{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-164.295","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 164.295","heading":"Programs of state and comprehensive universities -- Criteria for","body":"submission of proposal for new doctoral programs -- Review of proposals for\nnew doctoral programs -- Appropriations.\n(1) The six (6) state comprehensive universities:\n(a) Shall provide, upon approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education,\nassociate and baccalaureate programs of instruction;\n(b) Shall provide, upon approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education,\ngraduate programs of instruction in education, business, and the arts and\nsciences, specialist degrees, and programs beyond the master's -degree level to\nmeet the requirements for teachers, school leaders, and other certified\npersonnel; and\n(c) Shall provide research and service programs directly related to the needs  of\ntheir primary geographical areas.\n(2) A comprehensive university may provide, upon approval of the Council on\nPostsecondary Education:\n(a) Programs of a community college nature in their own community comparable\nto those listed for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, as\nprovided in KRS 164.580; and\n(b) Doctoral programs, including but not limited to Doctor of Philosophy degree\nprograms, advanced practice doctoral degree programs, and doctoral degree\nprograms for professional practice and licensure.\n(3) In order to be eligible to submit a proposal for a new doctoral program to the\nCouncil on Postsecondary Education, a comprehensive university shall maintain:\n(a) A first to second year retention rate in at least two (2) of the last three ( 3)\nyears:\n1. In the seventy -fifth percentile of all comprehensive universities\nnationally; or\n2. In the eightieth percentile of all comprehensive universities within states\nthat are members of the Southern Regional Education Board;\n(b) A six (6) year graduate rate for bachelor's degrees in at least two (2) of the last\nthree (3) years:\n1. In the sevent y-fifth percentile of all comprehensive universities\nnationally; or\n2. In the eightieth percentile of all comprehensive universities within states\nthat are members of the Southern Regional Education Board; and\n(c) Sufficient unrestricted cash reserves and short-term investments to cover the\ninstitution's total operating and nonoperating expenses for three (3) months as\ncalculated from the prior fiscal year's audited financial statement.\n(4) (a) If a comprehensive university is seeking to offer a new doctora l program\nwhich may require additional general fund appropriations for capital or\noperating expenses beyond the university's regular appropriations, the\nuniversity shall submit a proposal to the Council on Postsecondary Education\nfor review and evaluation.  The council's review shall include but not be\nlimited to:\n1. The proposed program's alignment with the mission and goals of the\ncomprehensive university;\n2. The statewide or regional need the proposed program seeks to fill and\nhow the comprehensive university, through the offering of this program,\nwould fill this need;\n3. Student demand for the proposed program;\n4. Employer demand for the proposed program, including any potential\nindustry partners;\n5. Utilization of current institutional resources to deliv er the proposed\nprogram and how the program would complement existing program\nofferings and not shift resources away from those existing programs;\n6. A five (5) year budgetary analysis of the proposed program, including\nprogram costs, funding sources proje cted to support the program, and\nthe amount of general fund appropriations needed for capital or\noperating expenses;\n7. The proposed program curriculum;\n8. Any specialized accreditation or licensure requirements for the proposed\nprogram and analysis of how those would be met;\n9. Admission and graduation requirements for the proposed program; and\n10. Administrative oversight to ensure the quality of the proposed program.\n(b) Any specialized resources needed by the council to evaluate a comprehensive\nuniversity's proposal for a new doctoral program submitted in accordance\nwith paragraph (a) of this subsection shall be funded by the comprehensive\nuniversity.\n(c) A proposal submitted in accordance with paragraph (a) of this subsection shall\nbe submitted no later  than January 1 of an odd -numbered year for\nconsideration in the council's budget request for the next biennial budget in\naccordance with KRS 164.020(10) and 164.7915.\n(5) The Council on Postsecondary Education shall review each proposal submitted in\naccordance with subsection (4)(a) of this section and shall make a recommendation\nto the General Assembly on the viability of the proposed program. The\nrecommendation:\n(a) Shall identify whether a general fund appropriation should be made to fund\ncapital or ope rations for the proposed program amount. If the council\nrecommends a general fund appropriation, the recommendation shall include a\nproposed amount for the general fund appropriation; and\n(b) May provide recommendations regarding alternative options to mee t any\nstatewide or regional needs identified by the comprehensive university in its\nproposal.\n(6) If the General Assembly appropriates funds for a doctoral program proposed in\naccordance with subsection (4)(a) of this section:\n(a) The comprehensive univers ity shall submit the program approval request to\nthe council for regular review and approval. The Council on Postsecondary\nEducation may:\n1. Provide conditional approval of the program to permit the institution to\nbegin the process of programmatic accredit ation as required for\nprofessional practice; and\n2. Condition final approval upon obtaining full programmatic\naccreditation, as applicable; and\n(b) The Council on Postsecondary Education shall review the doctoral program at\nleast once every five (5) years to ensure continued efficacy, productivity, and\nquality and in conjunction with KRS 164.020(16).\n(7) A comprehensive university seeking to offer a n ew doctoral degree program that\ncertifies that the new doctoral degree program will not require additional general\nfund appropriations for capital or operating expenses beyond the regular\nappropriations shall submit a proposal to the Council on Postseconda ry Education\nfor review and approval through a process developed by the council in accordance\nwith KRS 164.020(15). In developing its process, the council shall consider the\nelements set forth in subsection (4)(a) of this section, as applicable.\n(8) A comp rehensive university shall not describe itself in official publications or in\nmarketing materials as a research university or research institution unless\ndesignated as such by a nationally recognized authority for the classification of\nresearch universities. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed as precluding a\ncomprehensive university from conducting basic, applied, or translational research.","path":["KRS Chapter 164"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=56133","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:15Z","sha256":"2c6fd469a59f037e0cdef17799561e6baf7ad08b1744b981a266a3e38596bdbf","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-164.293","next":"us-ky/krs-164.2951"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}