Board Policies

KCTCS Board of Regents Policies

4.12 Policy on Collaborative Program Development

Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) collaborated program development processes shall meet criteria specified by the accrediting bodies of the respective community and technical colleges and any required programmatic standards.

KCTCS program development shall be collaborative, with optimal collaboration the expectation. Program collaboration may consist of fully collaborative programs, joint programs, and articulation/transfer agreements. (See Attachment A)

KCTCS offerings shall include programs that lead to the awarding of: Associate in Science Degrees; Associate in Arts Degrees; Associate in Fine Arts Degrees; Associate in Applied Science Degrees; Certificates; Diplomas; and Continuing Education Units. (See Attachment B)

The high quality, responsive programs resulting from collaborative program development shall meet state, regional and community needs and provide the education and training necessary for developing a workforce with the skills to meet the needs of new and existing industries and improve the quality of life and employability of citizens.

The KCTCS President (or designee) is charged with developing curricula frameworks which shall include (but not be limited to) the consistent use of prefixes, common course numbering, and the elimination of unnecessary duplication in all KCTCS curricula.

The KCTCS President is authorized to develop appropriate procedures and criteria in order to implement the policy delineated above.

09/16/1998

09/17/2021

12/05/2003, 06/12/2009, 12/04/2009, 06/15/2012, 03/15/19, 09/17/2021

(SIGNED) 09/17/2021

Attachment 4.12 - A

Program Collaboration Continuum

High-Level Collaboration -> Low-Level Collaboration

Types of Collaboration	Collaborative Program	Joint Program	Articulation/Transfer Agreements (Programmatic)	Avoidance of Unnecessary Duplication
Characteristics	A collaborative program is an academic program under the sponsorship of more than one institution or organization and contains elements of resource sharing agreed upon by the partners. None of the participating institutions delivers the entire program alone, and the partnering institutions/organizations share responsibility for the program’s delivery and quality. The credential awarded may indicate the collaborative nature of the program. If only one institution (primary) offers the degree or credential but other institutions or organizations (secondary) provide some resources, the program at the secondary institution(s) is registered on the Council’s Registry of Degree Programs in an “enrollment-only” reporting category. If the degree or credential is offered by all institutions participating in the resource sharing arrangement but only one institution is listed on a graduate’s diploma, the program is registered on the Council’s Registry of Degree Programs in an enrollment- and degree-granting category for each participating institution.	A joint program is an academic program that is sponsored by two or more institutions leading to a single credential or degree, which is conferred by all participating institutions. None of the participating institutions delivers the entire program alone, and all participating institutions and organizations share responsibility for all aspects of the program’s delivery and quality. The program is registered on the Council’s Registry of Degree Programs in an enrollment and degree-granting category for each institution participating in the joint program.	Course-by- Course Transfer Credit or Accepted Course Equivalencies Inter-Institutional Agreements Statewide Agreements	Minimum Required

Types of Collaboration

Collaborative Program

Joint Program

Articulation/Transfer Agreements (Programmatic)

Avoidance of Unnecessary Duplication

Characteristics

A collaborative program is an academic program under the sponsorship of more than one institution or organization and contains elements of resource sharing agreed upon by the partners. None of the participating institutions delivers the entire program alone, and the partnering institutions/organizations share responsibility for the program’s delivery and quality. The credential awarded may indicate the collaborative nature of the program.

If only one institution (primary) offers the degree or credential but other institutions or organizations (secondary) provide some resources, the program at the secondary institution(s) is registered on the Council’s Registry of Degree Programs in an “enrollment-only” reporting category.
If the degree or credential is offered by all institutions participating in the resource sharing arrangement but only one institution is listed on a graduate’s diploma, the program is registered on the Council’s Registry of Degree Programs in an enrollment- and degree-granting category for each participating institution.

A joint program is an academic program that is sponsored by two or more institutions leading to a single credential or degree, which is conferred by all participating institutions. None of the participating institutions delivers the entire program alone, and all participating institutions and organizations share responsibility for all aspects of the program’s delivery and quality.

The program is registered on the Council’s Registry of Degree Programs in an enrollment and degree-granting category for each institution participating in the joint program.

