The University offers degree programs that embody a coherent course of study that is compatible with its stated purpose and based upon fields of study appropriate to higher education.

Relationship of University Mission to Educational Programs

The educational goals identified in the University’s mission statement are summarized as follows:

• To provide education, research, and service that support our core values of academic excellence;

• To offer associate, baccalaureate, and specific graduate curricula distinguished by academic excellence;

• To promote faculty commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and creative and scholarly activity;

• To cultivate skills for critical thinking and effective expression and gain an understanding of the global community;

• To integrate discipline-specific knowledge with the values of lifelong learning, ethical responsibility, and civic engagement.

In their annual review of programs and preparation of Master Plans/Progress Reports, each academic department and program align their goals with those of the University. These annual reviews ensure that all academic programs are compatible with both the stated purpose of the institution and of the individual units themselves and ensure that these units continually review their goals in light of the overall institutional goals. Annual review of academic programs and courses also assures that curricula are both current and consistent with the aims of higher education.

General Education

The purpose of general education at McNeese State University is to aid students earning associate and baccalaureate degrees in cultivating “skills for critical thinking and effective expression and gain[ing] an understanding of the global community [. . . culminating in an experience that] “integrates discipline-specific knowledge with the values of lifelong learning, ethical responsibility, and civic engagement”. This purpose is articulated in the General Education Mission Statement:

General Education at McNeese State University provides a broad-based liberal education experience and incorporates the goals of the Statewide General Education Requirements as established by the Board of Regents in an effort to ensure that all graduates have attained the appropriate competencies

The Louisiana Board of Regents supports these goals in its policies and procedures. The Board of Regents Academic Affairs Policy states the following:

The Board of Regents accepts fully the commonly accepted premise that graduates of similar undergraduate degree programs should attain a broad-based common educational experience. The most appropriate method to ensure that such occurs among students at state colleges and universities is through mandated statewide general education requirements (Academic Affairs Policy, 2.16)

The statewide general education requirements include the following:

• Communicate effectively in oral and written English;

• Read with comprehension;

• Reason abstractly and think critically;

• Understand numerical data and statistics;

• Understand the scientific method

• Be familiar with key technological and informational applications;

• Learn independently;

• Recognize and appreciate cultural diversity;

• Understand the nature and value of the fine and performing arts;

• Develop a personal value system while retaining a tolerance for others; and

• Understand the American political and economic system.

The Council for General Education Assessment revised the state mandated competencies as follows to more specifically address the needs of the University’s student population:

• Communicate effectively in oral and written English by demonstrating an understanding of specific purposes and audiences;

• Identify and comprehend main and subordinate ideas in a variety of written works for purposes of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation;

• Cultivate skills for critical thinking and problem solving;

• Understand numerical data and statistics and use mathematics to solve problems;

• Gain knowledge of the key components of scientific investigation;

• Use technology as an aid to accessing information and to writing;

• Acquire and use information and knowledge both inside and outside the classroom;

• Gain knowledge of diversity in human behaviors, points of view, values, and cultures;

• Gain knowledge of fine, literary, and performing arts as a means for expression;

• Gain knowledge of the American political and economic system.

Achievement Measures

Educational goals are achieved in a variety of ways across the campus. The list below provides a representative sample of the activities that illustrate University efforts and faculty and student achievements:

• Development of Honors College. The Honors College at McNeese is in its seventh year. The McNeese Honors College is designed for outstanding students with strong academic records who desire an alternative course of instruction. The program offers additional opportunities for intellectual stimulation, interdisciplinary experiences and success in career and academic pursuits. To qualify for the honors program, students are required to have a 3.4 minimum GPA in high school and at least a 27 on the ACT or a 1210 on the SAT college entrance exams. Currently approximately 100 honors students are enrolled at McNeese. The grade point average of the Honors College is slightly above 3.5.

• Ann Rosteet Hurley Center for Economic Education. The Center for Economic Education was established at McNeese State University in 1980 to further the study of economics through teacher training, research and curriculum development. Programs are delivered by the Center which is affiliated with the Louisiana Council on Economic Education and the National Council on Economic Education. The Center was designated as the Model Center for Louisiana on June 9, 2006.

• Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex Symposium 2005. The University Department of Agriculture and the McNeese State University Wetland Station has partnered with the Louisiana Environmental Research Center and the US Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service to provide provide plant life histories and materials for expansion of remnant coastal and educational outreach. The project provides a selected seed and stock source of endangered plant materials that are utilized in restoration efforts of the coastal prairie.

• Integration of capstone experiences in majors and concentrations across the campus.

