application Packet - Frequently Asked Questions - Graduation Requirements - Reading Lists - M.A. Time Frame (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions

Application for UNISSIST
Attendance
Auditing Courses
Comprehensive Exams
Credits per summer
Financial Aid
Friends/Family
Grades
Graduate Assistantships
Graduation
Housing

Institution
Library Access
MA time frame
Payments
Research Paper
Scholarships
Student Number
Transfer credit
Transcripts of work taken at UNI
Transcripts for admission or transfer credit
Travel
Visa

Application to a UNISSIST program

When (and how many times) should I apply to UNISSIST?
Although admission to the graduate college and the program is done only once, you must submit a UNISSIST application each summer you intend to participate. No one is ever “automatically” enrolled. Former participants, please DO NOT send any payments without first having filled out a UNISSIST application for the intended summer of participation.
Follow this link to download the Application Packet.

Attendance

Can I arrive late to the program or leave it early if I have professional or personal conflicts with the scheduled dates? -- NO. Every class day in a 3-week intensive session is equivalent to ONE WEEK in a 15-week semester. Your presence and participation are required every day. This policy also excludes the possibility of a friend or colleague taking notes or recording the class for you.

Auditing courses

Do I have to pay for auditing a course if I have finished with all my courses and I am just studying to take comps during that summer? No, not if you are not requesting official “audit” recognition on a UNI transcript. If you want the audit to appear on a transcript, you must pay the full program fee.

Please note: Auditing classes for free is only available to those students who are taking comps the same summer at the same program site.

Comprehensive exams

When can I take my comps on campus? Not possible in summer, only during fall or spring semesters.
See specific dates for comps in Santiago or Queretaro in the main page under UNISSIST (year)
Candidates for comps must have their research papers APPROVED before the written exams begins.
Do I have to register to take comps? No, but your research paper must be submitted before you can take comps. If you plan to go the either the Spain or Mexico program site to take comps, you must contact the director well in advance (spring) to let him or her know you are planning to be there and if you want the program to make housing arrangements for you. (This applies only to those students who go to take comps after having completed all course work previously. Students who take comps during a session in which they are taking classes will not need housing arrangements.)
What arrangements do I have to do to take comps on campus? You must contact a UNISSIST faculty member to set up dates for taking comps. The dates must be during the months designated for giving comps, and the request must be made at least one month in advance of the requested dates.
How many days should I arrange to take comps on campus? 3: 2 for written, 1 for oral. Click Here
What is the distribution of the areas to be examined? Click Here
Can I use a dictionary when taking my comps? Yes
Can I take comps in either Mexico or Spain during my third year? Yes, but only after research paper is approved.
What are the dates to take comps in Mexico or Spain? Dates will be announced under UNISSIST (year).

Credits per summer

Can I take more than 10 credits in the summer?

The 3-credit 780:299 Research course will be added to your enrollment in your last summer of participation at no additional charge, but this is the only exception to the 10-credit per summer maximum.

Financial Aid

There are no scholarships specifically for the UNISSIST programs. Students can apply for Financial Aid through normal channels. Students must be admitted to degree status graduate studies and currently enrolled to receive aid. The contact person for abroad studies is Ms. Liz Cox, e-mail: mary.cox@uni.edu. Please contact Financial Aid (not the UNISSIST office) if you have aid-related questions.
If you have informed us (UNISSIST) of your application for Financial Aid you do not need to follow the payment schedule (except for the $50 deposit to be sent with your Institute application.)
Financial Aid recipients DO need to send us their payments when their aid is disbursed. UNISSIST does not receive any money automatically on your behalf.

Friends/Family

Can I take my family or friends with me?

Students in UNISSIST programs are highly discouraged from bringing spouses, children, or friends to the program venue. UNISSIST will accept no responsibility nor make any arrangements for any persons other than UNISSIST registrants. This includes all financial, medical, travel, housing and personal expenses. Persons not enrolled in UNISSIST will not, under any circumstances, be permitted to participate in any curricular, co-curricular, or extra-curricular activities of the program.

