University Studies

University College provides oversight and operations for the following University-wide programs and academic support services (each housed in the Department of University Studies):

English as a Second Language (ESL) Study and Tutorial Center
Honors Program
Dual Enrollment Honors Program
Interdisciplinary Studies Degree Program (with possible Leadership Concentration)
Learning Support Programs
Math Lab
Supplemental Instruction

The ESL (English as a Second Language) Program/ESL Study and Tutorial Center

The ESL Program in the Department of University Studies (University College) houses the ESL Study and Tutorial Center—an attractive, comfortable space that provides students computers for academic work and an extensive selection of ESL textbooks. At the Center, international students are offered tutoring in reading, writing, pronunciation, and Regents’ test preparation. General education academic advisement, registration assistance, grammar and Alternative Regents’ workshops are also available.

An important program coordinated through the ESL Study and Tutorial Center is the Conversation Partners Program. This program gives international students the opportunity to practice speaking and listening in informal settings outside the classroom, as well as learn more about campus and American cultures. Improving retention as well as helping to internationalize our campus, this popular program is offered both fall and spring semesters.

Testing is another service offered through the ESL Study and Tutorial Center. Both the Alternative Regents’ tests and the Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (MTELP), an alternative to TOEFL, are offered to international students and applicants, and extended-time testing for undergraduate and graduate courses is available for individual students (by arrangement with the students’ instructors).

Finally, the ESL Program offers ESL 1105: Grammar Seminar for International Students and ESL 1106: Pronunciation Seminar for International Students. Both of these are elective courses open to all KSU international students.

Honors Program

The award-winning Honors Program at Kennesaw State University has two divisions. For recently matriculated or currently enrolled undergraduates, the Undergraduate Honors Program offers a flexible array of excellent Honors experiences designed to challenge exceptional students. For high school juniors or seniors who want to complete college courses for dual credit, the Dual Enrollment Honors Program (DEHP) provides an opportunity to get a head start on college. Students may choose to complete their entire freshman year of college before graduating from high school. Both programs provide honors students with exciting academic challenges, intense mentoring relationships with faculty, connection to the student honors community, and applied learning that reflects the students’ level of accomplishment.

Undergraduate Honors Program Admission Criteria

Students who consistently exceed the expectations of their instructors, and therefore, need and want the challenge of academic experiences qualitatively different from those provided in most existing courses, can find a home in the outstanding KSU Undergraduate Honors Program. Those admitted to the program will need to match one of the following profiles:

Students who have recently graduated from high school, are entering Kennesaw State as first-year students, have a high school grade point average of 3.5 or better in their academic courses, and have made a composite score of 1200 or better on the Scholastic Aptitude Test (equivalent ACT scores also accepted);
Currently enrolled students (including those who have transferred from other institutions) who have earned a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or better in no fewer than 15 hours and no more than 60 hours of KSU course work.

The Honors Director may waive these eligibility criteria for candidates who can present a convincing and substantive case of their motivation and potential to succeed in the Undergraduate Honors Program.

Students identified as Honors prospects should receive an invitation to join the program. Others should contact the Honors Director at (770) 499-3514 if they think they are eligible and have not received any communication from the Honors Office. This is a competitive program and students are encouraged to submit materials early.

Undergraduate Honors Program Fundamentals

The Undergraduate Honors Program is organized around three fundamentals providing students with a rounded academic experience: Honors Faculty mentorship, formal Honors Experiences, and the Honors Colloquium.

