Stratford Career Institute offers students the opportunity to complete distance learning courses that result in a career diploma. Areas of study students can choose from include accounting, computer programming, desktop publishing, floral design, medical billing specialist training, plumbing and wedding consulting. Stratford Career Institute also offers students who have not graduated from high school the opportunity to earn their high school diploma (GED).
Stratford Career Institute allows students to move through course lessons at an individual pace. Students have up to two years to finish each career course. Students can submit exams through Stratford's online portal and can also contact an instructor via email or phone if they have any questions regarding the course content. Stratford Career Institute's tuition prices include the cost of textbooks, course lessons, exams and shipping, so students do not need to worry about paying extra fees for course materials.
The amount of tuition a student will be responsible for depends on the program she is enrolling in. For example, as of June 2010, the nondiscounted tuition cost for the accounting career program was $989, and the nondiscounted cost for the floral design program was $889. Stratford Career Institute periodically offers new students automatic discounts off the regular course tuition prices. As of June 2010, students could save $300 when enrolling in a distance learning career program offered by Stratford. Students can choose to pay the entire tuition amount in full when enrolling or may elect to take advantage of an interest-free monthly payment plan.
Students choosing to enroll in a vocational distance learning course offered by Stratford Career Institute must make a down payment if choosing to take advantage of a monthly payment plan. After the enrollment process has been completed, Stratford Career Institute will ship out the first set of course materials to the student within two business days. Students can expect to receive their initial course shipment within 10 business days.
The vocational distance learning programs offered by Stratford Career Institute do not carry any college credit. Students who want to complete a traditional degree program from an accredited higher learning institution will not be able to apply any of Stratford's distance learning courses toward their degree requirements.