General Academic Requirements
General Academic Requirements
Scholastic Requirements
All candidates for a degree in the College of Communication and Information must meet all requirements listed under the program of their major in this Catalog. In addition, students must meet the following scholastic qualifications:
1. A cumulative overall GPA of at least 2.00 (C) for all courses taken at Kent State University. (Some programs require a higher overall GPA.)
2. A cumulative GPA of at least 2.25 in the major and, where applicable, the minor. Certain programs require higher GPAs. Consult the
degree requirements for the major as listed in this Catalog.
3. Successful completion of at least 39 upper-division hours of coursework. Upper-division courses are numbered 30000-49999.
Liberal Education Requirements
To receive a baccalaureate degree from the College of Communication and Information, a student must, in addition to other requirements, satisfy the 36-37-hour minimum stipulated in the LER courses.
Students may not use courses in the major to fulfill this requirement and must choose courses from the LER list; substitutions are not permitted. In some cases proficiency may be used to fulfill certain areas of the requirement. Students must meet any special requirements listed for each LER category.
Some majors have specific requirements within these areas. Please check the requirements for your major as listed in this Catalog.
Writing-Intensive Course Requirement
Refer to the course section this Catalog for specific information on the writing-intensive course requirement.
Foreign Language Study
A student who has studied a foreign language in high school and wishes to continue in that language must begin college-level study at the appropriate point. Further information about placement may be obtained from the department offering that language.
Students with a native language other than English* may not register for, or receive credit in, coursework on the elementary or intermediate level in that language or in a closely related language as determined by the chairperson of the appropriate department. Students with a first (not native) language other than English* may be permitted to enroll in, and receive credit for, coursework on the elementary and/or intermediate level. Permission will be granted on a case-by-case basis by the chairperson of the appropriate department after evaluation of the student’s skills in that language.
*For definition of the terms “native language” and “first language” above, see Foreign Languages in this catalog.
Changing Catalogs
Also see Catalog Rights and Exclusions
To begin meeting the requirements of a newer catalog, the student must register the change in their respective school advising office by completing the proper form. All requirements of the new catalog must be met. No substitutions or waivers will be made. Once a student has moved to a more recent catalog, he/she may not return to the previous catalog.
Students are required to change catalogs after failing to complete at least 12 semester hours in two calendar years and when returning to the university after dismissal. The catalog to be followed will be the one in force the semester the appropriate change goes into effect.
Pass/Fail Option
Courses used to meet the university’s LER courses are excluded from the pass/fail option. Courses taken within the major, minor or in completion of certificate programs also are excluded. Only free electives—courses not used to satisfy any specific requirement—may be taken on a pass/fail basis. See Pass/Fail Policy.
Graduation Procedures
The application for graduation must be submitted to the respective school advising office according to the deadlines published in this Catalog. The deadline for application is generally two full semesters before graduation. Students who either change catalogs or change any major, minor, concentration, option or emphasis after their graduation audit has been completed will be moved to the next graduation date. See graduation for more information.
Prerequisites
In areas where learning is sequential, courses often have required prerequisites. These prerequisites exist to protect students from attempting coursework for which they are not properly prepared. It is the responsibility of the students to make certain that they have met all prerequisites before entering any course.
No-Credit Courses
Four of the courses that may be prescribed or recommended through placement testing, MATH 10021 and 10022, US 10003 and 10006, do not generate credit toward graduation. Although these courses will count toward the course load for financial aid and other purposes, hours taken in these courses will be subtracted from the students’ total before graduation.
Other prescribed courses, including ENG 11001, MATH 10023 do count, but toward general elective hours only. None of the prescribed courses may be taken pass/fail.
Residence
Kent State University residence requirements for an undergraduate degree may be met at the Kent Campus and/or Regional Campuses through the final 30 credit hours. Under unusual circumstances students may request a minor modification of this requirement by contacting their respective school advising office prior to registration elsewhere.
Course Substitutions
Students who desire to substitute a course for one required in their program must secure written approval from their school academic or faculty advisor prior to enrolling in the substitute course.
PEB—ROTC
No more than 4 credit hours of PEB activities courses or the first 16 credit hours of ROTC courses may apply to the 121 semester hours required for graduation.
Veterans who have completed a minimum of one year of active duty may receive PEB credit for military basic training according to branch of service, as follows: Army and Marine Corps, 3 credit hours; Navy and Coast Guard, 2 hours; Air Force, 1 hour.
Natural Sciences
Credit toward fulfilling the natural science requirement is not given for the following combinations:
• PHY 11660 and the CHEM 10050 series, the CHEM 10060 series and/or the PHY 13001 series;
• both the CHEM 10050 series and the CHEM 10060 series;
• both the PHY 13001 series and the PHY 23101 series.
Minors
Students who seek the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in some programs may be required to complete a minor. In certain circumstances, an individually planned minor may be approved upon recommendation of the director of the school in which the students are enrolled and the chairperson of the department in which the minors are proposed. However, an individualized minor is not officially recognized. Consult the program descriptions listed by the schools to determine if a minor is required.
Students may elect a minor outside or within the College of Communication and Information. Where major and minor requirements overlap, students may apply courses in both areas.
