School of Professional Studies
School of Professional Studies
Graduation requirements and regulations for every academic program are provided in this catalog; however, this catalog is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract. Degree and program requirements and course descriptions are subject to change.
In most cases, you will use the catalog of the year you entered KU (see your academic advisor for details). Other years’ catalogs»
Introduction
The School of Professional Studies, located at the University of Kansas Edwards Campus in Overland Park, KS, provides high-quality academic programs, research activities, and engaged learning initiatives that meet workforce, economic, and student needs. Our work is guided by our shared commitment to the values of collaboration, innovation, and social equity as we serve our students and the community. Depending on the program and semester, courses offered through the School of Professional Studies may be offered on the Edwards Campus, on the Lawrence Campus, or online in either an asynchronous or synchronous format.
Undergraduate Programs in the School of Professional Studies
The School of Professional Studies is an academic unit designed and charged with serving the workforce needs in the Kansas City metro area and nationally. The undergraduate programs in the School of Professional Studies are interdisciplinary in nature and are delivered in a variety of formats: in-person at the Edwards Campus, in-person at the Lawrence Campus, and online. These programs are aimed at preparing students for high demand workforce needs.
In partnership with their academic advisor, it is the students’ responsibility to become thoroughly acquainted with all requirements for the degree programs in which they plan to participate. These include all university requirements, as well as the requirements of the School of Professional Studies outlined in this section of the catalog. Students are also responsible for understanding the requirements that are unique to individual programs. By taking an active role in their undergraduate education, students maximize the value of their KU experience.
The School of Professional Studies offers a variety of degrees at the baccalaureate level:
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Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)
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Bachelor of Science (B.S.)
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Bachelor of Applied Science (B.A.S.)
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Bachelor of General Studies (B.G.S.)
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Bachelor of Heath Sciences (B.H.S.)
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Bachelor of Professional Studies (B.P.S.)
These programs are distinguished as follows:
The B.A. and B.S. degrees are structured to ensure both breadth and depth of knowledge through completion of Core 34 as well as course work in the major. The following identifies requirements unique to each degree:
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Bachelor of Arts: world language course sequence (i.e., American Sign Language, French, Spanish)
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Bachelor of Science: natural and physical science and quantitative reasoning courses
The B.A.S., B.G.S., B.H.S., and B.P.S. degrees are applied in nature and especially industry oriented. These degrees have a professional skills course requirement* and coursework in the major in addition to completion of Core 34. These degrees may allow technical credit from regionally accredited institutions (credit from specific A.A.S. degree programs) to be counted toward the minimum credit hour requirement of the degree.
* PFS 301, 302, or 303; HSCI 315 or 415; PMGT 410
View additional information about the School of Professional Studies academic programs.
Admission
Information on undergraduate admission standards, requirements, and processes is found within the program page in the catalog. Visit the Office of Admissions for information about admission to KU. Visit the Office of International Support Services for information about international admissions. Students interested in pursuing a degree in the School of Professional Studies should meet with an academic advisor to learn more degree requirements and future opportunities.
Advising
To ensure student success, all students in the School of Professional Studies will work with an academic advisor through their time at KU. Advisors work with students from the admissions process through graduation. For advising information, contact 913-897-8539 or visit https://sps.ku.edu/about/contact.
University Honors Program
The School of Professional Studies encourages qualified students to participate in the Honors Program. The KU Edwards Campus Honors Program is uniquely designed for transfer students at the Edwards Campus and online, while the Lawrence-based Honors Program is tailored for students enrolled at the main campus. The honors program is here to help you get the most out of your college experience, whether you are transferring from a community college honors program, or preparing for your first year of college.
Graduate Programs in the School of Professional Studies
The School of Professional Studies is an academic unit that serves the needs of professionals in the Kansas City metro area and nationally. The graduate programs in the School of Professional Studies are interdisciplinary programs aimed at preparing students for high demand workforce needs.
