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Major

An academic major is a curriculum component that enables students to make an in-depth inquiry into a discipline or a professional field of study. It is organized around a specific set of goals, objectives and student learning outcomes that are accomplished through an ordered series of courses whose connections define an internal structure. A major that focuses on a discipline typically draws its courses predominantly from one department. One that encompasses a professional field of study or is interdisciplinary usually obtains its courses from more than one department or school.

Departments or dependent schools have the responsibility for administering majors within their unit and for approving particular programs of study and appropriate course substitutions for students. Those departments involved with interdisciplinary majors perform the same functions as individual departments. Courses taken to fulfill other academic requirements (e.g., minors) sometimes are specified within the requirements for a degree; however, students may not declare a major and a minor in the same discipline.

One important aspect of a major is the opportunity it affords students to study a field in depth. A major introduces students to a discipline or field of study through a foundation of theory and method, which serves as a basis for further study. It exposes them to the gamut of topics examined and the analytical devices used in the study of the subject. It contains a core series of courses of advancing levels of knowledge and understanding. Study in depth provides students with an understanding of the fundamental problems and arguments of a discipline or field of study, as well as its limits. It affords students practice with the tools of the subject, introduces them to its historical and philosophical foundations and gives them a clear sense of its boundaries and its effectiveness as a means for understanding or serving human society.

Per the Ohio Department of Higher Education guidelines, a major must comprise a minimum of 30 credit hours of specialized study leading to both breadth and depth in a particular discipline. A technical major within the applied associate degree (A.A.B., A.A.S.) must include a minimum 12 credit hours of coursework and constitutes an area of specialization.

Majors may have concentrations (required or optional), which are approved set of courses to indicate in-depth knowledge or specialty area within the major and are recognized on the student’s transcript.

Per the Ohio Department of Higher Education, concentrations must include a minimum of 50 percent of the overall curriculum within the major. For undergraduate majors, this percentage does not include general education (Kent Core), additional program requirements (electives or required courses that are not considered major coursework and/or not counted in major GPA) and general electives. The rationale behind the Ohio Department of Higher Education mandate is to ensure that concentrations are not so unique to their major curriculum that they operate as unauthorized separate degree programs.

Example in practice – Program 1:

Program 1 fits the rule because major credits (33) are more than 50 percent mark (25.5). Concentration includes 65% of the major curriculum.

Example in practice – Program 2:

Program 2 does not fit the rule because major credits (27) are not more than 50 percent mark (36). Concentration includes 38% of the major curriculum.

Example in practice – Program 3:

Program 3 fits the rule because major credits (30) are equal to 50 percent mark (30). Concentration includes 50% of the major curriculum.

An academic minor is a curriculum component, smaller than the major, which enables a student to make an inquiry into a discipline or field of study or to investigate a particular theme. The purpose of a minor is to provide formalized guidance to students in selecting courses in a field or content area that is outside the major and to provide formal recognition of that work on the transcript. The courses in the minor may be centered in a specific department or be drawn from several departments, as in the case of an interdisciplinary topical or thematic focus.

Students may not pursue a minor and a major in the same discipline. A minimum of 6 credit hours in the minor must be outside of the course requirements for any major or other minor the student is pursuing.

Undergraduate Minors

An undergraduate minor is minimum 12 credit hours and normally contains between 18 and 25 credit hours, with a minimum of 6 of those hours being upper-division credit and a minimum 50 percent of the total hours in residence.

Students must formally declare a minor, similar to the process by which they declare the major. Students in a bachelor’s or an applied associate degree (e.g., A.A.B., A.A.S.) or the Associate of Technical Study (A.T.S.), of which there is a major, may declare a minor. Students in a generalist associate degree (e.g., A.A., A.S., A.T.S.–Individualized Program) may not declare a minor.

Graduate Minors

A graduate minor is minimum 9 credit hours, with a minimum 50 percent of the total credit hours taken at Kent State.

Students must be admitted to a master’s, post-master’s or doctoral degree to declare a graduate minor. Students formally declare a minor through the change of program application, which must be approved by the college administrating the students’ major and the college administrating the chosen minor.

Certificate programs exist at Kent State University to deliver focused instruction and formalized guidance to students in areas that address contemporary, topical and/or workplace needs. Formal recognition of certificate completion is given on the student’s transcript. Certificates may be pursued by and granted to students whether or not they are enrolled in a degree-granting major; however, all students who are granted a certificate must meet institutional admission and graduation standards.

Certificate programs normally contain between 15 and 25 credit hours of coursework from the existing course inventory, with a maximum of 9 credits of variable topic (special topics, seminar, etc.) courses. Graduate certificates that are 21 credit hours or more must be approved by the Ohio Department of Higher Education. Please be aware that certificates that comprise more than 50 percent of new courses (i.e., not from the existing course inventory) require formal approval from the Higher Learning Commission; that approval may take more than six months to receive.

Approved certificate programs must be reviewed by its sponsoring unit every five years, and a recommendation made on the continued status of the program. This review should assess achievements relative to the stated goals of the program and be submitted to the Educational Policies Council.

NOTE: The U.S. Department of Education approves federal financial aid eligibility for non-degree programs that prepare post-baccalaureate graduates to receive state licensure to teach in an elementary or secondary school. These are called “sub-baccalaureate certificates”; however, they are not designated as certificates at Kent State.

The Ohio Department of Higher Education defines the level of certificate programs as the following:

Undergraduate General Certificate

An undergraduate general certificate requires completion of an organized program of study at the postsecondary level (i.e., below the baccalaureate). It is further classified into the following categories (from the IPEDS Glossary):

• Postsecondary – Less Than One Academic Year: Total program must be minimum 16 credit hours (for federal financial aid eligibility) and maximum 29 credit hours. (Banner code: CER1-1xx)
• Postsecondary – At Least One, but Less than Two Academic Years: Total program must be minimum 30 and maximum 59 credit hours. (Banner code: CER2-2xx)
• Postsecondary – At Least Two, but Less than Four Academic Years: Total program must be minimum 60 credit hours and maximum 119 credit hours. (Banner code: CER4-4xx)

Undergraduate Technical Certificate

An undergraduate technical certificate is designed for an occupation or specific employment opportunity. This certificate should prepare students for a valid occupational license or third-party industry certification related to the field of study. A technical certificates and its associated occupational license or certification require approval from the Ohio Department of Higher Education.

The technical certificate is further classified into two categories:

• Technical – Less Than One Year: Total program must be minimum 16 credit hours (for federal financial aid eligibility) and maximum 29 credit hours.
• Technical – One Year: Total program must be minimum 30 credit hours, with the majority of the coursework completed in a prescribed technical area.

Graduate Certificate

A graduate certificate is classified into two categories

• Post-Baccalaureate: Requires completion of a program of study beyond the bachelor’s degree but does not meet the requirements of a master’s degree. Minimum admission requirement is the bachelor’s degree. Total program must be minimum 8 credit hours for federal financial aid eligibility. (Banner code: CER6-6xx)
• Post-Master’s: Requires completion of a program of study beyond the master’s degree but does not meet the requirements of a doctorate. Minimum admission requirement is the master’s degree. Total program must be minimum 8 credit hours for federal financial aid eligibility. (Banner code: CER8-8xx)