Western began offering extended campus classes at Fort Knox in 1973. The Fort Knox program is coordinated with the Army Continuing Education System and must meet military standards in addition to university, site and accreditation standards. The first classes were taught in Elizabethtown in 1974. Western established an administrative office at Elizabethtown Community College in 1987 and in 1991 the Elizabethtown program was granted "Center" status by the Council on Higher Education.
The Fort Knox and Elizabethtown programs have grown steadily since inception. A majority of public school teachers in the eight county Lincoln Trail region receive graduate degrees through the Fort Knox/Elizabethtown Center. Students can now complete bachelor and master degrees in several areas without leaving Hardin County through operative arrangements between Western Kentucky University and the Elizabethtown Community and Technical College. Programs are developed at Fort Knox to address educational needs of active duty military personnel and family members, as well as the general community needs. Service members can enroll in the WKU SOCAD-4 Bachelor of General Studies with an area of Emphasis in Social and Behavioral Sciences, or they can enroll in other programs offered by the University. Service members interested in graduate degrees are particularly attracted to the MBA program and to the Masters in Public Administration degree. Army counselors work closely with WKU to assist soldiers who wish to enroll in this or other degree programs of their choice. Tuition assistance is available for service members through the Army Continuing Education System office located in the Fort Knox Education Center, room 109.
Classes are taught in the Education Center at Fort Knox, at the Central Regional Post Educational Center, Elizabethtown, and Taylor High School in Campbellsville. Occasionally classes are held in other local high schools. Some courses are taught through one of the WKU Interactive Television classrooms on post or in Elizabethtown. Others are taught in the traditional on-site professor modality. Internet and correspondence options are also available.