The Master of Arts and Master of Science degree programs within the School of Professional Studies include these distinguishing characteristics:
Master of Arts:
- Core courses (12-24 credit hours)
- Elective courses (6-15 credit hours)
- Research and Practica or Capstone course (3-6 credit hours)
- Total credit hours: 30-36
- Discipline focus is in the arts and humanities
Master of Science:
- Core courses (12-24 credit hours)
- Concentration (12 credit hours) + Electives (0-9 credit hours)
- or Electives (6-15 credit hours)
- Research and Practica or Capstone course (3-6 credit hours)
- Total credit hours: 30-36
- Discipline focus is in scientific and technical fields
View additional information about the School of Professional Studies academic programs.
Degree Requirements
Requirements for the completion of graduate certificates and master’s degrees in the School of Professional Studies are governed by department- or program-specific policy, School policies and procedures, Graduate Studies policies, and the University Senate Rules and Regulations.
Information on degree requirements presented in this section is limited to the most frequently consulted policies and key milestones in the graduate career. Students will find additional information under the KU Policy Library, the Graduate Studies regulations sections of the online catalog, and the University of Kansas Rules and Regulations.
Admission
Information on graduate admission standards and requirements as well as application procedures is found within the program page in the catalog. Visit Graduate Studies Admission for information about admission to KU. Visit the Office of International Support Services for information about international admissions. Students interested in pursuing a degree in the School of Professional Studies are strongly encouraged to meet with an academic advisor to learn more about program requirements and future opportunities.
Advising
To ensure student success, all students in the School of Professional Studies will work with an academic advisor through their time at KU. Advisors work with students from the admissions process through graduation. For advising information, contact 785-864-0163 or visit https://sps.ku.edu/about/contact.
Undergraduate & Graduate Scholarships and Financial Aid
The School of Professional Studies seeks to provide academic programs that are accessible and affordable to all students and encourages students to carefully review tuition and fees as well as opportunities for financial aid.
Undergraduate Scholarships and Financial Aid
Academic scholarships, as well as grants, loans, and need-based financial aid, are available through Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Additional scholarship information unique to the School of Professional Studies and the Edwards Campus is also available.
Graduate Fellowships and Assistantships
Visit the Graduate Studies website for information about funding opportunities for graduate students at KU. Graduate programs in the School of Professional Studies do not currently offer Graduate Fellowships or Graduate Teaching Assistantships.
Financial Aid and Scholarships administers grants, loans, and need-based financial aid. Additional scholarship information unique to the School of Professional Studies and the Edwards Campus is also available.
For information about University regulations, see Regulations or visit the University of Kansas Policy Library.
Undergraduate Regulations
Absences
A student with excessive absences may be withdrawn from the course by the Dean. Instructors may require a certain level of attendance for passing a course and may drop a student for lack of attendance without the student’s consent.
Change of School
Students with a KU cumulative GPA of 2.00 or higher (or in their first semester) can fill out a Change of School form requesting to be admitted to the School of Professional Studies from a different KU school. This process is for active KU students. Students not admitted to KU follow the University’s admission policy.
Credit/No Credit
A Credit/No Credit option is available to all degree-seeking undergraduates. Students may enroll in one course a semester under the option if the course is not in your major or minor. For more information, visit the KU Policy Library.
Warning: Certain undesirable consequences may result from exercising this option. Some schools, scholarship committees, and honorary societies do not accept this grading system and convert grades of No Credit to F when computing grade-point averages. Always check with your academic advisor before electing C/NC as policies vary from program to program.
Graduation with Distinction and Highest Distinction
Students who rank in the upper 10 percent (KU cumulative GPA) of their graduating class graduate with distinction. The upper third of those awarded distinction graduate with highest distinction. The list is compiled each spring and includes July, December, and May graduates.
Honor Roll (Dean’s List)
Students who earn a 3.75 grade point average or above in at least 6 credit hours for the semester are recognized on the honor roll or dean’s list in fall and spring. Credit/No Credit grades are not accepted. S grades are accepted. An honor roll notation appears on the transcript.
Maximum and Minimum Semester Enrollment
Maximum enrollment for undergraduate students in the School of Professional Studies is 18 credit hours in the fall or spring semester and 9 credit hours in a summer session. Students may appeal to their program for an exception.
