Associate of Science in Psychology (APSY)
> Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I take Associate Degree in Psychology with any other Bachelors program?
Yes you may, under the IOU Dual Program. Please check the details here: http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/dual-program.php.
What are the minimum and maximum periods in which the Associate Degree in Psychology may be completed?
Associate Degree in Psychology is a 2-year program (4 semesters - 6 courses per semester) that should be completed in maximum 6 years of time. Students can take between one to six courses per semester, but the entire program has to be completed within a maximum of six years.
What if one fails to complete the curriculum in the maximum assigned duration?
Associate Degree in Psychology should be completed in maximum 6 years. However, if a student exceeds the allotted time duration without completing the required number of courses, then s/he will need to repeat their earliest courses on case-to-case basis. For example, if one enters the 7th year of study, s/he has to repeat their first and second semester courses. If one enters into the 8th year, the third and fourth semester courses have to be retaken by the student.
Is Islamic Online University an accredited university?
Islamic Online University is globally accredited. However, institutions may have a list of colleges and universities that they consider acceptable. So, it is recommended that you check with the institution where you might want to do further studies.
For more information about accreditation click on the given link: http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/apsy/accreditation.php
Where does the coursework take place?
The Islamic Online University is an online educational institution. The entire program is taught online via internet. Anyone from any part of the world can join easily and benefit from it, Insha'Allah.
What shall I do if I have a slow internet connection?
It is strongly recommended for IOU students to have a high-speed internet connection. However, if a student does not have a high-speed connection, s/he can download audio and video lectures that can be watched or listened to later.
How do I take exams?
Module tests and midterm exams can be taken at home within the prescribed period. The final exams must be taken only in an IOU approved exam center. There are several designated IOU centers across the globe. You may look for a center near you before the exams begin and register for it. If there is no IOU approved exam center nearby, you can suggest an exam center and if it will meet our requirements, we will approve it even if you are the only student taking exams in it, Insha’Allah. Please read the exam center requirements by clicking on the link http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/iap/requirements-exam-center.php
Is there any fee for taking the exams?
No, there are no examination fees charged by IOU. However, students might have to pay fees to the exam center directly if requested. Therefore, we advise students to confirm with the centers beforehand.
I want to join the Associate Degree in Psychology program. Where do I begin?
The Islamic Online University is an online educational institution. The entire program is taught online via internet. Anyone from any part of the world can join easily and benefit from it, Insha Allaah. The admission is open throughout the year. If a student is admitted and enrollment is closed, s/he will begin studies in the following enrollment phase.
Before you begin the registration process, make sure that you have your personal information and necessary scanned images ready on your PC. The registration form is available here:http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/campus/login/signup.php Please choose the program as ‘ Psychology’ and the stream as ‘DPSY’
Kindly find the admission process here : http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/apsy/process.php
Once all the required documents are uploaded, you will receive a reply from the registrar regarding your admission confirmation and fee payment details within 3 days, Insha Allaah. If you will not receive any reply, please contact the IOU Info Desk at info@iou.edu.gm.
What does the enrollment process entail?
Upon the completion of the 3 registration steps, the payment of the fees included, you will receive an email with the enrollment instructions few days before the beginning of the semester during the regular enrollment period. If you have completed the registration before or after the regular enrollment period, you may enroll via the early enrollment system by visiting this link. Please note that you have only two attempts to enroll. Therefore, you should choose your courses carefully. Staff will be able to help you only if there is some genuine reason.
When will enrollment and classes begin?
The Islamic Online University offers two terms each year.
Spring semester - March to July
Fall semester - September to January
The exact dates for the enrollment during the regular period, which is at the beginning of the semester, are announced on the site news before the semester begins. The early enrollment for those who want to enroll during the non-regular period can be accessed via this link
When does the late registration period start?
Registration is open all year round though we advise you to register right away. You will be able to register in the current semester if the deadline has not passed. If the deadline has passed, you will be registered for the following semester and you may enroll into courses via the early enrollment system.
The deadlines of registration are broadly divided into three categories:
Early Registration Period:
Spring: beginning of October to mid-February
Fall: beginning of April to mid-August
Regular Registration Period:
Spring: mid-February to mid-March
Fall: mid-August to mid-September
Late Registration Period:
Spring: mid-March to end of March
Fall: mid-September to end of September
Registered students will be sent the exact dates of each semester a couple of weeks before the semester starts.
