Federal Mandate 4.2 (curricula related to mission, goals)
The institution maintains a curriculum that is directly related and appropriate to the purpose and goals of the institution and the diplomas, certificates or degrees awarded.

Compliance                                                                                                 
North Carolina State University is in compliance with this mandate.

Explanation
NC State University's curriculum is grounded in its institutional mission and is designed to prepare students for leadership roles within the state, the nation, and the world.  As a land grant institution, NC State University is committed to offering a curriculum that is reflective of and responsive to the needs of the people of North Carolina, and thus emphasizes its historic strengths in agriculture, science, and engineering.  As a doctoral/research-extensive institution, the university is committed to maintaining excellence in graduate research and education where graduate students work as partners with faculty in the creation, expansion, conservation, and transmission of knowledge.

The university's curriculum reflects the research and land grant purposes and is reviewed by numerous institutional committees.  To ensure that NC State University's programs are comprehensive, appropriate, and current, the following bodies continually review the curriculum: University Standing Committee on Courses and Curricula, the Council on Undergraduate Education, the Committee on Undergraduate Program Review, University Standing Committee on Courses and Curricula, and the Administrative Board of the Graduate School.  Ultimately, the faculty controls the curriculum and has a majority presence on each of these bodies.

The university offers bachelor's degrees in 100 fields of study, master's degrees in 106 fields and doctoral degrees in 59 fields, as well as a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree.  In addition, associate's degrees in eight academic programs are offered through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences' Agricultural Institute.

At the baccalaureate level, students are required to complete general education requirements, as well as courses in their major field(s) of study.  Thus, students develop breadth as well as depth in their academic experience, preparing themselves for leadership roles in society.  At the graduate level, individual departments along with the Graduate School develop relevant course and ancillary requirements.  These are described in Comprehensive Standards: Educational Programs #10.

As suits its role as a major land-grant institution seeking to serve the diverse needs of a growing state, NC State University maintains ten degree-granting colleges:

• The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences has 19 degree-granting departments

• The College of Design offers 4 degree-granting departments and 1 school

• The College of Education contains 4 departments

• The College of Engineering has 9 departments

• The College of Humanities and Social Sciences includes 10 departments

• The College of Management consists of 3 departments

• The College of Natural Resources contains 3 departments

• The College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences has 6 departments

• The College of Textiles includes 2 academic departments and one extension department

• The College of Veterinary Medicine contains 3 departments

Besides these academic units, the Graduate School assists the colleges in administering its graduate programs, while the First Year College offers first year students a course of general study, career counseling, and guidance in selecting a major field of study.  Supplementary programs in music, physical education, and Army, Air Force, and Navy ROTC complement a curriculum that emphasizes applied science and technology, critical thinking, and problem solving. 

References

• NC State University Agricultural Institute (http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agi/index.html)

• NC State University Graduate Programs (http://www.grad.ncsu.edu/catalog/default.asp). Overviews of degree requirements, individual graduate programs, and course listings are found in the Graduate Catalog.

• Undergraduate General Education Requirements (http://www.ncsu.edu/provost/academic_programs/ger/)

• Undergraduate majors (https://www.regrec.ncsu.edu/scripts/RegRec/ada_dgtt.pl) and minors (http://www.ncsu.edu/advising_central/minors.html)

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