GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GENERAL EDUCATION TRANSFER POLICY

I. Introduction

Following adoption by the Kentucky Council on Post-secondary Education of a policy for the transfer of general education credits at public colleges and universities in the Commonwealth, a committee was established to oversee the imp lementation of the policy. Thes e Guidelines represent a condensation of the Council's policy and attempt to address frequently asked questions. The Guidelines should assist students and their academic advisors in planning programs of study.

To participate fully at the program level, students must be graduates of Associate in Arts /Associate in Science (AA/AS) transfer programs which contain 48 h ours, including the Core Transfer Component, of lower-division general education, or complete 60 hours of study which meet the same conditions.

The Core Transfer Component represents common elements of current general education programs at Kentucky institutions. Students will benefit to the extent that their program of study reflects the composition of the Core Transfer Component or individual categories in the Component. Graduates of Associate in Applied Science (AAS) programs will participate in this transfer policy by comparing the Core Transfer Component to their respective programs of study.

The Policy on General Education Tran sfer was established to:

Emphasize the aspects of general education requirements which are common among public institutions in Kentucky, and to encourage completion of approved AA/AS transfer programs;

● Promote the acceptability of general education credits a s stud ents transfer from one pu blic institution to another;

- Enhance cooperation among institutions with respect to academic advising for undergraduates who plan to transfer from one public institution to another; and

Serve as a framework for developing pre-major transfer programs for specific majors.

II. Basic Assumptions and Principles

1. The transfer of general education credits is predicated on the acquisition of competencies in broad academic areas rather than on a comparison of individual courses to ten at one institution or another. The issue is not how particular general education courses at the sending institution match up with general education courses at the receiving institution, but how the competencies in various general education programs are similar to one another. Universities will recognize the completion of a Council-ap proved AA/AS transfer degree by a dmitting students to junior-level standing and accepting the corresponding general education credits as meeting in situation-wide lower-division general education requirements at the receiving institution. Students are encouraged to complete an approved AA/AS transfer program prior to transferring.

KSU CATALOGUE, 2005–2007

2. Each inst itution recogni zes the e prof essional integrity of all o ther pu blic institutions in the acceptance of their general education program.
3. The General Education Transfer Policy is limited to lower-division requirements and applies only to transfer stud ents (a s di stinct from a tra nsient students).
4. The general education requirements covered in this policy are not intended to be filled general education requirements for particular majors. Specifically, the general education requirements of a specific major will not be set aside by this policy. This is a most important distinction and should be noted by students and their advisors.
5. When fully implemented, the transfer system at all institutions will include an audit process through which the sending institution will certify to the receiving institution the general education categories which the student has completed.
6. Close cooperation and communication among colleges and universities will be established to facilitate the transfer process for students and to enable the participating institutions to maintain timely and comprehensive information. Particular attention will be paid to a academic advising on each campus and to interaction among campuses in order to inform students about the nuances of general education requirements at the various institutions.
7. Each receiving institution will provide a process for students to appeal decisions related to the transfer of general education credits.
8. The General Education Transfer Policy became effective at the beginning of the spring term in 1996. Student s transferring after this date may request an audit from the sending institution.

III. Certification of General Education Blocks

general education programs are similar to one another. Universities will recognize the completion of a Council-ap proved AA/AS tran sfer degree by a dmitting students to junior-level standing and accepting the corresponding general education credits as meeting in situation-wide lower-division general education requirements at the receiving institution. Students are encouraged to complete an approved AA/AS transfer program prior to transferring.

1. 1. Fully Certified. Students who have completed a general education program of 48 semester hours