Course-by- Course Transfer Credit or Accepted Course Equivalencies
Inter-Institutional Agreements
Statewide Agreements

Minimum Required

Attachment 4.12 – B

KCTCS Program Description

♦ Associate in Science Degree

An Associate in Science (AS) degree is designed to transfer into a Baccalaureate of Science degree at a four-year institution. It consists of a general education core requirement of 33 credit hours and additional degree requirements of 6 credit hours and 21 credit hours of electives for 60 credit hours.
General Education Core Requirements:
Written Communications
Students who complete ENG 105 must take an additional 3 credit hours of General Education from any of the General Education categories.
Oral Communications - 3 credit hours
Arts and Humanities - 6 credit hours
One course must be selected from Humanities and one course from Heritage.
Quantitative Reasoning 6 credit hours
Natural Sciences - 6 credit hours
One science course must include a laboratory experience.
Social and Behavioral Sciences - 6 credit hours
Two disciplines must be represented and different from those in the Arts and Humanities category.
Subtotal - 33 credit hours
Associate in Science Requirements (Beyond the Core Requirements):
Six (6)credit hours must be selected from Quantitative Reasoning and/or Natural Sciences. Students are advised to choose hours to satisfy pre-major requirements at the institution to which they are transferring.
Subtotal - 6 credit hours
Other Requirements: Electives*
Students are advised to choose hours to satisfy pre-major requirements at the institution to which they are transferring.

Subtotal - 21 credit hours

Total - 60 credit hours

*Computer/digital literacy must be demonstrated either by competency exam or by completing an approved computer/digital literacy course. Students must also complete a college success course or approved equivalent.

Note: General Education Category Certification - All required hours have been completed within a specific category in the general education core requirements.
General Education Full Certification - All 33 hours of general education core requirements have been completed.

♦ Associate in Arts Degree

An Associate in Arts (AA) degree provides a foundation in liberal arts and is designed for transfer into a Baccalaureate of Arts degree at a four-year institution. It consists of a general education core requirement of 33 credit hours and additional degree requirements of 6 credit hours and 21 credit hours of electives for 60 credit hours.
General Education Core Requirements:
Written Communications - 6 credit hours
Students who complete ENG 105 must take an additional 3 credit hours of General Education from any of the General Education categories.
Oral Communications - 3 credit hours
Arts and Humanities - 6 credit hours
One course must be selected from Humanities and one course from Heritage.
Quantitative Reasoning - 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences - 3 credit hours
One science course must include a laboratory experience.
Social and Behavioral Sciences - 9 credit hours
Two disciplines must be represented and different from those in the Arts and Humanities category.
Quantitative Reasoning OR Natural Sciences - 3 credit hours
Subtotal - 33 credit hours
Associate in Arts Requirements (Beyond the Core Requirements):
Six (6) credit hours must be selected from Arts and Humanities and/or Social and Behavioral Sciences and/or Foreign Language and/or Oral Communications. Students are advised to choose hours to satisfy pre-major requirements at the institution to which they are transferring.
Subtotal - 6 credit hours
Other Degree Requirements: Electives*
Students are advised to choose hours to satisfy pre-major requirements at the institution to which they are transferring.

Subtotal 21 credit hours

Total - 60 credit hours

Note: General Education Category Certification - All required hours have been completed within a specific category in the general education core requirements.

General Education Full Certification - All 33 hours of general education core requirements have been completed.

♦ Associate in Fine Arts Degree

An Associate in Fine Arts (AFA) degree is designed to transfer into a Baccalaureate of Fine Arts (BFA) program at a four-year institution. It consists of a general education requirement of 24 credits, a fine arts core of 18 credit hours, and 18 additional credit hours of concentration for a 60 credit hour minimum.
General Education Component:
Written and Oral Communications - 9 credit hours
Students who complete ENG 105 must take an additional 3 credit hours of General Education from any of the General Education categories.
Arts and Humanities - 3 credit hours
The course chosen to satisfy this requirement must be from a discipline other than the discipline in the Fine Arts Core and/or Concentration.
Quantitative Reasoning - 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences - 3 credit hours
Must include a laboratory experience for general education certification in the Natural Sciences category.
Social and Behavioral Sciences - 6 credit hour

Subtotal - 24 credit hours
Fine Arts Core*
Sub-Total - 18 credit hours
Concentration
Sub-Total - 18 credit hours

Total - 60 credit hours

*Computer/digital literacy must be demonstrated either by competency exam or by completing an approved computer/digital literacy course.

