UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN River Falls

Online Education

Professional Licensure Programs

The information on this page outlines required actions of stakeholders across the university to comply with the new federal requirements outlined in 34 CFR § 668.43 as outlined in UW System Administrative Policy 121 (SYS 121) by July 1, 2020.

The federal regulations require that for all academic programs, universities must determine the location of the student enrolled in the program and the subsequent requirement to notify students if professional licensure requirements in the states where they reside are being met by the curriculum of the program. 

DEFINITIONS:

Student location: Per SYS 121, “a student’s location shall be defined as the place in which the student is currently living or physically located (e.g. current address) at the time of enrollment in a program, not on the student’s state of residency.”

Time of initial enrollment into a program: The time at which the student is admitted into a program that leads to licensure or certificate.  This may differ from the time at which a student is admitted to the university, declares a major, or is admitted to a particular program.  The timing and conditions related to enrollment within a program vary by department.

Prospective student: Refers to a student who has made contact with a program representative to learn about program requirements.

Programs leading to required initial professional licensure or certification: Academic programs designed for or marketed as fulfilling the purpose of preparing graduates to meet the educational requirements for initial professional licensure or certification requirements of a state board. Optional certifications administered through the private sector fall outside the scope of this administrative procedure. Identified professional licensure programs currently available at UW-River Falls include the Communication Sciences and Disorders Program (Master’s), Counseling and School Psychology programs, the Social Work Program, and the teacher education programs.

Formal receipt of information regarding change of location: Students are prompted to update their address information upon registration each term. Students may use self-service within the university’s student information system (eSIS) to formally update their address at any time. Programs have elected to provide individual disclosures to all students, regardless of student location to ensure all students receive the disclosure, regardless of state the state in which they are located. 

DETERMINATION OF STUDENT LOCATION:

For individual professional licensure disclosures, student location for brick-and-mortar students is determined by the “local address” field within the university’s Student Information System (eSIS); however, if this field in not populated, the “home address” field shall be used to determine the student’s location. For distance education students enrolled through collaborative degree programs, the “mailing address” field within eSIS shall be used to determine the student’s location. If no mailing address is provided, the “home address” field shall be used to determine the student’s location. All students are prompted to update their address information in eSIS each term.

INDIVIDUAL DISCLOSURES TO PROSPECTIVE AND CURRENT STUDENTS:

Individual disclosures must be in writing (email, letter, or printed on program documents) and be provided to current and prospective students in the following circumstances:

  • the program does not meet the educational requirements for initial licensure or certification; or
  • the institution has not determined whether the program meets the educational requirements for initial licensure in the state that the student is located; or
  • for current students, if the program is determined to no longer meet the educational requirements of the professional licensure program (student to be notified within 14 days of the institution discovering the program no longer meets the licensure requirements).

Based on input from the departments and programs required to provide individual disclosures, it is agreed that the department chairs and program directors, or their designees, shall provide individual disclosures to all students, regardless of location, upon initial enrollment into the program and in the circumstance outlined herein. Individual disclosure language should align with the general disclosure language. Individual disclosures must be provided to students at or prior to registration for the term in which the student initially enrolls into the program.

GENERAL DISCLOSURES TO PROSPECTIVE AND CURRENT STUDENTS

States vary regarding the professions they require to be licensed and how licensure functions. Some states require an individual to graduate from an approved program. Others require an individual to meet certification requirements of a national organization. A specific amount of training can also be required as well as passage of an examination based on a state requisite exam score. Often, licensed professionals must complete continuing education on an annual basis.

If a student is planning to apply for licensure in a state other than Wisconsin after completion of their program, the student should refer to the information below or contact the other state's appropriate licensing board to determine whether UW-River Falls program meets licensure requirements in that state.

Please note that licensure requirements are always subject to change. Although UW-River Falls will confirm the licensure requirements on a routine basis, we strongly recommend that you inquire with the state board to confirm that you understand and will meet the requirements for licensure before enrolling in your program of choice.

Select programs at UW-River Falls are designed to provide the educational requirements for the following initial professional licenses in the State of Wisconsin.  For additional information, consult the Professional Licensure Programs page.