Programs

Requirements

In order to be successful in the online NACTEL education programs, you will need to be prepared in two ways:

You will need the proper computer hardware, software, and internet connections.
You will need an appropriate environment in which to study-remember the space you use in your home or office is the classroom, so you should have it organized to facilitate your course work.

Time

Plan to devote 8-12 hours per week per course. Depending on the academic provider, courses range in length from 9 to 15 weeks. A general rule of thumb is that you will need 2-3 hours of preparation for each credit hour of class. Therefore, a 4 credit-hour (or contact hour) class will require 8-12 hours of student work each week, as well as 4 contact hours.
Space

You should give some thought to the space where you will work on your courses. You will need peace and quiet, and storage for your books and materials. Since you will be using your computer and the Internet often, your space should have electricity and an Internet connection.
Hardware

You do not need to have the latest, most powerful, or most expensive computer available. However, you will need to have a relatively current computer with multimedia capability and Internet connectivity.

The minimum recommended technical requirement varies by education partner, as follows:

Pace University
PC Only
128 Megabytes of RAM 4 Gigabytes of storage space on your hard drive Microsoft Office XP Professional version or higher Broadband connectivity (DSL or cable) (recommended)
Sound card CD Rom drive Access to a printer and fax machine Your own Internet Service Provider Ability to check email at least once a day