{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-164.2951","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 164.2951","heading":"Development and implementation of credit hour degree programs, course","body":"classifications, credit transfer agreements, and a statewide standardized\narticulation agreement -- Changes to learning outcomes.\n(1) Beginning with the 2012-2013 academic year and each academic year thereafter for\nfirst-time students enrolling in a public college or university, postsecondary\neducation institutions are encouraged to limit the credit -hour requirements to sixty\n(60) credit hours for each associate of science or associate of arts degree program\nand to one hundred twenty (120) credit hours for each bachelor of arts or bachelor\nof science degree program, except in situations in which:\n(a) Quality and content of a program would be negatively impacted; or\n(b) A pro gram must comply with specific program standards established by\nexternal accreditation bodies.\n(2) The Council on Postsecondary Education, in collaboration with the public\nuniversities and community and technical colleges, shall:\n(a) Facilitate the develop ment and implementation of a statewide agreement for\nalignment of Kentucky Community and Technical College System lower -\ndivision associate of arts and associate of science coursework that shall be\naccepted and fully credited to related bachelors degree pro grams by all public\nuniversities. The agreement shall specify the general education learning\noutcomes and program -specific prerequisite learning outcomes of the\ncoursework. Where applicable, curricula shall be reviewed to determine\ncomparability of core co ntent standards required under KRS 164.302. The\nagreement shall direct that the associate of arts and associate of science\ncoursework meeting the learning outcomes specified shall be accepted for\ntransfer and degree credit, whether earned as individual cou rses or within\nblock programs;\n(b) Develop, implement, and maintain a Kentucky Community and Technical\nCollege System statewide course numbering system for lower-division general\neducation and program -specific prerequisite courses that include the same\nlearning outcomes;\n(c) Establish a statewide course classification system and procedures to monitor\nthe transfer and crediting of lower -division coursework, including a system of\nongoing assessment that ensures comparability for transfer purposes;\n(d) Establish a procedure for approval of changes in learning outcomes at public\nuniversities as described in subsection (3) of this section;\n(e) Standardize credit -by-exam equivalencies and common passing scores for\nnational exams transferable for general education courses and program -\nspecific prerequisites courses;\n(f) Develop policies to align statewide articulation and transfer procedures across\neducational institutions, including admissions criteria, student declaration of\nmajor, and student guidance and counseli ng policies designed to ensure that\nstudents pursuing an associate of arts or associate of science degree program\nprovide timely notification of their intention to transfer to a public university;\n(g) Develop uniform data collection and reporting methods t o facilitate and\nensure statewide and institutional compliance with course transfer and credit\nrequirements;\n(h) Guarantee that, upon admission to a public university, graduates of an\nassociate of arts or an associate of science degree program approved by the\ncouncil in consultation with public universities shall be deemed to have met\nall general education requirements;\n(i) Provide that graduates of approved associate of arts and associate of science\ndegree programs of Kentucky public postsecondary institut ions who complete\nthe prerequisite learning outcomes for a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science\nprogram while fulfilling the requirements for an associate of art or associate of\nscience degree, shall not be required to repeat or to take any additional l ower-\nlevel courses to fulfill bachelor degree requirements in the same major, and\nthese students shall be granted admission to related upper -division bachelors\ndegree programs of a state public college or university on the same criteria as\nthose students e arning lower -division credits at the university to which the\nstudent transferred;\n(j) Provide that graduates of approved associate of arts and associate of science\ndegree programs shall receive priority for admission to a state public\nuniversity over out-of-state students if they meet the same admission criteria;\n(k) Establish a commonality in college transcripts to be used in all public colleges\nand universities to facilitate transfer from community and technical colleges;\n(l) Encourage private colleges and universities to collaborate with public\neducational institutions in developing programs and agreement to expedite the\ntransfer of students and credits between institutions;\n(m) Establish an appeals process to resolve disagree ments between transferring\nstudents and receiving educational institutions regarding the transfer and\nacceptance of credits earned at another institution;\n(n) Ensure that all articulation and transfer policies are consistent with the rules\nand regulations established by all appropriate discipline -specific accrediting\nbodies and institutional accrediting agencies as recognized by the United\nStates Department of Education; and\n(o) Facilitate the development and implementation of a statewide standardized\narticulation agreement to be executed by July 1, 2021, between public colleges\nand universities and the Kentucky Department of Education for each approved\nhigh school career pathway that leads to a postsecondary credential,\ncertification, license, or degree. Up on meeting the requirements of the\nstandardized articulation agreement, a student shall be awarded postsecondary\ncredit for prior learning at any public college or university.\n(3) When an institution seeks to change learning outcomes for a bachelor of arts  or\nbachelor of science program that affect lower -division courses, the university shall\nnotify the Council on Postsecondary Education and the Kentucky Community and\nTechnical College System of the proposed changes at the same time as the initiation\nof the university's approval process. If it is determined that the proposed change will\nhave an adverse effect on transferability, the university proposing the change shall\nenter into discussion with the council and the Kentucky Community and Technical\nCollege System to verify there remains a clearly defined path to a bachelor's degree\nfor those students who plan to transfer from the Kentucky Community and\nTechnical College System to the public university.","path":["KRS Chapter 164"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=50209","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:51:15Z","sha256":"eab87f2dc47a50d9c2236e37e8709f23a957e72b78ae1ac5da829dbff85fd4c1","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-164.295","next":"us-ky/krs-164.296"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}