Distance Education
By having the Institute's acclaimed course material delivered straight to your door, you learn without ever having to sit in a classroom! You earn industry-wide recognition as a trained gem and jewellery professional in the convenience of your home or office.
Programmes Designed for Your Convenience
Through GIA Distance Education, you're given the same important information that is taught On Campus. But by having the course materials delivered right to your door, you learn without ever having to take a day off work, or interrupt your schedule.
Time
Complete courses as quickly as you like – almost all gemmology Distance Education courses are self-paced with generous time limits for completion. You can however consult your instructor for direction based on your specific goals. Choose a curriculum that fits your needs and your learning style.
Prestige
Through GIA – the world's foremost authority in gemology™ – you acquire a level of knowledge that people automatically recognize and respect.
You gain confidence and professional credibility that inspires trust among customers and employers alike.
Student Support
Your instructor is just an e-mail or a phone call away!
GIA's Distance Education instructors are available to give you quick and convenient help with your assignments. Their enthusiasm and genuine love of gemmology and the jewellery industry is contagious. By offering positive and constructive feedback, Distance Education instructors see you through every step of your studies.
Student Workroom - Practice with Actual Gems
In order for you to complete the practical, hands-on requirements of your Distance Education Gem Identification Course, GIA runs Student Workroom.
They give you affordable access to all the equipment and gemstones you will need to acquire your identification skills. A GIA instructor is right there to answer your questions and proctor your exams.
GIA Virtual Campus
If you're a gemmology student and have access to the Web, you have everything you need to shave weeks off your completion time. The GIA Virtual Campus is a student dedicated interactive website that lets you submit most of your assignments online – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Log in, answer your assignment questions online, and receive results immediately. If you miss a question, you are directed to specific course material to review. Print out your completed answer sheets and use them as a study guide for your final exam. Keep track of completed assignments and monitor your progress any time you go online. You see exactly where you are in your course or program.
Virtual Campus is multi-browser compatible. For best results, if you're on a PC, use Netscape 6.0 or Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher. And if you are on a Mac, use Internet Explorer 5.0.