Please note that all students completing a degree designed for transfer (the Associate in Arts, Associate in Science, or the Associate in Fine Arts) must complete a course that has been granted Cultural Studies status.

♦ Associate in Applied Science Degree

An Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree prepares students for technical employment within a two-year period and consists of a minimum of 60 credit hours including a minimum of 15 credit hours of general education and meets the distribution of credit described below:
General Education Component:
Quantitative Reasoning - 3 credit hours
Natural Sciences - 3 credit hours
Social/Behavioral Sciences - 3 credit hours
Heritage/Humanities - 3 credit hours
Written Communication - 3 credit hours

Subtotal - 15 credit hours
The above are minimum general education requirements; additional hours may be required in specific program curricula.
Technical & Support Component*

Subtotal - 45-53 credit hours

*Computer/digital literacy must be demonstrated either by competency exam or by completing an approved computer/digital literacy course.

General Education and Technical & Support Components must be distributed so that programs do not exceed 68 credit hours.

Total - 60-68**credit hours

**Existing Approved Programs:

An approved program with a curriculum of 60-68 credit hours does not require KCTCS Board of Regents action.
An exception to the total credit hour limit may be made by the KCTCS Board of Regents if a program has external degree requirements which must be met necessitating an exception request. Documentation (such as specialized accreditation requirements and/or the results of a detailed industry validation of a specialized curriculum) must be submitted to the KCTCS Board of Regents with the request for an exception to the total credit hour limit.

**New Programs:

New programs require KCTCS Board of Regents action.
New programs should be designed with a 60-68 credit hour total limit.
An exception to the total credit hour limit may be made by the KCTCS Board of Regents if a new program has external degree requirements which must be met necessitating such a request. A request for an exception to the total credit hour limit, including appropriate justification, must be submitted with the program proposal. Once the credit hour exception has been approved by the KCTCS Board of Regents, additional changes to the program credit hours may be approved by the KCTCS President within a five credit hour range. Any changes to reduce the number of program credit hours requires no formal approval.

D. AAS degree programs should incorporate multiple exit points, i.e., awarding certificates and diplomas, when possible.

♦ Diploma Program

A diploma program is designed to prepare students for technical employment within a one- to two-year period (36-60 credit hours). The total number of credit hours for the diploma must not exceed those required for a degree in the same program of study. A prescribed program of technical and general education courses is designed to prepare students for a specific job title.

Diploma programs provide: preparation for a specific occupation, credit toward an associate degree, and continued training opportunities for certificate program graduates.
General Education (select six credits from the following areas)
Area 1 = Written/Oral Communications, Humanities, or Heritage - 3 credit hours
Area 2 = Social/Behavioral Sciences, Natural Sciences, or Quantitative Reasoning - 3 credit hours

Subtotal - 6 credit hours

The diploma program contains general education courses emphasizing employability or workforce effectiveness skills that are critical to entry-level workforce success for persons prepared at the diploma level.
Technical & Support*

Subtotal - 30-54 credit hours

*The Technical and Support requirements must include a work experience component between 1 and 12 credit hours.
Computer/digital literacy must be demonstrated either by competency exam or by successfully completing a computer/digital literacy course as outlined in the program of study.

Total - 36-60 credit hours

Certificate Program

The primary purpose and features of certificate programs of study are to provide marketable, entry-level skills in a program of fewer credits than that required for diploma or associate degree programs. Certificates are organized programs of study consisting of courses designed to meet a defined set of competencies. Certificates qualify students to take external licensure, vendor-based, or skill standards examinations in the field. If standardized external exams are not available in the field of study, certificates prepare students at skill levels expected of employees in an occupation found in the local economy. Certificates may be stackable, i.e., each certificate embedded in a program of study builds to the highest level credential (diploma or degree).
Certificates may contain general education courses emphasizing employability or workforce effectiveness skills that are critical to entry-level workforce success for persons prepared at the certificate level and associated with the diploma or associate degree program.
Program Length
A certificate requires completion of an academic program in less than one academic year or is designed for completion in less than 30 semester credit hours by a student enrolled full time. Certificates generally range from 12-30 credit hours. Those certificates with fewer than 12 credit hours or greater than 30 credit hours must include a compelling rationale for either a shorter or longer program.