Grades / Transcripts

Grades will be available through the University of Northern Iowa Registrar’s Office, and not given to you on location. However, we can provide a statement confirming your completed course work at the end of the summer session if requested. We realize that several participants need official transcripts of their summer work for their school system in order to receive salary increments. However, grades will not be turned in until after October 1 and transcripts are not available for several weeks after that. Please note that we do not have access to or control over transcripts. Participants must order them themselves directly from the Registrar’s Office. Please see http://www.uni.edu/regist/students/transcripts.shtml.
Grade reports are not mailed out by UNI.
Grade info: http://www.uni.edu/regist/students/grades.shtml
Until grades have been turned in, students are registered in a “holding course.” Course titles and hours of credit for the actual courses you will be taking/are taking/have taken will not appear on your transcript until grades have been submitted.
NR (not reported). Transcripts are prepared in the UNI mainframe automatically at the end of the summer on-campus session for all UNI students. Because UNISSIST Mexico/Spain grades will not have been reported by that time, an “NR” will appear on your transcripts until grades are entered. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about. The “NR” will disappear after your grades are entered.
If we have not received final payment, your grades will be submitted as incompletes. Incompletes automatically turn into F's after a certain length of time. (This is a University-wide policy determined by the Registrar's Office.) Note: This could result in you being suspended because it will impact your grade point average. When final payment is received the I's or F's will be changed to the grades you earned.

Graduate Assistantships

There are no graduate assistantships in Spanish available in summer. If interested, UNISSIST participants are encouraged to apply for assistantship positions on campus in Cedar Falls, IA for fall and spring semesters. Successful applicants normally receive a stipend and a waiver of tuition. They work as a team with their supervisor to help teach lower-division courses during the spring and fall semesters on campus. The application deadline is February 1. Applicants must be already admitted to degree status graduate studies before their applications for assistantships can be considered. See http://www.uni.edu/modlangs/main/GraduateAssistantships.shtml for further details.

Graduation

Can I graduate in August if I take comps during the program abroad? No. It would be considered a “fall” graduation, i.e. December.
Students must fill out and submit an application for graduation (https://access.uni.edu/forms/reg/gradGraduationApp.doc) or https://access.uni.edu/forms/reg/gradGraduationApp.pdf, but because a fee is charged for each application, we recommend you wait until the actual semester of your graduation is firmly set.
The application for graduation form has a blank for "Thesis / Dissertation Title." There is about a 99% chance that you are NOT on the thesis plan, so DO NOT put the title of your research paper here.
Your bill for the graduation application fee is not sent via U.S. Mail. You must access it through MyUNIverse, http://www.uni.edu.
An internal form must be completed which indicates that your comprehensive exams were passed and that your research paper was accepted. It is recommended that you check with your MA committee chairperson to see that this form has been sent to the Registrar’s Office by the department because you cannot graduate without it.

Housing

Can I arrange my own housing?

No. A major factor in the success of the abroad programs is that fact that participants live with families. During the week students and faculty will have between 2 and 4 mid-day meals together, "family style." This arrangement offers not only an opportunity for an intensive practice of Spanish, but also provides a special cultural context.

Institution

Where will we be studying? What is the address/location?, etc. You will not be considered to be a student of the foreign institution. You will be attending classes administered and offered by the University of Northern Iowa. Your transcripts and grades will be from the University of Northern Iowa. We do not have formal academic ties to the institutions at our foreign program sites, we simply rent classroom space and employ a few local instructors. Information on when and where to report on the first day will be supplied in the newsletters.

Library access

If you have completed your course work but still need on-line access to the UNI Library to do research and are not currently (THIS semester) taking classes, you would need to be enrolled as a “continuing graduate scholar.” A $50 fee is assessed for this per semester. Your bill will appear in “MyUNIverse.” (See "computer issues" above.) Contact the UNISSIST office if you wish to be enrolled as a continuing graduate scholar.

