With the exception of approved transfer credits and approved credits taken as visiting students in accredited graduate programs, all graduate course credits must be completed at Kentucky State University. Each graduate program determines the graduate transfer credit that will be accepted toward graduate degree requirements. Please consult the individual program descriptions. However, be aware that no program may allow more than one-third of the required credits to be transferred into the KSU graduate program.

Any credits transferred in must be from a regionally accredited US institution or an officially recognized degree granting international institution. In the case of transferring credit from an international institution, official copies of evaluation and translation of the transcript must be sent directly by an accredited evaluation and translation agency to the office of the Graduate Studies at Kentucky State University.

The graduate student requesting transfer credit must submit a written request to the Coordinator of the graduate program in which the student is enrolled. Certain courses submitted for transfer may not be considered equivalent to specified program requirements even if course titles are the same. Therefore, the appropriate course syllabi and official copies of transcripts must be submitted and evaluated before any transfer credit request can be approved.

The request for transfer credit must be approved by the Graduate Program Coordinator, the Chair of the Department for the program, and finally by the Director of Graduate Studies.

The Division of Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences, and the Division of Mathematics and Sciences at Kentucky State University offer a Master of Science in Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences. Aquaculture is the rearing of aquatic organisms under controlled or semi-controlled conditions.

Interest in Aquaculture has increased worldwide as fish consumption has increased concurrently with decreasing catches of wild fish. In Kentucky and the southern United States, aquaculture production focuses on raising freshwater species commercially. This program is designed to provide students with the academic foundation for further graduate studies. Each student will have a graduate committee.

Upon completion of the program, a student should have knowledge of production and reproduction of primary aquaculture species, basic physiology and nutrition of aquatic vertebrate and invertebrate culture species, mechanics and operation of primary production methods, causes and controls of pathogenic organisms, the function and manipulation of biological and chemical cycles in ponds, basics of marketing and business aspects of aquaculture, and the design and analysis of experiments. The Master of Science in Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences Program requires a minimum of 35 semester credit hours for the Thesis Option or 38 semester hours for the Non-Thesis Option.

Admission to the graduate program in aquaculture/aquatic sciences is based upon evidence that the applicant has already attained a certain minimal level of academic proficiency. Applicants must assume responsibility for filing complete admission data as listed at the beginning of this chapter.

Each student must submit a completed, signed application form, providing all requested information. An application form can be obtained through the program's website, www.ksuaquaculture.org or through the Kentucky State University website under http://kysu.edu/academics/graduate-studies/graduate-admission/. A letter describing the applicant's goals and career objectives is also required.

The Aquaculture/Aquatic Sciences program requires satisfactory scores on the Graduate Record Examination. See the Graduate Admission Exams in the Graduate Admissions section at the beginning of this chapter.

Applicants should solicit three letters of recommendation from instructors at previous institutions or from previous and/or current employers. The letters must be mailed directly to the Office of Graduate Studies. Forms are also available online.