Study of Time for Non-Degrees to Graduation and Impact of Late Declaration

The results of a study to determine the completion rates of students by entry level, “major” status and the number of changes in major is outlined below. A review of time to the bachelor’s degree for graduates who completed their requirements from December 2005 to December 2014 was conducted. There were 1,352 full-time students who entered KSU with a major declared from December 2005 – December 2014. The average length of time that it took bachelor-seeking students to complete their degrees was 4.91 years.

FULL-TIME DECLARED MAJORS AT ENTRY

Among the students involved in this analysis, 392 full-time students entered KSU as undeclared majors. The average length of time that it took for these students to complete their degrees was 5.76 years.

FULL-TIME UNDECIDED MAJORS AT ENTRY

There are numerous factors that could influence the length of time it would take a student to complete their degree. It does not matter if the student has declared or not declared a major for most of these factors. Some students change their major numerous times before graduation. For example, a student moving from a non-STEM program to a STEM program would have to go back as far as the general education curriculum to satisfy requirements for the new major. The number of credit hours the student can or is allowed to take each term for financial or academic reasons is another factor.

Kentucky State University has experienced significant reductions in the required credit hours for each of its educational programs over the past three years. Reductions in credit hours from 145 credit hours to 120 credit hours currently exists. Those reductions may or may not be to the student's advantage. It would depend on where he or she is

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