MA time frame

Students can complete all of their course work and examinations for the M.A. in Spanish in three summers by attending the UNISSIST IN SPAIN OR UNISSIST MEXICO program, plus completing a 3-credit research project during the academic year. Students who are willing to spend more than three summers to complete work for the M.A. degree have the flexible options of attending for shorter periods of time and may choose any of the three UNISSIST venues. There is a seven-year time limit* for degree completion. Students may go to any of the three UNISSIST program sites in any year and the years of participation need not be consecutive. All credits earned on UNISSIST programs are fully applicable to your M.A. program (if you have been accepted to degree status). UNISSIST offers the M.A. with emphasis in the traditional area of study of language, literature and civilization.
*Seven-year time limit for degree completion: Waivers of recency are often granted for reasons relating to health, professional, and/or family responsibilities. The application for a waiver of recency is not filed until the semester in which you intend to graduate. Waivers are submitted via a student request form. Please discuss the process with your advisor.

Payments

Payments are accepted in the form of checks or money orders. Credit card payments are not possible. We urge you to follow the payment schedule stated in Policies Acknowledgment Form that you signed and sent with the application. The UNISSIST programs do not send bills unless you are considerably past due.
Payment Schedule: A $50 deposit must accompany the application form. This is required to hold a place for you in the Institute and is not refundable. For participants in the abroad programs an $850 payment must be made upon notification of acceptance, and a second $850 payment is required no later than February 1. The final payment amount will be announced after April 1, and final payment will be due no later than April 15. Cancellations after April 1 will incur a 10% service charge that will be deducted from the refund. After May 1 service charge will be deducted from the refund. No refunds are possible after classes begin.
If you have informed us (UNISSIST) of your application for Financial Aid you do not need to follow the payment schedule (except for the $50 deposit to be sent with your Institute application.)
Financial Aid recipients DO need to send us their payments when their aid is disbursed. UNISSIST does not receive any money automatically on your behalf.

Research paper

Please DO NOT use the term “thesis.” The thesis MA option exists, but is not available through the UNISSIST programs. UNISSIST participants write a research paper in conjunction with the 780:299 Research course.
When do I have to send the paper? See Important Dates
Research paper topic approval form. Make sure this form has been approved before you start writing your paper! Click Here for the form (.doc)
If taking comps abroad when do I have to send the paper and to whom do I send it? See Important Dates
Please note that while the paper must be in its FINAL DRAFT FORM, the copy that you send will not be the LAST COPY you will make of it.
When do I have to send the final copy of my paper in order to graduate the semester I take the comps? See Important Dates
To whom do I send the paper? See Important Dates
How long does the research paper have to be? A minimum of 20 pages is expected (maximum 25), double-spaced, including endnotes or bibliography. See the Research Paper General Requirements
Is there an example of a paper? Yes, click here (PDF)
Sample title page for the research paper is located here (PDF)
Please do not have your paper elaborately bound (which makes filing it difficult). Simply staple it in the upper left-hand corner.

Scholarships/Financial Aid

There are no scholarships specifically for the UNISSIST programs. Students can apply for Financial Aid through normal channels. Students must be admitted to degree status graduate studies and currently enrolled to receive aid. The contact person for abroad studies is Ms. Liz Cox, e-mail: mary.cox@uni.edu. Please contact Financial Aid (not the UNISSIST office) if you have aid-related questions.
If you have informed us (UNISSIST) of your application for Financial Aid you do not need to follow the payment schedule (except for the $50 deposit to be sent with your Institute application.)
Financial Aid recipients DO need to send us their payments when their aid is disbursed. UNISSIST does not receive any money automatically on your behalf.

Student number

Degree status students will receive their student number in the acceptance letter from the Registrar’s Office. It is a six-digit number, NOT your Social Security Number. You will want to keep this number handy as it may be needed to log on to UNI computer systems and for student request forms, the application for graduation, etc.

