Kansas State University is committed to providing effective advising services to students as an essential component of their educational experience.
Semester advising generally is required as a condition for enrollment. Electronic or written permission for reentered enrollment must be gotten from the advisor. Students are encouraged to seek academic advising regularly throughout their academic careers. Students are responsible for initiating advising contact and preparing for advising sessions. The advising relationship between the academic advisor and the student is protected by confidentiality.
In accordance with the Kansas Board of Regents academic advising policy, department and college-based advising systems are available to all students to assist in and provide for the following:
1. Goal setting. Help students set both short-term and long-term educational goals.
2. Information. Inform students of the graduation requirements of their department, help with strategic course selections so as to minimize the number of semesters required for graduation, and inform students of career opportunities in their field of study.
3. Transitions. Inform students how to change colleges and/or departments and provide information to explain the process students follow to enroll in their curriculum and to drop or add courses during the semester.
4. Accessibility. Have reasonable hours and methods of availability for students. Students should be able to set up appointments for an adequate amount of time to make curricular selections and career choices.
5. Referral to campus resources. Be able to refer students to various campus resources: Academic Assistance Center, University Counseling Services, Career and Employment Services, and degree audit (DARS).
Students are ultimately responsible for fulfilling all the requirements of the curriculum in which they are enrolled. Students share responsibility for a successful university experience and are expected to contribute to effective advising sessions by:
1. Participating in orientation programs, providing standardized test scores, as required by Kansas Board of Regents policy, and providing an academic history that aids in course selection decisions.
2. Working with an advisor to develop and implement both short- and long-term educational and career goals.
3. Knowing academic policies and procedures, academic calendar deadlines, and degree or program requirements.
4. Consulting with an advisor when necessary and following through on recommendations.
5. Scheduling and keeping appointments with an advisor. Coming prepared for appointments by bringing appropriate materials, identifying course choices from requirements of the preferred program or major, and identifying questions to address.
6. Informing an academic advisor of any special needs, deficiencies, or barriers that might affect academic success.
7. Remaining informed of progress in meeting academic requirements, carefully maintaining academic records, and seeking assistance to resolve any errors or questions.
Open Option is chosen by students who are in the process of deciding on a major. With over 200 programs and majors at K-State, many students initially declare Open Option while deciding which program best fits their talents and interests. Students work closely with Open Option advisors to explore academic interests and majors and to develop a sound program of study. Open Option advisors help students with the active decision-making process required to choose a major. These advisors are housed in the College of Arts and Sciences, although they advise for majors and programs throughout the university.
The Open Option program is available to all students who have fewer than 60 hours; students must declare a major before the completion of 60 credit hours. It is strongly recommended that students with more than 45 cumulative hours not enter the Open Option. However, transfer students and those facing exceptional circumstances may enter the Open Option with more than 45 hours on the recommendation of an open option advisor. Such students may remain in the open option for one semester.
Pre-professional programs are advised in the College of Arts and Sciences dean's office. See the Arts and Sciences section of this catalog for details.
The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score is key for admission to law school. The pre-law advisor provides practice LSATs, logic and writing workshops, and other opportunities to prepare for the test. In addition to helping the student prepare for the test, the pre-law advisor works closely with each student on the selection of law schools and on the application process.
Additional information about pre-law can be found on the pre-law website at www.ksu.edu/artsci/prelaw/.
Students interested in the health professions listed below are advised through the College of Arts and Sciences. Health professions advisors help students become competitive applicants to professional schools that will prepare them for the following health careers:
· Chiropractic
· Clinical laboratory science (medical technology)
· Dentistry
· Health information management
· Medicine (allopathic, osteopathic, chiropractic, podiatric, physician's asst.)
· Nursing
· Occupational therapy
· Optometry
· Pharmacy
· Physical therapy
· Physician assistant
· Respiratory care
· Veterinary medicine (Students interested in Veterinary Medicine may be advised through the College of Arts and Sciences or the College of Agriculture. See the Pre-Health Professions Program section in this catalog for a detailed explanation.)
An undergraduate major is offered only in clinical laboratory science. The other pre-health areas are not majors.
Some professional schools require a bachelor's degree before matriculation. Even if a degree is not required, some students may wish to earn a bachelor's degree from K-State before going on to professional school.
Students who require or wish to complete a bachelor's degree before going on to professional school must declare a major. No specific major is preferred over another by professional schools, so students should choose a major based on their academic interests. A major may be chosen from any undergraduate college at Kansas State University. Pre-health students who declare a major will have a pre-health advisor and an advisor for their undergraduate major.
Many opportunities exist at Kansas State University to earn college credit by examination. K-State participates in the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Excelsior College Exams, DANTES, high school International Baccalaureate (IB), and the College Board high school Advanced Placement Testing Program (AP). Local examinations (quiz outs) also are given in many course areas by individual departments within the university.
Information listing the exams accepted is on the Internet: www.k-state.edu/admit/requirements.html or contact one of these offices: Office of Admissions Kansas State University 119 Anderson Hall Manhattan, Kansas 66506-0102
Academic Assistance Center Kansas State University 101 Holton Hall Manhattan, Kansas 66506-1307
Also see the catalog section on the Academic Assistance Center.
Students who are enrolled in K-State courses may petition a K-State department for permission to attempt to earn credit for a specific K-State course through a special departmental examination. Credit may be granted for any course with the consent of the head of the department offering credit for that subject. Permission is granted only if the student has prepared for the examination. The examination must be taken under the supervision of the head of the department in which the course is given. Credit earned by special examination is considered resident credit.
Credit by examination may receive letter grades or a notation “credit” as determined by the department. Check with your advisor to be certain a course will count to meet a requirement. The graded work will receive grade points to be computed in the student's GPA. Nongraded credit by examination will be treated as graded hours in implementing A/Pass/F policy.
College-level credit earned through accredited extension divisions may be applied toward credit requirements for a degree at K-State. The credit must be applicable to the curriculum chosen and the amount of credit that can be used is limited. Contact the appropriate dean's office for further information.
The Academic Fresh Start GPA enables a student returning to K-State for a baccalaureate degree after an absence of three or more years to neutralize, in part, the grade impact of prior academic performance. Academic Fresh Start provides for the computation of an alternative GPA and for the use of that GPA in most academic situations. A student may apply only once, and the process cannot be reversed.
Conditions for a readmitted student to be eligible to apply for Academic Fresh start are:
The student was not enrolled in a K-State course for three calendar years prior to readmission.
For the course work completed following readmission the student has earned a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher at the end of the academic session in which the twelfth credit was earned.
The calculation and reporting of the Academic Fresh Start cumulative GPA and its uses in academic evaluation are:
The beginning point for the Academic Fresh start cumulative GPA will be at the end of the first, second, third, or fourth regular academic semester following the student's initial K-State date of entry. The choice of starting point is designated by the student at the time of applying for Academic Fresh Start.
Academic Fresh Start deletes nothing from the student's academic record. Grades earned before the Academic Fresh Start will remain on the transcript along with the cumulative GPA for all hours taken. In addition, the transcript will clearly indicate the starting point of the Academic Fresh Start as well as the Academic Fresh Start cumulative GPA.
University wide academic policies are based on a cumulative GPA. In order for students in the Academic Fresh start program to be eligible for university academic honors, they must complete a minimum of 60 hours in residence, with at least 50 hours in graded courses after returning to K-State. Other academic policies will not be affected.