Comprehensive Standard 3.4.10
The institution defines and publishes general education and major
program requirements for all its programs. These requirements conform
to commonly accepted standards and practices for undergraduate programs
as well as graduate and post-baccalaureate professional degree
programs.
LSUA defines its general education and major program requirements
through a faculty deliberative process. The institution-wide Courses
& Curricula Committee receives recommendations from academic
departments and discusses the merits of the recommendations. Approved
recommendations are forwarded to the Faculty Senate for additional
review. Recommendations approved by the Faculty Senate are sent to the
Provost, and from the Provost to the Chancellor. The Chancellor’s
approval is the final step in the development and/or modifications in
general education or major program requirements for existing programs.
New programs must also be approved by the LSU Board of Supervisors and
the Louisiana Board of Regents. For each degree program offered at
LSUA, general education and major requirements are clearly stated in
the LSUA Catalog (p. 69-104) [1]  .
LSUA has defined general education requirements for all of its associate and bachelor degrees (see LSUA Catalog p. 69-76) [2] .
These requirements include both minimum credit hours and credit hours
per discipline. All bachelor degrees require a minimum of 39 hours of
general education credits. The Associate of Science degrees require a
minimum of 27 hours of general education credits, and the Associate of
Arts and Associate in discipline degrees require a minimum of 30 hours
of general education credits. The Louisiana Board of Regents requires a
minimum of 27 hours of general education credits for associate degrees
and a minimum of 39 hours of general education credits for bachelor
degrees. LSUA’s general education requirements meet the Board of
Regents’ minimums [3] and are comparable
to other institutions in the state. More detailed discussion of general
education requirements is provided in the narrative with Core Requirement 2.7.3.
LSUA has also established major program requirements for most of its degrees (see LSUA Catalog p. 69-104) [1] .
The Associate of Arts and Associate of Science degrees do not have
major requirements because they are degrees intended for students who
are preparing to transfer into a baccalaureate program at another
institution. Major requirements in associate degrees range from 18
credit hours to 43 credit hours. The associate degrees with a high
number of major credits are the nursing and allied health degrees where
the major component of the curriculum is clinical courses. The Bachelor
of General Studies requires 24 credit hours in one of seven areas of
concentration. The Bachelor of Liberal Studies requires 30 hours of
major credit, while the Bachelor of Science in Biology requires 35
hours and the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education requires 55.
The Louisiana Board of Regents Academic Affairs Policy 2.11 [4]
stipulates that a major usually consists of 25% or more of the total
hours required in an undergraduate curriculum. All LSUA degrees with
major requirements meet that definition.
Documentation
[1] LSUA Catalog 2005, p. 69 - 104 (1335kb)
[2] LSUA Catalog 2005, p. 69 - 76 (1335kb)
[3] Louisiana Board of Regents Academic Affairs Policy 2.16 (Attachment IV) (8kb)
[4] Louisiana Board of Regents Academic Affairs Policy 2.11 (Approved Academic Terms and Degree Designations) (9kb)
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