Course Materials and Textbooks
In addition to tuition and fees, students are responsible for textbooks, online computer equipment, parking passes, American Counseling Association Student Membership (MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling students only), and relevant Program fees. The program requires 2 one-week residencies. Course materials vary by program.
The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (HEOA) requires all institutions receiving federal financial aid to "publish," in time for registration, a list of all required and recommended books and other course materials for all classes offered at the institution. This includes all schools: undergraduate, graduate and professional. The items we must display are: Book title, including edition; Book author; and ISBN number.
This is an effort to make more transparent the cost of education, as indicated in the following statement from the HEOA:
PURPOSE AND INTENT-The purpose of this section is to ensure that students have access to affordable course materials by decreasing costs to students and enhancing transparency and disclosure with respect to the selection, purchase, sale, and use of course materials. It is the intent of this section to encourage all of the involved parties, including faculty, students, administrators, institutions of higher education, bookstores, distributors, and publishers, to work together to identify ways to decrease the cost of college textbooks and supplemental materials for students while supporting the academic freedom of faculty members to select high quality course materials for students.
Students may purchase assigned books, new or used, wherever they choose. Palo Alto University’s preferred method of textbook ordering is through our school’s official online bookstore.
Course syllabi and instructional materials should be posted on a course in the Canvas LMS. Instructors are required to create courses in Canvas for their classes. All instructors and students are required to follow applicable copyright laws and adhere to applicable licenses when posting materials on Canvas or other Palo Alto University online systems and platforms.