Core Requirement
2.7 (offers degree programs)
| 2.7.1 |
The institution offers one or
more degree programs based on at least 60 semester credit hours
or the equivalent at the associate level; at least 120 semester
credit hours or the equivalent at the baccalaureate level; or at
least 30 semester credit hours or the equivalent at the post-baccalaureate,
graduate, or professional level. If an institution uses a unit other than semester credit hours, it provides an explanation for the equivalency. The institution also provides a
justification for all degrees that include fewer than required number of semester credit hours or its equivalent unit. (Program Length) |
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| 2.7.2 |
The institution offers degree
programs that embody a coherent course of study that is compatible
with its stated mission and is based upon fields of study appropriate
to higher education. (Program Content) |
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| 2.7.3 |
In each undergraduate degree program, the institution requires the successful completion of a general education component at the collegiate level that (1) is a substantial
component of each undergraduate degree, (2) ensures breadth of knowledge,
and (3) is based on a coherent rationale. For degree completion
in associate programs, the component constitutes a minimum of 15
semester hours or the equivalent; for baccalaureate programs, a
minimum of 30 semester hours or the equivalent. These credit hours
are to be drawn from and include at least one course from each of
the following areas: humanities/fine arts; social/behavioral sciences;
and natural science/mathematics. The courses do not narrowly focus
on those skills, techniques, and procedures specific to a particular
occupation or profession. If an institution uses a unit other than semester credit hours, it provides an explanation for the equivalency. The institution also provides a justification
if it allows for fewer than the required number of semester credit hours or its equivalent unit of general education courses. (General Education) |
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| 2.7.4 |
The instituion provides instruction for all course work required for at least one degree program at each level at which it awards degrees. If the institution does not provide instruction for all such course work and (1) makes arrangements for some instruction to be provided by other accredited institutions
or entities through contracts or consortia or (2) uses some other alternative approach to meeting this requirement, the alternative approach must be approved by the Commission
on Colleges. In both cases, the institution demonstrates that it
controls all aspects of its educational program. (See Commission policy "Core Requirement 2.7.4: Documenting an Alternate Approach.") (Course work for Degrees) |
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Compliance
North Carolina State University is in compliance with all four sections
of this requirement.
Explanation
(a)
All of NC State University's degree programs adhere to or exceed
the credit hours indicated in the requirement.
Associate's
Degrees
NC State University offers eight programs leading to associate's
degrees through the Agricultural Institute. All Agricultural Institute
programs require 64 credit hours for completion. Requirements
are available in print and on the Web via the Agricultural Institute
catalog.
Baccalaureate
Degrees
NC State University offers 100 baccalaureate
programs, which require between 120 and 132 credit hours for completion.
Credit hour requirements are available in print and on the Web in the undergraduate
catalog.
Graduate
and Professional Degrees
Currently, NC State University offers master's degrees in 106 disciplines
and doctoral degrees in 59 disciplines. Each of these programs
requires at least 30 semester credit hours, and some require substantially
more.
As
stated in the Graduate Catalog and Graduate Administrative
Handbook, Chapter 3, 3.1-3.15, all master's programs require a "minimum
of 30 semester hours of graduate work in the degree program, unless
the specific program requires more hours."
The
same sources point out that all doctoral programs at the university
require "a minimum of 72 graduate credit hours beyond the bachelor's
degree." Were a student to earn a master's degree requiring
more than 30 hours and immediately enter a doctoral program, he or she
would still need to complete at least 36 additional credit hours.
NC State University's graduate programs are outlined in the graduate
catalog, with a list provided at the graduate
degrees website.
NC
State University's Doctor of Veterinary
Medicine program requires 122 credit hours, along with 43 hours
of clinical rotations and conferences.
The
degree requirements for distance education students are the same as
for on-campus students, including the General Education Requirements.
Supplementary
Information
Information about NC State University's undergraduate and graduate
programs is also available in Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs #10 and Federal Mandate #4.