Transfer credit

Up to 1/3 of the required program hours can be transferred in, pending the registrar's approval of eligibility, the advisor's approval of academic content, and the graduate college's approval of the request. Typically this means up to ten hours are possible for transfer. However, please note that transfer courses can only be used for requirements at the 100 level (undergraduate/graduate students); they may not count for 200 level classes (graduate students only).
To see Spanish Course Descriptions, visit https://access.uni.edu/cgi-bin/ccd/catalog.cgi?dept=780
Documentation process: Official transcripts of the work you would like to transfer must be sent directly by your institution(s) to: Office of the Registrar, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0006.
See http://www.uni.edu/modlangs/main/GraduateTranCredit.shtml and https://access.uni.edu/forms/reg/gradTransfer.pdf for the Graduate Transfer Credit Evaluation form.) A final determination on the eligibility of transfer work cannot be made until a student has been admitted to UNI as a degree status graduate student and is a candidate for the MA degree. After transfer eligibility has been established, the student must file a student request, stating exactly which courses are to be transferred. (The procedure for filing student requests is currently being revised. Contact your advisor for details on how to do this.)

Transcripts of work taken at UNI

Grades will be available through the University of Northern Iowa Registrar’s Office, and not given to you on location. However, we can provide a statement confirming your completed course work at the end of the summer session if requested. We realize that several participants need official transcripts of their summer work for their school system in order to receive salary increments. However, grades will not be turned in until after October 1 and transcripts are not available for several weeks after that. Please note that we do not have access to or control over transcripts. Participants must order them themselves directly from the Registrar’s Office. Please see http://www.uni.edu/regist/students/transcripts.shtml.
Grade reports are not mailed out by UNI.
Grade info: http://www.uni.edu/regist/students/grades.shtml
Until grades have been turned in, students are registered in a “holding course.” Course titles and hours of credit for the actual courses you will be taking/are taking/have taken will not appear on your transcript until grades have been submitted.
NR (not reported). Transcripts are prepared in the UNI mainframe automatically at the end of the summer on-campus session for all UNI students. Because UNISSIST Mexico/Spain grades will not have been reported by that time, an “NR” will appear on your transcripts until grades are entered. This is completely normal and nothing to worry about. The “NR” will disappear after your grades are entered.
If we have not received final payment, your grades will be submitted as incompletes. Incompletes automatically turn into F's after a certain length of time. (This is a University-wide policy determined by the Registrar's Office.) Note: This could result in you being suspended because it will impact your grade point average. When final payment is received the I's or F's will be changed to the grades you earned.

Transcripts for admission or transfer credit

Non degree applicants: An applicant must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university. All students wishing to receive graduate credit must file an official transcript from each college or university from which they have received a degree, unless the degree was obtained from the University of Northern Iowa. Transcripts must be sent directly from the issuing institution to the UNI Office of the Registrar (University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0006) in order to be considered official.
Degree status applicants: A student who expects to earn a graduate degree at this university must file an official transcript from the college or university granting the baccalaureate degree if other than the University of Northern Iowa. Only transcripts sent directly from the issuing institution to the UNI Office of the Registrar (University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa 50614-0006) are considered official. Degree Status applicants who have attended other colleges or universities after earning the bachelor's degree must file an official transcript of each record.
Please note: 1) failure to submit (supply) all transcripts from all institutions where work has been done may result in denial of admission or dismissal from the university; and 2) transcripts sent by any other means than directly between registrar offices will not be accepted.
If you have done work at a foreign institution which appears on transcripts issued by a US institution, please do not list the foreign institution on the application for graduate admission or the UNI Registrar’s office will expect to receive official transcripts from the foreign institution. (That is usually a very difficult or impossible process which would considerably delay your admission.)

Travel

Can I go by train or bus from Madrid to Santiago? Yes, but we do not recommend it. It is better to buy a plane ticket from the USA to Santiago.
How do I get to Querétaro? Buy a plane ticket to Mexico City. Buses to Querétaro leave every hour from the airport. The cost is around $20.00 US. More details will appear in the newsletters.

Visa

Do I need a passport and visa to go to Spain or Mexico? You need a passport. You don’t need a visa, unless you are staying for more than three months.

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