BGSU - Professional & Community Education

Gatlin is a respected developer of online certificate courses that are geared toward high-demand occupations. Courses developed by Gatlin are Web-based, highly interactive and facilitated by experts in the field.

When you register for a Gatlin online course through Bowling Green State University, you may make payment by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, money order, or check. Your access to the class is activated after BGSU receives your payment. All checks should be made out to BGSU.

The staff at BGSU will notify Gatlin that you are officially a registered student for the course. Within about one business day, you will receive an E-mail message from Gatlin with detailed information about how to begin accessing your online course. Please remember that after you have accessed the online course using your password, you will not be eligible for a refund.

Gatlin courses are not designed to include college credit. Many of the courses are tied in with industry-backed certifications that are widely respected within that particular industry.

IMPORTANT REFUND POLICY INFORMATION

Because of BGSU’s arrangements with Gatlin Education Services, once you have registered and paid for a Gatlin course, refunds are available only under rare circumstances. After you have accessed your Gatlin course with the user name and password provided by the Gatlin Registrar, no refund will be available.

If you have concerns about your class after you have logged in with your user name and password, please communicate them to your class instructor. Feel free to share your feedback about Gatlin courses with BGSU by sending E-mail to jwomack@bgsu.edu.

All Gatlin courses are self-paced and open enrollment. You can start and finish the course at your own pace. When you register for a course, you are given an 180 days (6 months) to complete the course. If you need more time, extensions are available.

Each student is paired up with a facilitator for one-on-one interaction. The facilitator will be available (via email or phone) to answer any questions you may have and to provide feedback on your performance. All of Gatlin's facilitators are successful working professionals in the fields in which they teach.

HOW CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT A COURSE?

All necessary information is available from Gatlin's online course catalog. If you have questions that are not answered online, please feel free to E-mail Gatlin or call 1.817.870.2870. You can also contact Janet Womack from BGSU by E-mail or by calling toll-free 1.877.282.2478.

All materials are included. The cost of materials will be covered by your tuition. GES will ship all materials via UPS ground service upon registration.

GES courses are non-credit courses, so they do not qualify for federal aid. In some states, vocational rehab or workforce development boards will pay for qualified students to take our courses. If you have good credit and are employed, you may be qualified for financial aid through TERI. GES also provides a loan opportunity for students. Simply go to www.collegeloanapplication.com to apply for an easier qualifying loan at a slightly higher rate. Click here for more information about this loan program.

In order to take our online courses, you must have access to a computer and the Internet (a normal dial-up connection is fine). You can access the course contents from any web-enabled computer. There are no necessary plug-ins. You do not have to use the same computer to log-in to the course every time. We recommend that you have a word processing program (Microsoft Word is best) and the latest version of Internet Explorer.

CAN I USE A MAC OR iMAC?
Yes, you can use a Mac computer for every course except AutoCAD, Medical Transcription and Administrative Medical Specialist. The AutoCAD program is only available for PC's; the Medical Transcription course utilizes special files from a diskette and MS Word forms; and the AMS class includes standard medical billing software that is only for the IBM PC (although the online portion of the class can be accessed with a Mac). A note about iMacs: they have a slightly smaller screen which sometimes makes it hard to see the entire online class web page, which causes the viewer to need to scroll around to see the entire class lesson.

WHAT IS AN IBM-COMPATIBLE OR CLONE PC?
For the average user, this is any standard desktop computer that is not an Apple or MacIntosh PC. IBM and IBM clone PC's run some version of Windows as an operating system, and come in many brands other than just IBM, such as Dell, Gateway, and Compaq just to name a few.

WHEN CAN I START A COURSE?
Gatlin courses are all open enrollment. You can register and start the course as soon as you are ready.

WHAT ABOUT CERTIFICATION EXAMS FOR MICROSOFT AND CompTIA PROGRAMS?

The Gatlin online IT courses prepare you to sit for the exam. Once you complete your online certification coursework, it's time to take your certification exam. Microsoft, CompTIA, and LPI certification testing is administered by third-party vendors such as Prometric and Virtual University Enterprises (VUE), two leading providers of technology-based testing. Both offer a network of computer-based testing centers with thousands of locations worldwide. Exam costs range from $70 to $125. Please note that exam fees are not included in your Gatlin course fee. Once you have selected the exam you plan to take, you can register with Prometric or VUE online or via phone. For more information about Prometric, visit www.2test.com, and for more information about VUE, visit www.vue.com.

Upon successful completion of the course, you will be awarded a certificate of completion from Bowling Green State University. You must obtain a final passing grade of 70% or greater to be awarded a certificate.

GES courses will provide you with the skills you need to obtain an entry-level position in most cases. We do not provide direct job placement services, but our instructors will help you build your resume and are available to give advice on finding your first job. Potential students should always do research on the job market in your area before registering.