All candidates for a degree in the College of Communication and Information must meet all requirements listed under the program of their major in this Catalog. In addition, students must meet the following scholastic qualifications:
1. A cumulative overall GPA of at least 2.00 (C) for all courses taken at Kent State University. (Some programs require a higher overall GPA.)
2. A cumulative GPA of at least 2.25 in the major and, where applicable, the minor. Certain programs require higher GPAs. Consult the
degree requirements for the major as listed in this Catalog.
3. Successful completion of at least 39 upper-division hours of coursework. Upper-division courses are numbered 30000-49999.
Liberal Education Requirements
To receive a baccalaureate degree from the College of Communication and Information, a student must, in addition to other requirements, satisfy the 36-37-hour minimum stipulated in the LER courses.
Students may not use courses in the major to fulfill this requirement and must choose courses from the LER list; substitutions are not permitted. In some cases proficiency may be used to fulfill certain areas of the requirement. Students must meet any special requirements listed for each LER category.
Some majors have specific requirements within these areas. Please check the requirements for your major as listed in this Catalog.
Writing-Intensive Course Requirement
Refer to the course section this Catalog for specific information on the writing-intensive course requirement.
Foreign Language Study
A student who has studied a foreign language in high school and wishes to continue in that language must begin college-level study at the appropriate point. Further information about placement may be obtained from the department offering that language.
Students with a native language other than English* may not register for, or receive credit in, coursework on the elementary or intermediate level in that language or in a closely related language as determined by the chairperson of the appropriate department. Students with a first (not native) language other than English* may be permitted to enroll in, and receive credit for, coursework on the elementary and/or intermediate level. Permission will be granted on a case-by-case basis by the chairperson of the appropriate department after evaluation of the student’s skills in that language.
*For definition of the terms “native language” and “first language” above, see Foreign Languages in this catalog.
Changing Catalogs
Also see Catalog Rights and Exclusions
To begin meeting the requirements of a newer catalog, the student must register the change in their respective school advising office by completing the proper form. All requirements of the new catalog must be met. No substitutions or waivers will be made. Once a student has moved to a more recent catalog, he/she may not return to the previous catalog.
Students are required to change catalogs after failing to complete at least 12 semester hours in two calendar years and when returning to the university after dismissal. The catalog to be followed will be the one in force the semester the appropriate change goes into effect.
Pass/Fail Option
Courses used to meet the university’s LER courses are excluded from the pass/fail option. Courses taken within the major, minor or in completion of certificate programs also are excluded. Only free electives—courses not used to satisfy any specific requirement—may be taken on a pass/fail basis. See Pass/Fail Policy.
Graduation Procedures
The application for graduation must be submitted to the respective school advising office according to the deadlines published in this Catalog. The deadline for application is generally two full semesters before graduation. Students who either change catalogs or change any major, minor, concentration, option or emphasis after their graduation audit has been completed will be moved to the next graduation date. See graduation for more information.
Prerequisites
In areas where learning is sequential, courses often have required prerequisites. These prerequisites exist to protect students from attempting coursework for which they are not properly prepared. It is the responsibility of the students to make certain that they have met all prerequisites before entering any course.
No-Credit Courses
Four of the courses that may be prescribed or recommended through placement testing, MATH 10021 and 10022, US 10003 and 10006, do not generate credit toward graduation. Although these courses will count toward the course load for financial aid and other purposes, hours taken in these courses will be subtracted from the students’ total before graduation.
Other prescribed courses, including ENG 11001, MATH 10023 do count, but toward general elective hours only. None of the prescribed courses may be taken pass/fail.
Residence
Kent State University residence requirements for an undergraduate degree may be met at the Kent Campus and/or Regional Campuses through the final 30 credit hours. Under unusual circumstances students may request a minor modification of this requirement by contacting their respective school advising office prior to registration elsewhere.
Course Substitutions
Students who desire to substitute a course for one required in their program must secure written approval from their school academic or faculty advisor prior to enrolling in the substitute course.
PEB—ROTC
No more than 4 credit hours of PEB activities courses or the first 16 credit hours of ROTC courses may apply to the 121 semester hours required for graduation.
Veterans who have completed a minimum of one year of active duty may receive PEB credit for military basic training according to branch of service, as follows: Army and Marine Corps, 3 credit hours; Navy and Coast Guard, 2 hours; Air Force, 1 hour.
Natural Sciences
Credit toward fulfilling the natural science requirement is not given for the following combinations:
• PHY 11660 and the CHEM 10050 series, the CHEM 10060 series and/or the PHY 13001 series;
• both the CHEM 10050 series and the CHEM 10060 series;
• both the PHY 13001 series and the PHY 23101 series.
Minors
Students who seek the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees in some programs may be required to complete a minor. In certain circumstances, an individually planned minor may be approved upon recommendation of the director of the school in which the students are enrolled and the chairperson of the department in which the minors are proposed. However, an individualized minor is not officially recognized. Consult the program descriptions listed by the schools to determine if a minor is required.
Students may elect a minor outside or within the College of Communication and Information. Where major and minor requirements overlap, students may apply courses in both areas.