Fundamental One - Honors Faculty Mentorship: Honors students are carefully matched with individual faculty mentors who are chosen from the ranks of the Honors Faculty and share their advisees’ academic interests and professional objectives. Honors mentors are more than academic advisors (though they play that role, too). The active intellectual exchange between mentors and their students is designed to foster a peer relationship that helps the students to achieve their potential as well as gain a faculty advocate.
Fundamental Two - Honors Requirements: Honors students must complete 25-26 hours of honors credits through the following:.
- two one-hour, pass/fail honors colloquia (HON 300) or one three-hour, traditionally graded honors seminar/special topics course (HON 2290 or HON 4490); 2-3 hours honors credit
- five additional honors-designated courses worth at least three semester hours each, chosen from among the following: an honors section of a general education course (e.g., ENGL 2110/H1); an honors seminar or special topics course (e.g., HON 2290 or HON 4490); an honors directed, or independent, study (HON 4400); an upper-level honors contract course in an honors student’s major (e.g., BIOL 3300/01 - Honors); 15 hours honors credit
  - Please note: At least one honors-contract experience is mandatory for all honors students.
  - Students who are not required to take a research methods course in the major (or in a major that does not offer one), must take IDS 3100/H1, “Interdisciplinary Research Methods,” to meet one of these five honors course requirements.
- one applied learning honors experience related to the student’s discipline, completed through one of the following, for 3 hours honors credit, or the equivalent:
  - an applied honors contract in an upper-level course in the major
  - an applied learning honors contract without a course affiliation
  - an honors directed study (HON 4400)
  - a study abroad experience to which an honors dimension is added
  - an honors service-learning experience completed with or without a course affiliation (e.g., serving as an honors peer mentor over one, two, or three semesters)
- a three-course, five-semester-hour honors senior capstone sequence consisting of:
  - a one-hour section of the Honors Senior Capstone Experience (HON 4497) in which the student will find a full-time faculty member in his or her major to supervise the project; design the project, with that advisor’s support; and submit the Honors Senior Capstone Proposal for approval, first to the project supervisor and subsequently to the Honors Director and the Honors Council. A student whose honors capstone proposal is fully approved at all levels will be cleared to register for the second segment of the Honors Senior Capstone Experience.
  - one three-hour segment of the Honors Senior Capstone Experience (HON 4498) in which the student will conduct research, submitting a research outline or detailed progress report to the project supervisor at the end of the semester. A student who submits a substantive outline or report will be cleared to register for the final segment of the capstone course sequence.
  - one final, one-hour section of the Honors Senior Capstone Experience (HON 4499) culminating in the submission of an honors thesis or other honors-appropriate product and the honors portfolio to the Honors Council for final review.

To help students develop a perspective on their work that will be useful in employment after graduation, all Honors students are required to keep the products of their Honors Experiences and Honors Colloquia (research papers, journals, documentation of exhibits, etc.) in an Honors Portfolio. To be designated an Honors Scholar, a student must complete all honors requirements with an A or a B (or the equivalent) and must receive the Honors Council’s approval for both the Senior Capstone project and the Honors Portfolio. The Honors Portfolio serves as a marker of the student’s accomplishments, and is an outstanding resource after graduation.

Students in KSU’s Undergraduate Honors Program receive advanced priority registration as long as they maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or better; see their Honors mentors at least once a semester; and perform satisfactorily in their honors courses or other honors experiences. Each semester, honors students may have the opportunity to participate in special Honors events. Honors Scholars receive a special designation on their transcripts and diplomas and are recognized at graduation. We are proud of our Honors Program and believe it provides students the opportunity to advance their learning in an applied, individualized context.

Dual Enrollment Honors Program Admission Criteria

Rising high school juniors and seniors are eligible for the Dual Enrollment Honors Program if they earn:

a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better in their academic course work and are on track to complete the College Preparatory requirements
AND
a composite score of 1100 on the SAT, with minimum subparts of 530 verbal and 530 math; or an ACT score of at least 25 composite with subpart minimums of 24 English and 24 math.

Dual Enrollment Honors Program (DEHP)

The Dual Enrollment Honors Program gives outstanding high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn high school and college credits simultaneously by taking KSU courses in lieu of high school courses. Students may choose to take honors classes or regular KSU classes, and to attend KSU full- or part-time. Funding for 100% of tuition and most student fees is provided for qualified DEHP students attending accredited public and private high schools or home-school programs through the ACCEL program of the HOPE Scholarship or Georgia’s Move on When Ready act. DEHP students are responsible for any fee balance and textbook costs beyond the allowance provided by these programs.

