Home  >  Academics  >  General Catalog 2011-2013  >  General Education Requirements  >  Kansas Board of Regents  

Kansas Board of Regents

Transfer and Articulation Agreement Policy
(Adopted by Kansas Council of Instructional Administrators May 2003)

  1. Transfer is recognized as a crucial element within a seamless educational system. The purpose of this policy is to promote seamlessness. A seamless educational system offers the best resources to provide a high quality education for every citizen, and empowers and encourages each citizen to reach maximum potential by engaging in life-long learning. This includes the following:
    • Aligning high school and college expectations and standards to improve access and success;
    • Providing access to higher education;
    • Providing high quality advising and information at every point of the journey to ensure that students understand the preparation required to succeed at the next level;
    • Building connections and strengthening communications within and between the parts of the system; and
    • Providing a smooth transition from one level of learning to the next level, including graduate and professional education.
  2. In accordance with K.S.A. 72-4453, the governing boards of every Kansas community college and every technical school or technical college must establish transfer and articulation agreements providing for the transferability of substantially equivalent courses of study and programs in order to facilitate the articulation of students to and among institutions. (1-18-06; 1-17-07)
    1. The state board of regents shall be notified of the agreement at the time the agreement is executed.
    2. The agreement shall be effective only after submission to and approval of the state board of regents-(K.S.A. 72-4453) Preliminary approval shall be given by the President and CEO or designee upon verification that the agreement is consistent with this policy. Final approval shall require ratification by the Board. (1-18-06)
    3. The President and CEO shall report to the Board on transfer and articulation agreements annually. Such report shall include a description of the agreements preliminarily approved during the last year and a request for ratification by the Board. (1-18-06)
  3. In accordance with K.S.A. 72-4454, articulation agreements are required among technical schools, technical colleges, community colleges, and public universities providing for the transferability of substantially equivalent courses of study and programs which are offered at technical schools, technical colleges, community colleges, and public universities in order to facilitate articulation of students in technical programs to and among technical schools, technical community colleges, and public universities. (1-17-07)
  4. To promote seamlessness, each public postsecondary educational institution shall develop and publicize its transfer policy.
    1. An institutional transfer policy shall not conflict with KBOR's transfer policy. (1-17-07)
    2. An institutional transfer policy shall include an appeal process. (1-17-07)
    3. An institutional transfer policy shall treat transfer students the same way academically as non-transfer students. (1-17-07)
    4. An institutional transfer policy shall ensure transfer of substantially equivalent courses from any Kansas public postsecondary institution. (1-17-07)
    5. An institutional transfer policy shall ensure transfer of general education courses from any HLC accredited Kansas public postsecondary institution subject to conditions in sections h and i below. (1-17-07)
    6. Courses not substantially equivalent to a course offered by the receiving institution may be transferred at the discretion of the receiving institution.
  5. Each Kansas public postsecondary educational institution shall establish its residency requirements, graduation requirements, and any admission requirements to professional or specific programs.
    1. Admission to an institution will not constitute admission to a professional school or a specific program.
    2. Except as provided in section h, students must complete all graduation requirements of the receiving institution.
    3. Students with a completed associates degree who transfer into professional school or specialty programs may need more than two academic years of course work to complete the baccalaureate degree, depending on requirements of the program.
  6. Institutions are strongly encouraged to develop program-to-program articulation agreements. Such agreements may provide additional transfer opportunities over and above the opportunities named in this policy.
  7. General requirements for transfer of credits between and among Kansas public postsecondary educational institutions include the following:
    1. Effective July 2006 and thereafter, transfer coursework must be transcripted in credit hours.
    2. Students transferring to Kansas public universities with a completed AA or AS degree will be given junior standing.
  8. Transfer of general education to and among Kansas Public Universities, including state universities and Washburn University, must follow the requirements below. (1-17-07)

    Although the following distribution of courses does not correspond to the general education requirements for the bachelor degree at any Kansas public university, it will be accepted as having satisfied the general education requirements for the bachelor degree of all Kansas public universities.

    A minimum of 45 credit hours of general education with distribution in the following fields will be required. General education hours totaling less than 45 will be accepted, but transfer students must complete the remainder of this requirement before graduation from the receiving institution, which may require an additional semester(s).

    12 hours of Basic Skills courses, including: 6 hours of English Composition
      3 hours of Public Speaking or Speech Communication
      3 hours of college level Mathematics; college Algebra and/or Statistics will be required of transfer students where University curriculum requires it.
    12 hours of Humanities courses from at least three of the following disciplines:*Performance courses are excluded. Art*
    Music*
    Modern Language (1-17-07)    		 Theater*
    History    		 Philosophy
    Literature
    12 hours of Social and Behavioral Science, courses from at least three of the following disciplines: Sociology
    Economics
    Anthropology    		 Psychology
    Geography    		 Political Science
    9 hours of Natural and Physical Science courses from at least two disciplines (lecture with lab).      

    Transcripts of students fulfilling the requirement of this agreement will be appropriately coded by the sending institution.

  1. Although a transfer general education curriculum has not been established for associate degrees, the transfer curriculum is assumed to be a subset of the curriculum in section h above.
  2. Universities may develop program-to-program articulation agreements for the AAS degree; Fort Hays State University and Washburn University have these agreements in place.
  3. Completed technical programs (non-degree) and completed AAS degrees shall transfer according to option (1) or (2) below:
    1. As a block to articulated programs at community colleges, technical colleges, and to those universities that have program to program articulation agreements.
    2. On a course-by-course basis
      1. General education courses may be transferred according to sections d (5), h and i above.
      2. Substantially equivalent courses may be transferred on a course-by-course basis according to section d(4) above.
      3. ther courses may be transferred as electives according to section d(6) above.
  4. Students who intend to transfer are responsible for becoming acquainted with the program and degree requirements of the institution to which they expect to transfer.
  5. This policy shall be reviewed three years after the date of implementation. Interim reports may be requested by the Board.