How much are the tuition fees?
Alhamdulillaah, all the courses are tuition-free, however, there are affordable semester registration fees applicable based on the development of the country of residence
Please see more details and sliding scale fees structure here:http://www.islamiconlineuniversity.com/apsy/scale-fee.php These are the only fees we charge per semester. The course material is provided free of cost. Additionally, there is an e-library available as a study aid for the students.
Is there a separate fee for learning materials?
All course materials are free of charge; eBooks, video lectures and MP3 audio recordings. E-library is also available. Hard copies of textbooks are not provided by IOU; however, they are easily obtainable from external sources.
Is an English language certification like TOEFL or IELTS required?
No. English language certification is not a requirement for any of the IOU programs. However, you should be aware that English is the medium of instruction for the entire program.
What is the level of English required to join IOU Associate Degree in Psychology?
The course content is explained very clearly with the help of lectures recorded by the instructors and recorded supplementary sessions conducted by the tutorial assistants. You can contact the teacher if you have any questions about course content. Although, the courses are simplified as much as possible, it is preferable that you first register for a free Associate Degree course http://islamiconlineuniversity.com/opencampus and try to complete at least one diploma course. If you are able to understand the lectures and texts of the free diploma course, then you should be able to study in the Associate Degree in Psychology program with no difficulty insha Allah.
Please note that if you realize later that you are not able to understand the course content and need to withdraw from the program, there will be no refund. Therefore, we request that you pay only after careful consideration.
If my transcripts are not in English, will you still accept them?
In order to make the process easy for the students, IOU has translators available who will translate your documents (for some languages). Please check with us to see if we have a translator for the language your certificate is in. If we do not have translation services available for your language, your non-English high school transcripts and certificate must be fully translated into English and notarized by a notary. You must submit the original transcript along with the translated copy. A copy of the translated notarized copy should be uploaded during the online registration process.
What is the minimum required qualification to apply for Associate Degree in Psychology?
The minimum required qualification to apply for our accredited online Associate Degree in Psychology is completed high school. The high school certificate/diploma is the credential awarded to a secondary school student for successful completion of high school level (approximately 12 years of study).
Those who have completed further studies and have degrees beyond high school may submit those certificates if they have no longer their high school certificate with them.
Can a student who doesn't have the minimum required qualification join the Associate Degree in Psychology?
Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements but would like to study the courses taught under accredited Associate Degree in Psychology program may join the Associate Degree stream and enrol into these courses; however they will receive IOU DPSY Non Accredited Associate Degree upon completion of the entire program.
Please click here for more details.
Do I have to re-register if I wish to do Bachelors in Psychology after completing the Associate Degree course? Furthermore, do I have to repeat the same courses or have to pay any credit transfer charges?
Islamic Online University aims to facilitate opportunities to the students so they may excel in Islamic field. Students who have completed their Associate Degree in Psychology and wish to start a bachelor in the same field the following semester can apply for the upgrade of their stream.
Students are not required to either re-register, repeat any of the courses or to pay the credit transfer charges. For further details, please email at info@iou.edu.gm.
I have registered for Associate Degree in Psychology; however due to change in circumstances I want to do enroll in Certificate course of Psychology. Am I allowed to do this?
Yes, you may do so. Please email at info@iou.edu.gm for further details
Is it possible to complete the Associate Degree in Psychology in less than one and half year?
No, it is not possible and we do not recommend it under any circumstances. The maximum number of courses a full time student is allowed to take is 9. It will not be possible for a student to concentrate and fully understand the concepts if s/he takes more than 9 courses. A student has to devote approximately 3 to 4 hours per course per week to understand the concepts well. This will not be possible by taking more than 9 courses. In addition, a well-researched assignment for every course has to be submitted as part of the examinations.
Does Associate Degree in Psychology have a Course Waiver system?
No, course waiver is not applicable to Associate Degree in Psychology.
I forgot my password, what should I do?
In order to reset your password, click on the 'forgotten password' button located just under the login fields. If your password reset was not successful and you are still unable to log in, email to info@iou.edu.gm . Please do not create a new account; having multiple accounts with IOU is not allowed under any circumstance.
