Section 2:
Core Requirements
2.1 2.2 2.3
2.4 2.5 2.6
2.7.1 2.7.2 2.7.3
2.7.4 2.8 2.9
2.10 2.11 2.12
Section 3:
Comprehensive Standards
3.1.1 3.2.1  
3.2.2.1 3.2.2.2 3.2.2.3
3.2.2.4 3.2.3 3.2.4
3.2.5 3.2.6 3.2.7
3.2.8 3.2.9 3.2.10
3.2.11 3.2.12 3.2.13
3.2.14 3.3.1 3.4.1
3.4.2 3.4.3 3.4.4
3.4.5 3.4.6 3.4.7
3.4.8 3.4.9 3.4.10
3.4.11 3.4.12 3.4.13
3.4.14 3.5.1 3.5.2
3.6.1 3.6.2 3.6.3
3.7.1 3.7.2 3.7.3
3.7.4 3.7.5 3.8.1
3.8.2 3.8.3 3.9.1
3.9.2 3.9.3 3.10.1
3.10.2 3.10.3 3.10.4
3.10.5 3.10.6 3.10.7
Section 4:
Federal Requirements
4.1 4.2 4.3
4.4 4.5 4.6
4.7 4.8

 

 

 
McNeese State University
Compliance Plan for Reaffirmation
 
 

Section 4.4: Federal Requirements

Judgment of Compliance

checked.png Compliance
unchecked.png Partial Compliance
unchecked.png Non-compliance

Requirement

The institution demonstrates that program length is appropriate for each of the degrees offered.

Narrative

McNeese State University is in compliance with Federal Requirement 4.4.

The University demonstrates that program length is appropriate for each of its degrees offered. All associate degree programs are required to have at least 60 semester hours; all bachelor degree programs are required to have at least 120 semester hours; all master’s degree programs are required to have at least 30 semester hours; and, the education specialist degree program is required to have at least 66 semester hours, which is at least 30 hours above the master’s degree program.

Board of Regents Requirements

Each degree program meets the minimum number of semester hours required by SACS and the Louisiana Board of Regents. The Board of Regents policy, Definition of Undergraduate Certificates and Degrees, specifies the minimum length associated with each degree program. The table of programs found in the supporting documents reflects that the program length meets or exceeds the Board of Regents requirements for students to gain mastery of the subject matter. A more in-depth discussion regarding program length may be found in Comprehensive Standard 2.7.1 - Program Length.

The Board of Regents mandated statewide general education core requirements which were approved on April 6, 2001, and were amended on March 25, 2004. The core requirements are met by McNeese students through completion of the following curricula:

Bachelor Degree
 HRS Associate Degree +A ++AA +++AS
English 101 - 102 6 English 101 - 102 6 6 6
Mathematics 6 Mathematics 113 or above 3 3 6
Natural Sciences 9 Natural Sciences 6 6 6
Humanities 9 Humanities 3 3 3
Fine Arts 3 Fine Arts 3 3 3
Social/Behavioral Sciences 6 Social/Behavioral Sciences 6 6 3
Orientation 1 Orientation 1 1 1
MAAP 200 0
Total Hours in Core 40 Total Hours in Core 28 28 28

+A = Associate (ADN, AGS)

++AA= Associate of Arts

+++AS=Associate of Science

Program Review

Program review is conducted at various levels, both internal and external to the University. Externally, professional accrediting agencies, learned societies, and other agencies approve or certify many of McNeese’s programs. Professional accrediting agencies have established rigorous criteria which place University programs on a national level competitively with other programs.

The Accreditation Status Report found in the supporting documents of Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1 outlines the specific agency that accredits McNeese’s academic programs.

Within general guidelines, program length is specific to each discipline. Faculty determine the credit hours required for each degree program at the time the curriculum is designed or revised. These requirements are then reviewed and approved by the appropriate department and college curriculum committees.

At McNeese State University, the University Curriculum Committee is charged with reviewing undergraduate programs, and the Graduate Council is charged with reviewing graduate programs. The program coordinators and department heads who are responsible for the programs initiate new programs and/or program changes. The review continues through the college level, and, if approved by the dean of the college, new programs and/or program changes are sent to either the University Curriculum Committee or to the Graduate Council.

New programs and/or changes approved by the Curriculum Committee or the Graduate Council are forwarded to the Academic Advisory Council for discussion and review. Once approved by the Vice-President of Academic Affairs and the President, the programs are forwarded to the University of Louisiana System and then to the Board of Regents for review and final approval.

The University utilizes several methods to assess appropriate program length and depth. A Master Plan/Progress Report is submitted by each academic program on an annual basis. The plan includes an assessment of its student learning outcomes, the measures of those outcomes, and the plans for program improvement. Undergraduate programs are also assessed by academic program review guidelines, and graduate programs are evaluated according to the graduate program standards. The McNeese Assessment Team, comprised of representatives from each academic college, ensures that program assessment is conducted and results used for improvement. Comprehensive Standard 3.3.1: Institutional Effectiveness carefully outlines assessment processes and practices in academic programs.

University Curriculum Committee/Graduate Council Review of Program Change

The examples below illustrate the rationale for program changes: