Transfer Credit, Proficiency Testing and Other Options
in Meeting the Liberal Education Requirements

Certain alternatives to formal Kent State coursework may be recognized in the fulfilling of the 36-37-hour Liberal Education Requirements.

1. Credits earned for specified courses within the Liberal Education Requirements course list through external 
   credit-conferring testing programs, such as the College Board Advanced Placement and CLEP subject
   examinations, will be applied toward the fulfillment of the Liberal Education Requirements as appropriate for
   the specific courses for which credit is received.

2. Courses transferred from accredited postsecondary institutions will be applied toward fulfillment of the 
    Liberal Education Requirements as appropriate for the specific courses for which credit is awarded.

3. The university’s Credit-By-Examination (CBE) program may be utilized in fulfillment of Liberal Education
    Requirements within the conditions, guidelines and policies established for that program and for the
    course (s) for which credit is sought.

4. Proficiency, as established by placement examinations or other recognized procedures and mechanisms for
    this purpose, can be used to fulfill Categories I and II of the Liberal Education Requirements. For example,
    students who are placed into ENG 21011 and complete it with a passing grade will have met the Category I
    Liberal Education Requirements. It is assumed that students who are placed at and pass the higher level of
    one of these sequenced courses have also mastered the content of the prerequisite course. While students
    may meet the requirements of Categories I and II through proficiency, minimum hours must be met in
    Categories III, IV, V and VI. Students meeting Categories I and II requirements through proficiency must
    substitute other courses, which shall be elective, to earn a minimum of 121 hours of appropriate coursework
    toward a baccalaureate degree.

To fulfill the purposes of general education, any of the above alternatives to the fulfillment of the Liberal Education Requirements by 36-37 hours of formal coursework at Kent State University must be exercised by the students within the first 60 hours of academic credits earned at and/or transferred to Kent State University.

Students who transfer to the university with more than 45 semester hours of applicable credits (including students with associate’s degrees in technology from the Kent State University Regional Campuses or those who transfer to bachelor-level programs from associate-level technology programs) must exercise such option(s) within the first calendar year of their Kent State University enrollment.
 
 

This page was last modified on August 20, 2009