Explanation
(b)
NC State University's degree programs are coherent, compatible with
stated purposes and based upon appropriate educational standards; these
claims are evidenced by the university's system for classifying academic
programs and its processes for academic program development, curriculum
review practices, and program review.
Standard
Classification of Academic Programs
All programs offered by NC State University are classified as post-secondary
using the national Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) taxonomy.
The University of North Carolina system uses CIP codes to classify all
degree programs into 52 major discipline divisions in the consolidated
university Academic
Program Inventory. The classifications are determined when
new academic programs are established, and they are monitored by the
Office of the President of the UNC system to ensure that all programs
are consistent with campus mission and equate to similar programs within
the consolidated university system.
Academic
Program Development
To establish a new program, NC State University follows a thorough process
to warrant its coherence, compatibility with mission, and consistency
with current disciplinary practices across higher education. Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs #1 reviews this multistage process in detail, demonstrating how it establishes
that all academic programs are consistent with mission at departmental,
collegiate, institutional, board, and system levels. In addition,
all new graduate programs are reviewed by faculty from other institutions
who are recognized experts in their fields.
Curriculum
Revisions
Proposals for significant revisions of a previously approved curriculum
must be reviewed and approved by departmental and college courses and
curricula committees, the responsible dean, and the University Courses
and Curricula Committee or Graduate Administrative Board.
Academic
Program Review
The university has had academic program review procedures in place
for decades. Details are provided in the compliance report for Comprehensive Standards: Institutional Mission,
Governance, and Effectiveness #16. Procedures for graduate
programs include external reviews by faculty from other institutions
who are leaders in their fields, which provides assurance that our graduate
programs meet current standards across higher education.
Supplementary
Information
More
evidence on the coherence, compatibility and appropriateness of the
university's academic programs is available in Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs # 17.
Explanation
(c)
General
Education Program
NC State University is committed to providing a well-rounded
education for all students in its academic programs. This includes
mastery of fundamentals, versatility of mind, motivation for learning,
intellectual discipline, and self-reliance. The university's General
Education Requirements (GER) are designed to achieve these ends.
The
GER establish the foundation for a lifetime of intellectual discovery,
personal development, and community service while preparing students
for advanced work in various professional disciplines and fields of
knowledge. They also introduce students to the discipline of intellectual
inquiry, promote respect for moral values and aesthetic experience,
help students to develop an understanding of the human mind and spirit,
a sense of history and the duties of citizenship, and the workings of
society and the world around us.
We
believe that these skills enable ethical and responsible participation
in a democratic society and constitute the best preparation for dealing
creatively and constructively with the issues and opportunities of our
time.
Additionally,
all baccalaureate programs are required to integrate discipline specific
elements of writing and speaking as well as communication and information
technology into the curriculum.
NC
State's general education requirements exceed the SACS minimums.
General education courses account for 21 hours in each associate's degree
program. Baccalaureate programs require a minimum of 53 semester
credit hours distributed as follows:
General
Education Area |
Requirement |
Mathematics
and Natural Sciences
A
logical approach to problem solving is necessary to successfully
function in society; it should include the abilities to formulate
models, to communicate mathematically, and to be a critical
consumer of quantitative information. |
20
semester credit hours |
Humanities
and Social Sciences
An
education in the basic humanistic disciplines is a necessary
part of being truly educated, of becoming a citizen with a broad
knowledge of human cultures and with well-considered moral,
philosophical, aesthetic, and intellectual convictions. |
21
semester credit hours |
Science,
Technology and Society
NC
State University's mission stresses the application of science
and technology for the betterment of humankind. It is
essential, therefore, that students be exposed to the vital
interactions among science, technology, society, and quality
of life. |
3
semester credit hours |
Writing
and Speaking
The
communication arts are powerful ways of understanding ourselves
and the world around us; they are central to learning and to
engaging in the productive life of a community. |
7
semester credit hours and integral curriculum content |
Foreign
Language Proficiency for Graduation
The
needs of our global society require that more citizens have
access to other languages and cultures to cooperate in the process
of improving human life. In learning a foreign language,
students learn how other humans think, view the world, express
themselves, and communicate with one another; language study
also helps students understand their own language better. |
Adequate
high school performance in a foreign language or NC State University
coursework through the 102 level of a foreign language. |
Communication
and Information Technology
Every
student needs a basic understanding of information processing,
how information is identified and defined by experts, structured,
physically organized, and accessed. |
Integral
curriculum content |
Physical
Education
Essential
to a university student's development are attitudes and skills
for healthy life-styles. In addition to maintaining fitness,
participation in team and individual physical activity significantly
reduces major health risks. |
2
semester credit hours |
Free
Electives
All
programs are encouraged to include free electives to satisfy
educational objectives. Moreover, students who would like
to take courses beyond those required for their degree are encouraged
to do so. |
Encouraged
in all curricula |
To
ensure that its students develop a broad knowledge base, the university
further divides each general education category into more specific areas.