All applicants must have the approval of their high school counselor, who will verify on a Consent Form that the courses completed at Kennesaw State will satisfy the remaining requirements for high school graduation. To be admitted to DEHP, students must also complete an online application for admission, have earned at least a 3.0 GPA in high school CPC academic core courses (not electives), and have a minimum combined score of 1100 on the Critical Reading and Math sections of the Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT), with subpart minimum of 530 on the Critical Reading section and 530 on the Math section of the test; or a composite score of 24 on the American College Test (ACT), with subpart minimum scores of 23 English and 22 Math, and be on track to graduate with a college prep diploma.

Accepted students are required to attend a mandatory KSU advising session prior to registration and a summer orientation program specifically for DEHP. Students and parents must also sign a Policy Statement acknowledging their understanding of the academic and behavioral conduct policies of the program. Students are accepted to begin the program in the Fall term only. A KSU GPA of 2.0 is required to continue in the program for Spring semester.

The admission deadline for DEHP is typically in mid-January. For the current deadline, visit the Admissions Web site or contact the Office of Admissions.

Learning Support Programs

Learning Support Programs have a specific mission: providing academic support to those students whose entrance and placement scores indicate that they need remedial instruction before they enroll in regular credit classes. Students whose SAT or ACT scores are below KSU’s requirements are required to take the corresponding sub-tests of COMPASS (Computer –Adaptive Placement Assessment and Support System). The Office of Admissions, the Student Success Services Center, or the Department of University Studies will contact students needing to take these courses. According to these placement scores, students may be placed in Learning Support courses in English, math, or reading. These are non-credit courses such as English 0099 (grammar and composition), Math 0097 (Elementary Algebra), Math 0098 (Intermediate Algebra), MATH 0099 (Elementary and Intermediate Algebra) and Reading 0099 (Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Skills). Learning Support courses are designed so that students may complete all requirements in an area in a maximum of two semesters.

Since these are academic assistance courses, there are certain restrictions placed by the Board of Regents or by Kennesaw State University or both upon students enrolled in these courses. The following restrictions apply to all Learning Support students: Students must register for the LSP courses they are required to take each semester of enrollment at KSU before they are eligible to register for any regular credit courses. If they do choose to take credit courses at the same time, these courses must not have LSP courses as prerequisites. They may not, however, accumulate more than 20 hours of academic credit before completing all Learning Support requirements. They also may not attempt any Learning Support discipline more than two times. Students may not withdraw from their Learning Support courses unless they withdraw from credit courses as well. Although these courses do not carry degree credit, students do receive institutional credit and thus may satisfy requirements for VA benefits and other financial assistance. Unsuccessful completion of Learning Support requirements by students will result in exclusion from further study at KSU. Also, the program offers two courses in Regents test preparation, RGTR 0198 - Reading and RGTE 0199 - English. In addition, the program provides a variety of tutorial services, including ESL tutoring for non-native speakers, math tutoring for math students and writing assistance for non-traditional students.

The Math Lab

The Math Lab is a free, on campus tutoring service available to all currently enrolled KSU students. Services are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Access to videos, software, such as Scientific Notebook, Workplace, and other math-related computer software are also available. Tutors assist students with the understanding of math concepts, analysis of math problems, and skill building. All tutors have had Calculus I or higher and have completed the KSU tutor training workshop.

The lab is located on the 4th floor of the Library in room 433. For other information about the Math Lab, call 770-423-6044.

Supplemental Instruction

Supplemental Instruction (SI) is a program whereby students in selected “high-risk” courses (courses with a high “D”, “F”, “W” rate) are provided the opportunity to receive additional instruction facilitated by students who have been successful in those courses in previous semesters. They receive content instruction as well as help in analysis, critical thinking, and problem solving as it relates to the subject matter. National studies have shown that students who take advantage of this opportunity generally perform better than matched students who do not avail themselves of the service. SI is coordinated within the Department of University Studies with the cooperation of the discipline departments in which the selected courses are housed.