Kentucky State University serves many ends and many needs, but the true test of an institution’s quality is whether its graduates have learned to think for themselves. Every baccalaureate degree program at the University is designed to provide students with a sound liberal studies education and the more specialized skills derived from disciplined study of individual subject matter. Together, the University’s General Education Requirements and specific academic degree requirements provide students with an exceptional comprehensive education so they may excel in their chosen endeavors.

General Education Common Core

Each student who enters Kentucky State University with the intention to earn a baccalaureate degree must satisfy the General Education/Liberal Studies Requirements. Liberal studies courses serve as a foundation for many other courses. In addition to the requirements of the student’s major field of study, General Education/Liberal Studies Requirements constitute a carefully designed program of courses to be selected from the various academic offerings of the University. A number of choices are included in these general requirements and students are encouraged to carefully consider the alternatives available to them.

Expected Learning Outcomes

In order to make the goals of liberal studies at Kentucky State University clear and specific, the faculty has adopted a set of four liberal arts learning outcomes. After completing the general education requirements at Kentucky State University, students will be expected to demonstrate:

KNOWLEDGE OF HUMAN CULTURES AND THE PHYSICAL WORLD

Through study in the sciences and mathematics, social sciences, humanities, histories, languages, and the arts, the KSU student will engage with big questions, both contemporary and enduring, through study of core texts and primary source material.

INTELLECTUAL AND PRACTICAL SKILLS

The KSU student will develop multiple literacies and skills, including reading comprehension, inquiry and analysis, critical and creative thinking, written and oral communication, quantitative literacy, information literacy, technological literacy, and teamwork and problem solving. The KSU student will practice these skills extensively, across the curriculum, in the context of progressively more challenging problems, projects, and standards for performance. The student will judge the validity of information gained through the research process, including use of digital resources.

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

The KSU student will obtain including civic knowledge and readiness for engagement—locally and globally—and become actively involved with diverse communities and real-world challenges.

INTEGRATIVE AND APPLIED LEARNING

The KSU student will be able to perform cross-disciplinary synthesis and advance thought across general and specialized studies. The KSU student will demonstrate this learning through the application of knowledge, skills, and responsibilities to new settings and complex problems across disciplines.

The following definitions are to be considered University norms for evaluation and approval of doctoral, master’s, baccalaureate, and associate degree programs. The definitions and the limitations that accompany them are based upon the University’s policy of emphasizing breadth of study in the basic disciplines with emphasis on the liberal arts in fulfillment of Kentucky State University’s mission. Course content shall be appropriate for university-level courses. Departures from these norms must be justified by the nature of the program and must have the recommendation of the Faculty Senate and approval of the Board of Regents.

Baccalaureate Degree Program

A baccalaureate degree program is a planned and approved program of study leading to graduation with a baccalaureate degree. It should be possible to complete a baccalaureate degree program in eight semesters of normal full-time study (15 credit hours). The minimum semester credit hour requirement shall be 120, and no program should require more than 144 semester credit hours. A student may elect to exceed this maximum in meeting personal education objectives.

Each baccalaureate degree program shall include the General Education Requirements of the University (unless specific courses have been officially substituted or waived). Tracks, pre-major, prerequisites, and support courses may be required. Individual students may elect to take a second major to meet personal education objectives. Unless otherwise specified, any course taken to satisfy a requirement (including electives) for one program may be used to satisfy a requirement for another program. A minimum of 42 semester credit hours in upper-level courses is required for graduation.

Certificate Programs

A certificate program includes a minimum of twelve credit hours, not to exceed a year’s worth of course work.

Tracks - the Area of Specialization

Some major programs consist of a core program of study within the academic unit as well as required additional study in one or more tracks selected from options within or related to the discipline. These tracks shall consist of a minimum of 12 semester credit hours and a maximum of 18 semester credit hours.

Pre-majors, Prerequisites, and Support Courses

A degree program may identify and require courses as are justified for proper completion of the major. Courses may be from within the discipline (pre-majors or prerequisites) or from other disciplines (prerequisites or support courses). Such credits thus required are not included in the requirements for the major, the minor and the specialization as stated previously, but are included in the requirements for the total number of semester credit hours for an associate or baccalaureate degree.

Free Electives

Free electives may be selected by the student from any courses not required in the particular degree program, excluding non-credit course offerings. Free electives may be used to meet hourly requirements for graduation not specified in those sections of the Catalog pertaining to the General Education Requirements of the student’s major.

General Education Required Courses

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Communication: Written and Oral (3 Courses - 9 Credit Hours)

ENG 101 English Comp I (3 credit hours)

ENG 102 English Comp II (3 credit hours)

COM 103 Interpersonal Communication (3 credit hours)

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Quantitative Reasoning: (1 course - 3 Credit Hours)

MAT 111 Acceler. Contemp. Mathematics OR higher (3 credit hours)

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Arts and Humanities: (2 Courses - 6 Credit Hours)

Choose 1 Arts 

ART 130 Introduction to Art (3 credit hours) OR 

MUS 130 Introduction to Music (3 credit hours) OR 

THE 130 Introduction to Theatre (3 credit hours) OR 

ENG 211 Intro to Literature (3 credit hours) 

Choose 1 Humanities 

EDU 204 Cultural Responsiveness (3 credit hours) OR 

BUA 120 Business and Society (3 credit hours) OR 

HIS 103 Western Civilization (3 credit hours) OR 

HIS 108 Intro to African American Hist (3 credit hours) 

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Natural Sciences: (1 Course - 3 or 4 Credit Hours) – courses specific to major

BIO 101 Life Science (3 credit hours) OR

CHE 109 Chemistry in Context (3 credit hours) OR

BIO 111 Principles of Biology (4 credit hours) OR

CHE 101 General Chemistry I and CHE 110 General Chem I Laboratory (3/1 credit hours) OR

CHE 209 Survey Gen/Organic/Biochemi (4 credit hours) OR

PHS 201 Physical Sciences I Lecture and Lab (3 credit hours) 

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Social and Behavioral Sciences: (2 Courses from different disciplines - 6 Credit Hours)

FIN 101 Financial Literacy (3 credit hours) OR

ECO 201 Prin of Economics I (3 credit hours) OR

PSY 200 General Psychology (3 credit hours) OR

SOC 203 Principles of Sociology (3 credit hours) 

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Global/Civic (1 Course - 3 Credit Hours)