For example, the 21 semester credit hour Humanities
and Social Sciences requirement is divided into one
course in literature (3 semester hours); one course in either history,
philosophy or religion (3 semester hours); one course in visual and
performing arts (3 semester hours); two courses from different content
areas, such as psychology, economics, politics and government, sociology,
anthropology and cultural geography (6 semester hours); two additional
courses selected within humanities and social sciences (6 semester hours).
Each of the other general education areas is similarly divided.
The
responsibility for recommending changes to requirements, approving courses
for addition to or deletion from lists, and assessing general education
requirements rest with the faculty through the Council
on Undergraduate Education, a university standing committee.
Course
Equivalency of Transferred Courses
Upon review and approval by faculty in the appropriate department
and, in the case of graduate credit by the Graduate School, transfer
credit from other institutions can be counted toward completion of an
NC State University degree. Details are provided in Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs #4.
In
addition to the individual review of courses, the university also accepts
courses from the North Carolina Community College System as it agreed
to in the Comprehensive Articulation
Agreement (CAA) for Transfer Students between the University of North
Carolina (UNC) and the North Carolina Community College System (NCCCS).
The CAA is modified to fit the unique character of NC State University
as explained on the university's website, North
Carolina Community College System and The University of North Carolina
Comprehensive Articulation Agreement, under NC State Provisions
for the mismatch in GER hours (53 vs. 44 hrs.)
All
policies governing transfer of credit or taking courses through consortia
are the same for distance education programs and students as for their
on-campus counterparts.
Explanation
(d)
NC State University provides instruction for all coursework in all
its degree programs. Control of educational programs is maintained
through residence requirements.
The
university participates in a local consortium comprised of SACS-accredited
institutions. Through the Cooperating Raleigh Colleges our students
may take courses not offered on our own campus at four other Cooperating
Raleigh Colleges institutions: Peace College, Meredith College,
St. Augustine's College, and Shaw University. The appropriate
approving official (e. g., the student's advisor) must consider the
course as educationally desirable for the student concerned. This
policy ensures that NC State University maintains control over the courses
counted towards its degree programs.
Control
of Educational Program
The university also exercises appropriate control over its degree
programs through its residence requirement
for matriculation and graduation. At least 25% of credit hours
required for graduation and 30 of the last 45 hours of credit must be
earned through NC State University courses. All NC State baccalaureate
programs adhere to this policy. In this respect also, NC State
University practices appropriate control of its educational programs
while still providing for transfer credits.
Supplementary
Information
For additional detail on the process through which NC State University
faculty oversees the approval of academic programs, see Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs #1.
Further, for more evidence that the university's curriculum is appropriate
and directly related to the goals of the institution and the degrees
awarded, see Federal Mandates #2. Information on transfer
credit is available in Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs #19,
while more information on consortia and the Cooperating Raleigh Colleges
is provided in Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs #7.
References
