Academic Degrees and General Education Requirements
Academic Degrees
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.
Degree Definitions
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.
Graduate Degrees – See the separate Graduate Catalog for details
Baccalaureate Degree Programs
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 Liberal Studies (General Education), Requirements of the University (unless specific courses have been officially substituted or waived) and a major. Minors, tracks, pre-major, prerequisites, and support courses may be required. Individual students may elect to take a minor or 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.
Associate Degree Programs
An associate degree program is a planned and approved program of study leading to graduation with an associate degree. It is possible to complete an associate degree program in four semesters of normal fulltime study. The minimum semester credit hour requirement shall be 60, and no program should require more than 76 semester credit hours. A student may elect to exceed this maximum in meeting personal education objectives.
Each associate degree program, except the Associate of Arts in Liberal Studies, shall include required major courses, support courses, and at least 15 semester credit hours of the General Education (Liberal Studies) Requirements of the University. The liberal studies component shall include courses designed to develop skills in oral and written communication and in computational skills. The liberal studies component shall also include courses drawn from each of the following areas: humanities/fine arts, social/behavioral sciences, and natural sciences/mathematics.
Certificate Programs
A certificate program includes a minimum of twelve credit hours, not to exceed a year’s worth of course work.
The Major
A major consists of a planned sequence of courses usually within a single discipline; however, a major may consist of a planned group of courses from more than one discipline. The major must constitute at least 25% of the hours required for a baccalaureate degree, which is at least 30 semester credit hours of a 120-hour degree program. At least 18 semester credit hours in the major must be upper-level courses. A student must declare a major either by the end of the sophomore year or the successful completion of 60 semester credit hours before the student will be permitted to register for classes the semester immediately following.
The Minor
A minor consists of a planned sequence of courses in a discipline. The minor shall consist of a minimum of 18 semester credit hours and shall not exceed 21 semester credit hours. A minimum of 12 semester credit hours in the minor shall be above the 100 level.
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/Liberal Studies Requirements of the student’s major or minor.
General Education Core Requirements
The University's General Education Core is comprised of the traditional subjects of the natural sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities. Included are courses in mathematics, history, politics, literature, languages, fine arts, philosophy, psychology, biology, chemistry, and economics, among others.
A general education foundation prepares students to think clearly, to argue persuasively, to write with clarity and liveliness, and to gain both a cultural and historical perspective on the human experience as well as an in-depth knowledge in at least one area of human thought. General Education studies spark curiosity and broaden vision. The General Education Core Requirements are distributed across programs in the three colleges. Each student who enters Kentucky State University with the intention to earn a baccalaureate degree must satisfy the General Education Requirements. These courses serve as a foundation for many other courses. In addition to the requirements of the student’s major field of study, General Education 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 Student Learning Outcomes
Kentucky State University is part of the Council on Post-Secondary Education's Kentucky Graduate Profile Academy, and as such is legislated to adopt and assess scholars' mastery of the Kentucky Graduate Profile 10 Essential Skills - KSU's Thoro 10.
Indicators of Mastery
Essential Skill 1: Communicate effectively
Graduates will communicate effectively by listening, weighing influencing factors, and responding accurately and professionally. They will express their thoughts coherently in writing, orally, and in formal presentations.
Essential Skill 2: Think critically in order to solve problems and create new ideas and solutions.
Graduates will think critically by evaluating assumptions and assessing information to make informed conclusions. They will also think creatively by combining ideas in original ways or developing new ways of addressing issues.
Essential Skill 3: Apply quantitative reasoning skills to analyze and solve numerical problems.
Graduates will hone their ability to provide solutions guided by data and choose the best methodologies for arriving at informed conclusions.
Essential Skill 4: Interact effectively with people from different backgrounds.
Graduates will reflect on their own cultural identities, appreciate cultural and intellectual differences, and effectively interact with people from different backgrounds. They will collaborate, communicate, and work respectfully with people with different perspectives, ideas, and cultural beliefs.
Essential Skill 5: Adapt to changing circumstances while leading and supporting others.
Graduates will accept change and find effective ways to work and thrive in different settings. They will motivate others in the pursuit of a common goal and coach others in the pursuit of this goal.
Essential Skill 6: Perform professionally within their chosen field of study or occupation.
Graduates will adhere to the code of ethics in their chosen profession and act with honesty and fairness. They will prioritize their tasks, manage their time, take initiative, and demonstrate accountability and reliability.
Essential skill 7: Engage in civic life to improve society.
Graduates will engage in political, social, and other activities to address issues that benefit society.
Essential Skill 8: Collaborate and work in teams.
Graduates will collaborate with colleagues, become effective team members, and manage conflict.
Essential skill 9: Apply academic knowledge, skills, and abilities to their chosen career.
Graduates will articulate and apply the theoretical content of their academic preparation with relevant knowledge and abilities essential to their chosen career.
Essential Skill 10: Use information for decision making.
Graduates will identify, evaluate, and responsibly use information needed for decision making.
