January 30, 2009
Bowling
Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University students may be able to graduate a little quicker thanks to a change approved by the Board of Regents on Friday.
The Board Friday approved changing the minimum number of hours needed for a baccalaureate degree from 128 to 120.
“We can make this change without negative impact on academic quality and possibly be a significant benefit to students,” Provost and Academic Affair Vice President Barbara Burch said.
While individual degree programs may have different requirements, Dr. Burch said the change will make it easier for some students to graduate in four years and decrease the total cost of their education. It also puts WKU in line with a national trend and with most Kentucky colleges and universities. The change is effective for students completing baccalaureate degrees in the 2009 fall semester.
The Board also approved reducing the minimum number hours for an associate degree to 60 from 64.
In other business, the Board:
- Approved a master’s degree in criminology
- Approved majors in business informatics, popular culture studies and international affairs
- Approved minors in meeting, convention and exposition planning; worksite health promotion; electrical engineering and musical theatre
- Approved certificates in instructional design, aging studies, nurse administrator and iMedia
- Approved purchasing 270 acres adjacent to the Green River Biological Preserve through a $605,000 grant from the Kentucky Land Heritage Conservation Fund Board.
- Approved employment contracts with Men’s Basketball Coach Ken McDonald and Men’s and Women’s Cross Country/Track Coach Eric Jenkins
- Approved amended employment contracts with Baseball Coach Chris Finwood
- Approved an employment contract extension with Football Coach David Elson.
More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu and at http://wkunews.wordpress.com/.
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