Committee on Academic Policy and Procedures

Implementing the Post-Baccalaureate (Stand-Alone) Minors Policy

Frequently-Asked Questions

April 2011, updated August 2011

These Q&As have been developed to assist in the implementation of the Post-Baccalaureate Minors Policy approved by Faculty Senate in March 2010. The policy language can be found in the University Handbook, Section F160: http://www.k-state-edu/academicpersonnel/fhbook/fhsecf.html.

    1. How does the new policy regarding academic undergraduate minors differ from the old policy?

K-State has expanded the pool of students who may seek and be awarded a K-State minor to include: 1) post-baccalaureate K-State graduates and 2) non-K-State graduates if the minor has been approved for such offering through the course and curriculum approval process.

Under the old policy, only undergraduate students could be awarded a minor as part of receiving a baccalaureate degree from K-State. Because minors were considered part of an undergraduate degree program, a minor could not be awarded once the degree was completed.

Under the new policy approved spring 2010, K-State graduates may complete a minor after receiving their undergraduate degree OR during or after an advanced degree has been awarded by K-State. Additionally, non-K-State graduates may seek and be awarded a minor if a college, department, or minor program has sought and received approval to offer the minor to non-K-State graduates.

    1. Under the new policy, who is eligible to earn a K-State minor?

      Admitted degree-seeking or non-degree-seeking students with a K-State degree:

      • Admitted UG degree-seeking students pursuing a K-State bachelor’s degree
      • Admitted graduate degree-seeking students with a K-State bachelor’s degree
      • Admitted non-degree seeking students with a K-State bachelor’s or K-State advanced degree (including distance students)

      Students seeking admission to K-State as a non-degree student for the sole purpose of pursuing a minor:

      • K-State graduates with a bachelor’s or graduate degree seeking to be admitted as a non-degree seeking student to pursue a minor only
      • Non-K-State graduates with baccalaureate degrees seeking to be admitted as a non-degree seeking student to pursue a minor specifically approved for offer to non-K-State graduates
      • Non-K-State students working on an undergraduate degree at another institution seeking to be admitted as a non-degree seeking student to pursue a minor specifically approved for offer to non-K-State graduates (Note: Minor cannot be awarded until undergraduate degree has been completed.)
    2. The policy allows K-State graduates to pursue and be awarded K-State minors. Does this apply to all current K-State minors or is availability at the discretion of the College, department, or minor program?

All K-State minors are available to post-baccalaureate K-State graduates or K-State degree-seeking graduate students. Availability for non-K-State graduates is at the initiation of the appropriate academic units and subject to university course and curriculum approval.

    1. How are minor programs approved for offering to non-K-State graduates?

Directors of minor programs can request approval to offer their minors to non-K-State graduates with baccalaureate or advanced degrees through the normal course and curriculum routing procedures. Minor programs must request continuation every five years to maintain their standing to accept non-K-State graduates. New minor programs will also require approval by the Board of Regents Council of Chief Academic Officers (COCAO) and President/ Chief Executive Officer if an associated bachelor’s degree is not already in existence.

    1. Can transfer courses be used to meet requirements for a minor?

Yes, but no more than six hours of transfer courses may be used for the minor. Prerequisites and requisites associated with minors must be followed and students must earn the minimum GPA set by the minor program.

    1. The new policy distinguishes between K-State and non-K-State graduates. Why are K-State minors being offered as a post-baccalaureate option to K-State graduates but not to others?

Due to concerns about available resources, the policy was approved to leave the decision to offer a minor to non-K-State graduates to the discretion of the College, department, and minor program with approval through the course and curriculum approval process

    1. Can minors be awarded retroactively to K-State graduates who took the required hours prior to 1) the new policy being implemented or 2) prior to a new minor being approved?

Some programs have awarded minors retroactively. It varies by program and is currently at the program’s discretion.

    1. What is the effective date for implementing the new policy?

All implementing procedures and system changes will be in place for Fall 2011. In the meantime, K-State graduates can enroll in courses as non-degree seeking students, but the minor will not be available for award before Fall 2011.

    1. What is the difference between a certificate and a minor?

Certificates may be awarded to students who do not have a baccalaureate degree.

    1. Who will be responsible for promoting or marketing the availability of post-baccalaureate minors?

Marketing is now at the discretion of the minor program directors, department heads, and Colleges.

    1. How will a potential minor student determine eligibility to pursue a K-State minor?

Current undergraduate students will continue to contact advisors and minor program directors. All other potential minor students (including current degree-seeking graduate students) would contact the minor program director and consult the catalog listings.

    1. Will students enrolled in courses for a post-baccalaureateminor have advisors assigned to them?

No. Students should consult with and be advised by the minor program directors.

    1. Will students have to be admitted or readmitted to the undergraduate program to pursue a post-baccalaureate minor and what fees will they have to pay?
      • Current K-State graduate students with previous undergraduate enrollment history at K-State taken more than one semester prior to enrolling for courses for a minor will be treated as an undergraduate readmit student. They will complete a readmit application, but no application fee will be required.
      • Current K-State graduate students with no previous undergraduate enrollment historywill submit an application to the undergraduate program and pay an application fee. Since the Graduate School has their transcripts, they will not have to re-submit them.
      • Post-baccalaureate K-State graduates seeking to take courses as a non-degree seeking student will be treated as a readmit student and will complete the readmit application, but no application fee will be required.
      • Post-baccalaureate non-K-State graduates seeking to take courses as a non-degree seeking student will submit an application to the undergraduate program, submit transcripts, and pay an application fee.
    2. Will new students being admitted to the university to pursue a post-baccalaureate minor be required to attend new student orientation and enrollment?

No. They will be treated as all other non-degree seeking students and will not be required to attend orientation and enrollment.

    1. Will English proficiency be required as with other students? Will they be invited to test?

Yes, English proficiency will be required. For those students who have not submitted supporting documentation that they’ve met the minimum English proficiency requirements, Admissions will implement procedures to communicate English proficiency test dates offered prior to the beginning of classes.

    1. Who will evaluate applicants for post-baccalaureate minors for adequacy of past academic preparation? How will transfer courses be approved for application towards the award of a post-baccalaureate minor?

Minor program directors will review/evaluate past academic work and determine which transfer credits apply. Under current Undergraduate Admissions procedures, transfer courses are not evaluated for non-degree seeking students unless requested by the student.

    1. If a K-State graduate is awarded a minor retrospectively without taking any new classes, what will be the date of completion for the minor?

Past practice has been to backdate the award to the semester the last class was taken. Beginning Fall 2011, the date of the award will correspond to the semester the student applied for and was evaluated for the minor. This is a more accurate date for record-keeping purposes and maintains the integrity of the transcript.

  1. Some minor programs have descriptions that say the minor can only be pursued as part of an undergraduate program. How will necessary changes be made to such language?

The CAPP chair request that CAPP members contact the minor program directors in their Colleges to communicate the need to modify minor program descriptions consistent with the new policy that all minors are open to K-State graduates with a baccalaureate or graduate degree. Because the policy applies to all minor programs, such modifications will not need to be sent through the course and curriculum approval process.