Terminal Degree Assistance Program
Up to five staff members may be selected to receive annual support of up to $10,000 (maximum of three years or $30,000) towards the cost of a terminal (Ph.D. or equivalent) degree appropriate to their job duties and responsibilities.
The Terminal Degree Assistance Program (TDAP) does not cover programs offered by the University of North Alabama which have established provisions for assistance.
Approval for the TDAP is a multi-step process which includes a discussion with the supervisor to secure funding, submission of a Request to Submit TDAP Form approval, TDAP Application approval and Memo of Understanding approval. The application period for the Terminal Degree Assistance Program is on a rolling calendar year. Applications will be accepted no sooner than 12 months prior to the semester that assistance is requested and no later than four months prior to the semester that assistance is requested.
Interested staff must meet the following minimum requirements to be considered for assistance:
- Must be a regular, full-time exempt or non-exempt employee of the University of North Alabama other than faculty and coaches and with the exception of the President, Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice Presidents, Assistant/Associate Vice Presidents, Deans, and Associate Deans.
- Have been employed in such a capacity at UNA for no less than two (2) years.
- Staff members must be in current organizational “good standing” in order to apply for support.
- In order to be considered for the assistance, staff members must submit a Request to Submit TDAP Form. This form is a prerequisite in the TDAP Application process. Prior to submitting this form, staff members must consult with their supervisor and discuss how this degree relates to their responsibilities and aligns with their goals and the mission of the University. The staff member’s supervisor, Dean, if applicable, and Executive Council member must also secure funding after consulting with the V.P. of Financial Affairs. Neither submission or approval of this application guarantees that it will be granted.
- The terminal degree must be appropriate to the job duties and responsibilities of the staff member.
- Apply no later than the established deadline each semester by completing the TDAP Application.
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Once your application for the Terminal Degree Assistance Program (TDAP) has been reviewed and approved by the TDAP Committee, a recommendation will be made to the division of Business & Financial Affairs for approval. If the recommendation is approved, you will receive a Memo of Understanding for review and signature.
General Program Guidelines:
- The Terminal Degree Assistance Program will provide assistance for the Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters of the application year. Staff member support is re-assessed for renewal annually by mutual agreement.
- In order to receive continued support, the selected Staff Member(s) must remain in good academic standing in order to continue support. Reimbursement will only be issued provided that Staff Member(s) have satisfied all requirements for the previous requested semester (eg. Satisfactory completion of courses).
- Requests for reimbursements must be made no later than three weeks following the final grade deadline for the given semester/term. Reimbursements requested after the three-week deadline will not be considered. Exceptions may only be made with the approval of the Associate Vice President of Human Resources with the recommendation from the Terminal Degree Assistance Program committee.
- Reimbursements are limited to expenses incurred by the Staff Member(s) for tuition, books, and required course fees. Other fees, including but not limited to, transportation costs, late fees, parking costs, graduation fees, examination fees, supplies, registration fees, student fees, optional fees and other similar costs, are not eligible for reimbursement.
- The availability of funds will be taken into consideration prior to determining reimbursement to Staff Member(s) hereunder for any course. In the event the source of funds has been depleted or substantially reduced, Staff Member(s) understands that no reimbursement may be made hereunder by UNA to Staff Member(s) or that only a portion of Staff Member’s tuition, books and required course fees for a course may be reimbursed to Staff Member(s) hereunder by UNA.
- Staff Member(s) agrees to repay UNA the total amount reimbursed by UNA to Staff Member(s) hereunder for all courses for all academic years if Staff Member voluntarily terminates employment with UNA before completing two (2) years of full-time service with UNA as a full-time staff member from the date on which Staff Member’s terminal degree is awarded.