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164.2951 Development and implementation of credit hour degree programs, course classifications, and credit transfer agreements -- Changes to learning outcomes.

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Page 1 of 3 164.2951 Development and implementation of credit hour degree programs, course classifications, and credit transfer agreements -- Changes to learning <br>outcomes. (1) Beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year and each academic year thereafter for first-time students enrolling in a public college or university, postsecondary <br>education institutions are encouraged to limit the credit-hour requirements to sixty <br>(60) credit hours for each associate of science or associate of arts degree program <br>and to one hundred twenty (120) credit hours for each bachelor of arts or bachelor <br>of science degree program, except in situations in which: <br>(a) Quality and content of a program would be negatively impacted; or <br>(b) A program must comply with specific program standards established by external accreditation bodies. (2) The Council on Postsecondary Education, in collaboration with the public universities and community and technical colleges, shall: <br>(a) Facilitate the development and implementation of a statewide agreement for alignment of Kentucky Community and Technical College System lower-<br>division associate of arts and associate of science coursework that shall be <br>accepted and fully credited to related bachelors degree programs by all public <br>universities. The agreement shall specify the general education learning <br>outcomes and program-specific prerequisite learning outcomes of the <br>coursework. Where applicable, curricula shall be reviewed to determine <br>comparability of core content standards required under KRS 164.302. The <br>agreement shall direct that the associate of arts and associate of science <br>coursework meeting the learning outcomes specified shall be accepted for <br>transfer and degree credit, whether earned as individual courses or within <br>block programs; (b) Develop, implement, and maintain a Kentucky Community and Technical College System statewide course numbering system for lower-division general <br>education and program-specific prerequisite courses that include the same <br>learning outcomes; (c) Establish a statewide course classification system and procedures to monitor the transfer and crediting of lower-division coursework, including a system of <br>ongoing assessment that ensures comparability for transfer purposes; (d) Establish a procedure for approval of changes in learning outcomes at public universities as described in subsection (3) of this section; (e) Standardize credit-by-exam equivalencies and common passing scores for national exams transferable for general education courses and program-<br>specific prerequisites courses; (f) Develop policies to align statewide articulation and transfer procedures across educational institutions, including admissions criteria, student declaration of <br>major, and student guidance and counseling policies designed to ensure that <br>students pursuing an associate of arts or associate of science degree program <br>provide timely notification of their intention to transfer to a public university; Page 2 of 3 (g) Develop uniform data collection and reporting methods to facilitate and ensure statewide and institutional compliance with course transfer and credit <br>requirements; (h) Guarantee that, upon admission to a public university, graduates of an associate of arts or an associate of science degree program approved by the <br>council in consultation with public universities shall be deemed to have met <br>all general education requirements; (i) Provide that graduates of approved associate of arts and associate of science degree programs of Kentucky public postsecondary institutions who complete <br>the prerequisite learning outcomes for a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science <br>program while fulfilling the requirements for an associate of art or associate of <br>science degree, shall not be required to repeat or to take any additional lower-<br>level courses to fulfill bachelor degree requirements in the same major, and <br>these students shall be granted admission to related upper-division bachelors <br>degree programs of a state public college or university on the same criteria as <br>those students earning lower-division credits at the university to which the <br>student transferred; (j) Provide that graduates of approved associate of arts and associate of science degree programs shall receive priority for admission to a state public <br>university over out-of-state students if they meet the same admission criteria; (k) Establish a commonality in college transcripts to be used in all public colleges and universities to facilitate transfer from community and technical colleges; (l) Encourage private colleges and universities to collaborate with public educational institutions in developing programs and agreement to expedite the <br>transfer of students and credits between institutions; (m) Establish an appeals process to resolve disagreements between transferring students and receiving educational institutions regarding the transfer and <br>acceptance of credits earned at another institution; and (n) Ensure that all articulation and transfer policies are consistent with the rules and regulations established by all appropriate discipline-specific accrediting <br>bodies and institutional accrediting agencies as recognized by the United <br>States Department of Education. (3) When an institution seeks to change learning outcomes for a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science program that affect lower-division courses, the university shall <br>notify the Council on Postsecondary Education and the Kentucky Community and <br>Technical College System of the proposed changes at the same time as the initiation <br>of the university's approval process. If it is determined that the proposed change will <br>have an adverse effect on transferability, the university proposing the change shall <br>enter into discussion with the council and the Kentucky Community and Technical <br>College System to verify there remains a clearly defined path to a bachelor's degree <br>for those students who plan to transfer from the Kentucky Community and <br>Technical College System to the public university. Effective: July 15, 2010 Page 3 of 3 History: Created 2010 Ky. Acts ch. 108, sec. 1, effective July 15, 2010.