I forgot my login credentials and I cannot recall my IOU registered email ID, what should I do?
If you forgot your login details or are unable to access your old email account, kindly email to info@iou.edu.gm . Please do not create a new account; having multiple accounts with IOU is not allowed under any circumstance.
Can I take extra courses that are not part of the curriculum of my program?
Yes, you may take courses from other IOU degree, Associate Degree or certificate programs. This includes courses that are outside the integral part of their program.
These extra courses will appear on a student's permanent academic record with the final course mark and noted as "EXT". However, they are not included in calculating the student's Grade Point Average.
What will happen to the uncommon courses when I change my stream? Will my grades for such courses be recognised and mentioned in my final transcript.
Yes, these uncommon courses will appear on the student's permanent academic record with the final course mark and noted as "EXT" (extra). However, they are not included in calculating the student's Grade Point Average and do not count towards the degree, Associate Degree or certificate credit.
When IOU’s site says it is accredited globally, does it mean IOU's degrees will be accepted by universities in all countries including US, Canada, Australia, UAE, etc.?
We cannot claim that ALL universities will accept IOU's degrees, as it each country has its own practices and standards for recognition of university credits and studies, accreditation and/or recognition of prior learning (RPL). As such, IOU can only focuss on meeting requirements for registration, accreditation and endorsement in our host countries. Through international higher education conventions, a registered and accredited university of a particularly country is recognized globally, however, some countries and universities may reserve the right not to recognize another’s qualifications - which is completely beyond the control of the degree-issuing university. The Islamic Online University (now renamed to the ‘International Open University – The Gambia’) is fully registered and accredited with the Ministry of Education, Culture and Higher Education in the Somali Federal Republic. Our newly-relocated head offices are in The Gambia. We are registered with the National Accreditation and Quality Assurance Authority (NAQAA) of Gambia and awaiting finalization of our institutional accreditation. The ‘Islamic Online University’ also holds provisional registration with the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE) in Malawi. We have multiple satellite campuses in various countries world-wide that operate under the registration and accreditation obtained in our host countries (Somali Federal Republic, The Gambia, and Malawi). Whilst every effort is made to fulfill, meet and maintain registration and accreditation requirements in our host countries; as per international practice, the recognition of IOU-issued qualifications in non-host countries is at the discretion of their relevant national councils, that have diverse criteria for accepting foreign qualifications. As such, we encourage all our students not residing in our host countries to validate the recognition of the qualification with their national authorities. IOU is governed by the regulations and quality assurance practices and policies of our host countries.
May I know the universities where IOU's graduates were able to take admission in higher/postgraduate studies based on IOU's issued degree?
While it is quite difficult to keep track of this, we have been notified of some of our graduates pursuing postgraduate studies in Indonesia and Gambia.
How is it that IOU is accredited by the Somalia's Ministry of Culture and Higher Education however, the institution as per the credentials is located in The Gambia? So is IOU following the Gambia standards and legislation or Somalia?
IOU is registered and accredited in Somalia. This was the first country in which IOU received full registration and accreditation. IOU then subsequently applied for registration in Gambia and has established a headquarters there. The finalization of registration is underway in The Gambia. We hope to conclude the finalization soon, In sha Allah. IOU also has provisional registration by the National Council of Higher Education in Malawi. We are also busy with the finalization of registration in Malawi currently. Once full registration is granted in Gambia and Malawi, IOU will then shift completely over to their systems and legislation.
As IOU has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with various universities, will the graduates of IOU be eligible for the admission/credit transfer in the said university automatically?
The onus lies with the applicant seeking credit transfer externally to apply using the standard IOU-issued documents. In the motivation of the application, the student may naturally refer to an MoU in place.
The other university will follow their procedures to determine the validity and scope of the MoU. If the MoU explicitly cites credit transfer/recognition, then the applicant should not face challenges.
However, there are instances where admissions departments of partner universities might not grant credit transfer of some/all courses because the MoU might not have been intended for the purpose of credit transfer, or there could have been changes to syllabi that prevents credit transfer, as courses between IOU and partner university are no longer aligned.
It would be best to check the conditions of the MoU in place with the specific partner university to explore its scope.