Degree Programs Offered by the University

The University seeks to serve the interests of both students and the local and regional employment markets through its academic offerings, an approach consistent with the regional nature of the University. The University Curriculum Committee and the Graduate Council work independently to ensure that undergraduate and graduate curricula are consistent with customary components of associate, baccalaureate, and graduate degrees.

Individual academic units are responsible for providing information regarding requirements for completion of degrees. This information is published in the University Catalog and on the University webpage. Publications by individual departments and colleges also provide students with this information. At the undergraduate level, each academic program incorporates general education requirements, college and degree requirements, major and concentration requirements, capstone experiences, and electives. Additionally, a recommended sequence of courses guides students semester by semester through a four-year program of studies.

At the graduate level, information for each program describes complete degree requirements, including prerequisites, research or creative requirements, capstone experiences, examinations, thesis and non-thesis options. Individual academic units are responsible for ensuring that undergraduate and graduate degree programs reflect appropriate scope and sequence of study.

Advisory boards drawn from the regional population, assessment of current market trends, and curricular issues mandated by the Louisiana Board of Regents aid in evaluating and monitoring academic programs of the University. Consistent with degree programs and courses of study offered throughout the eight-member University of Louisiana System, the University's degree offerings include the following:

• Six associate degree programs;

• Fifty-three baccalaureate degree programs;

• Nineteen master's degree programs;

• One specialist degree program.

The process below reflects the steps involved in developing new and evaluating existing academic programs:

• Individual academic units from the level of department to that of the college conduct annual curricula reviews in order to assess the sustainability of existing programs.

• Recommendations from academic units are reviewed and approved by the Academic Advisory Council, Graduate Council, and University administration.

• New degree programs must meet criteria established by the University, Board of Supervisors, and Board of Regents.

The procedure for developing new programs requires that the academic unit initiating the program carefully consider the program, the courses on which the program is built, university resources, and impact on other areas within the University. The procedure requires that the following information be provided before being presented to the University Curriculum Committee:

• Justification for the program including the demand/need for the program, student interest, and viability;

• Demonstration that University resources are available, including qualified faculty and adequate library, technology, and laboratory support;

• Evidence that other departments/units have been notified of the new program;

• Proof that an international component required for graduation;

• Identification of core requirements and electives required for the degree;

• Identification of new courses, including catalog-ready course descriptions with stated pre- and co-requisites and proposed course numbers.

This process for developing and monitoring degree programs and courses reflects the University’s commitment to viability of programs, fiscal responsibility, and providing quality and up-to-date curricula. On-going program development and review attest to the faculty's desire to remain compatible and competitive with other institutions in the University of Louisiana System. Accreditation from external agencies and learned societies further demonstrates the University’s commitment to quality academics.

• American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance/National Association for Sport and Physical Education;

• American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences;

• American Chemical Society;

• Association for Childhood Education International;

• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business;

• Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE);

• Computing Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET);

• Council for Exceptional Children;

• Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology;

• International Society for Technology Education;

• Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology;

• Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education;

• Louisiana State Board of Nursing;

• National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences;

• National Association for the Education of Young Children;

• National Association of Schools of Music;

• National Collegiate Athletic Association;

• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education;

• National Council for the Social Studies;

• National Council of Teachers of English;

• National Council of Teachers of Mathematics;

• National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission;

• National Science Teachers Association;

• Organization of American Kodály Educators;

• Technology Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology;

The list below provides a number of additional examples that evidence on-going review of academic programs to ensure that the programs are consistent with the University mission, are logically sequenced so that the courses grow in complexity, and are appropriate to the goals of higher education:

• Accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools. Accreditation requires ongoing, rigorous examination of programs and meticulous, self-examination by academic units.

• Oversight by state governing agencies. State-wide mandates from the Board of Regents to reduce the maximum number of credit hours required for undergraduate degrees from 130 credit hours to a maximum of 125 credit hours also required examination and revision of degree programs across campus.

• National and state initiatives to improve teacher education programs. Teacher certification requirements have been redesigned so that secondary education teacher candidates major in and are advised by academic content areas which work closely with the Department of Teacher Education. Secondary education redesign was effected in order to augment candidate knowledge in content area and meet state requirements for “highly qualified teachers.”

• Master Plan/Progress Report Annual Review. The University’s ongoing institutional effectiveness efforts provides an opportunity for all units – both academic and service – to review their activities each year, examine relevant data, and identify areas of strength and weakness. This annual review ensures that all University constituents focus on the University mission, the University’s core values, and individual unit goals in order to provide the most effective and efficient service possible.

Supporting Evidence

University Curricula Committee

Compare/Contrast of All UL System Degree and Program Offerings