164.2951 Development and implementation of credit hour degree programs, course
919 words·~4 min read·
/ky/164-2951A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.
classifications, credit transfer agreements, and a statewide standardized
articulation agreement -- Changes to learning 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
education institutions are encouraged to limit the credit-hour requirements to sixty
(60)credit hours for each associate of science or associate of arts degree program
and to one hundred twenty
(120)credit hours for each bachelor of arts or bachelor
of science degree program, except in situations in which:
(a)Quality and content of a program would be negatively impacted; or
(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:
(a)Facilitate the development and implementation of a statewide agreement for
alignment of Kentucky Community and Technical College System lower-
division associate of arts and associate of science coursework that shall be
accepted and fully credited to related bachelors degree programs by all public
universities. The agreement shall specify the general education learning
outcomes and program-specific prerequisite learning outcomes of the
coursework. Where applicable, curricula shall be reviewed to determine
comparability of core content standards required under KRS 164.302. The
agreement shall direct that the associate of arts and associate of science
coursework meeting the learning outcomes specified shall be accepted for
transfer and degree credit, whether earned as individual courses or within
block programs;
(b)Develop, implement, and maintain a Kentucky Community and Technical
College System statewide course numbering system for lower-division general
education and program-specific prerequisite courses that include the same
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
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-
specific prerequisites courses;
(f)Develop policies to align statewide articulation and transfer procedures across
educational institutions, including admissions criteria, student declaration of
major, and student guidance and counseling policies designed to ensure that
students pursuing an associate of arts or associate of science degree program
provide timely notification of their intention to transfer to a public university;
(g)Develop uniform data collection and reporting methods to facilitate and
ensure statewide and institutional compliance with course transfer and credit
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
council in consultation with public universities shall be deemed to have met
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
the prerequisite learning outcomes for a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science
program while fulfilling the requirements for an associate of art or associate of
science degree, shall not be required to repeat or to take any additional lower-
level courses to fulfill bachelor degree requirements in the same major, and
these students shall be granted admission to related upper-division bachelors
degree programs of a state public college or university on the same criteria as
those students earning lower-division credits at the university to which the
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
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
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
acceptance of credits earned at another institution;
(n)Ensure that all articulation and transfer policies are consistent with the rules
and regulations established by all appropriate discipline-specific accrediting
bodies and institutional accrediting agencies as recognized by the United
States Department of Education; and
(o)Facilitate the development and implementation of a statewide standardized
articulation agreement to be executed by July 1, 2021, between public colleges
and universities and the Kentucky Department of Education for each approved
high school career pathway that leads to a postsecondary credential,
certification, license, or degree. Upon meeting the requirements of the
standardized articulation agreement, a student shall be awarded postsecondary
credit for prior learning at any public college or university.
(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
notify the Council on Postsecondary Education and the Kentucky Community and
Technical College System of the proposed changes at the same time as the initiation of the university's approval process. If it is determined that the proposed change will have an adverse effect on transferability, the university proposing the change shall enter into discussion with the council and the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to verify there remains a clearly defined path to a bachelor's degree for those students who plan to transfer from the Kentucky Community and Technical College System to the public university.