General Education Required Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Communication | ||
| Written and Oral | ||
| ENG 102 | English Comp II | 3 |
| ENG 101 | English Comp I | 3 |
| COM 103 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| Quantitative Reasoning | ||
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3-5 | |
| Acceler. Contemp. Mathematics | ||
or MAT 115 | College Algebra | |
or MAT 200 | Intro to Stat Reasoning & Ana. | |
or MAT 120 | Precalculus | |
or MAT 131 | Calculus/Analy Geom I | |
| Arts & Humanities | ||
| Select one General Education Arts Course | 3 | |
| Introduction to Art | ||
| Introduction to Music | ||
| Introduction to Theatre | ||
| Intro to Literature | ||
| Select one General Education Humanities Course | 3 | |
| Business and Society | ||
| Western Civilization | ||
| Intro to African American Hist | ||
| Cultural Responsiveness | ||
| Natural Sciences | ||
| Select one of the following: 1 | 3-4 | |
| Life Science | ||
| Chemistry in Context | ||
| Principles of Biology | ||
| General Chemistry I and General Chem I Laboratory | ||
| Survey Gen/Organic/Biochemi | ||
| Physical Sciences I | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences | ||
| Select two of the following from different disciplines: | 6 | |
| Financial Literacy | ||
| Prin of Economics I | ||
| General Psychology | ||
| Principles of Sociology | ||
| Global/Civic | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Global Perspect Ag/Food/Env | ||
| American Civil Rights Movement | ||
| American Government | ||
| World Politics | ||
| Total Hours | 30-33 | |
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Courses specific to major
Please note that certain majors and/or programs may require a student to complete specific courses within any category.
University Requirements
FYE 118 First Year Experience is a three-credit hour university orientation class. Students who have transferred more than 30 hours from another institution are exempted from taking any university orientation class.
Testing Services
General Education Assessment—required of all university students seeking a baccalaureate degree. Assessment is scheduled after the student has earned 60 semester hours. This is a comprehensive exam required of all students to assess general education competency.
Cooperative Education Program
Cooperative education at Kentucky State University is an academic program incorporating alternating and parallel periods of employment and classroom study. This educational process is a joint or cooperative effort on the part of the Cooperative Education Office, the faculty instructing the student, and the employer furnishing opportunities for practical applications of the student’s class work. Students are limited to a maximum of twelve hours in cooperative education courses for their academic career at KSU.
Cooperative education helps the student bridge the gap between the classroom and the workplace, and it allows the student to observe and participate in practical applications of coursework. Cooperative education enables students to be more valuable contributors upon returning to the classroom; they gain self-confidence and become more involved in the educational process. Full-time employment is of significant financial benefit to the student and is valuable in adding to the student’s credentials for employment. Upon graduation, the co-op student has a decided edge in competing for professional positions.
The University believes that supervised work experience is worth college credit; therefore, upon successful completion of each semester of work experience, semester credit hours are awarded. Cooperative education courses will not be substituted for mandatory classes in the student’s major. The Cooperative Education Program seeks to meet the needs of students in most academic disciplines offered at Kentucky State University. Therefore, the program is offered to all students after the completion of one full academic year of coursework (30 semester credit hours minimum) unless requested and approved by the Vice President of Academic Affairs, Department Chair, or the major advisor. Participating students are expected to be in good standing with the University and have a cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 or better. Students may earn no more than twelve (12) semester credit hours in Cooperative Education courses (including both associate and baccalaureate degrees) during their tenure at KSU. In order to receive academic credit, a student must register for Cooperative Education courses.
Pre-Professional Programs
Kentucky State University offers preparatory courses and advising for appropriate course selection for students intending to enter the fields of medicine, dentistry, law, engineering, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, public health, and physical therapy, among others. Students who have an interest in one of these professions should contact the appropriate department c to inquire about placement with an appropriate advisor. Matching a career interest with a specialized advisor is key to successfully prepare for future admission into professional schools.
Educational Support
The Office of Student Engagement and Campus Life provides strategic coordination of student success services from admission to graduation. The office strives to ensure that the programs, services, and activities, improve the students’ intellectual, social, and emotional well-being.
Credit for Life Experience (CLE)
The Credit for Life Experience program is a Kentucky State University option which affords an adult student, who has significant learning generated by life experiences, the opportunity to document this learning for possible academic credit. See the Credit Earning Alternatives section of Registration and Academic Records.
Donovan Scholars Program
Kentucky residents, age 65 and older, can be admitted to the University through the Donovan Scholars Program. Tuition and fees are waived for program members who are afforded the choice of being part-time or full-time and can choose traditional or online classes at all degree levels. Must submit a copy of your driver license to the Bursar’s Office to verify age and residency.
Project Graduate
Project Graduate focuses on adults who have earned 90 or more college credit hours. Kentucky State University’s Project Graduate Campus Action Plan is designed to provide academically qualified individuals the chance to complete a baccalaureate degree, improve their earning power and contribute more to their community and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. More specifically, the institution collaborates with the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education in a systematic effort to identify, recruit, and support students who have left Kentucky State University after completing the majority of work required to attain a baccalaureate degree.