Nonresidence Study Before the Last 30 Hours
Before the last 30 hours required for the degree, students may, under certain conditions, take courses at other institutions and transfer the credit to KU. Before enrolling in a nonresidence course, check on how your courses will transfer to KU. After completing the coursework, you must request that an official transcript be sent to the following mailing address: The University of Kansas, Office of the University Registrar, 1502 Building, 1502 Iowa St., Lawrence, KS 66045. For transcripts to be official, they must be mailed from the college or university directly to KU. Faxed transcripts are not accepted for posting of transfer credit. Nonresidence credit includes all credits from another college or university taken after initial enrollment at KU, military service courses, and other undergraduate course work not formally offered in the Schedule of Classes. Majors must submit the Request for Tentative Evaluation of Transfer Credit form before they enroll.
Prerequisites and Corequisites
Students are advised to enroll according to prerequisites and corequisites noted in individual course descriptions. Prerequisite waivers are used at the discretion of the Associate Dean of the School of Professional Studies and the appropriate academic program director.
Academic Standing
Undergraduate student academic standing is assessed at the end of each term. Academic Standing includes the following statuses: Good Standing, Placed on Probation, Continued on Probation, and Dismissal.
Good Standing
Students with a KU cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher are in good academic standing.
Placed on Probation
A student whose KU cumulative grade-point average falls below a 2.0 is on placed on probation for the following semester.
Continued on Probation
A student on probation is continued on probation for one more semester if the KU semester grade-point average is not yet a 2.0 but progress is being made as determined by a faculty committee.
Returned to Good Standing
A student on probation is returned to good standing if the KU cumulative grade-point-average is at least 2.0.
Dismissal
A student on probation is dismissed for failure to earn a KU cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.0 in the next semester of enrollment after two consecutive semesters on probation. Students who are dismissed are dropped from any courses enrolled in for future semesters. Students who are dismissed may appeal the dismissal through the School of Professional Studies faculty committee. A student reinstated is continued on probation and has one semester to return to good standing. Students dismissed by the School may apply to another KU school or College of Liberal Arts & Sciences by completing a Change of School form.
Reinstatement after Dismissal
Students who have been dismissed may apply for readmission through the regular admissions process. Students applying for readmission after dismissal must have successfully completed any requirements set by the School of Professional Studies for readmission, if any.
Repetition of Courses
The School of Professional Studies follows the University’s course repeat and grade replacement policy.
Required Work in Residence
To earn a bachelor’s degree from KU, you must complete the last 30 hours of credit for the degree by resident study. Students may petition the dean for a waiver. Up to 6 hours of work completed at another institution may be accepted as part of the last 30 hours, if the hours are not in required courses in the major. If a student completes more than 6 of the last 30 hours at another college, they must complete additional KU course work to graduate. Transfer courses must be completed with a C or higher. Always check with you advisor concerning enrollment as part of the last 30 hours of your degree.
Transfer of Credit
CredTran is an undergraduate transfer course equivalency system that lists more than 2,200 colleges and universities from which KU has accepted transfer courses in the past. If a student’s school or course is not listed, the evaluation will be completed when the student is admitted to KU.
Courses completed at other institutions are accepted to fulfill graduation requirements (e.g., in place of specifically prescribed courses) only if they are substantially equivalent as indicated by course description, hours of credit, and prerequisites. For courses not listed on CredTran, the student must submit a petition along with a course syllabus to the School of Professional Studies. Petition forms are available by contacting a School of Professional Studies academic advisor.
Only transfer grades of C- or higher apply toward graduation from the School of Professional Studies.
Graduate Regulations
It is the students’ responsibility to comply with all requirements for the degree programs in which they plan to participate. These include the university requirements for graduate study at KU outlined in the Graduate Studies sections of the KU Policy Library, the University Senate Rules and Regulations, the Graduate Studies sections of the online catalog, as well as the requirements of the School of Professional Studies outlined in this catalog section. Additionally, students are responsible for understanding the requirements that are unique to individual graduate programs listed herein.
To ensure student support navigating these processes, all students in the School of Professional Studies will work with an academic advisor through their time at KU. Advisors work with students from the admissions process through graduation. To connect with your advisor, contact 785-864-0163 or visit https://sps.ku.edu/about/contact. Each graduate student will also be assigned a faculty advisor who will provide guidance for the student throughout their program.
Admission
Graduate Studies defines the eligibility and admission criteria for different categories of admission to graduate study at the University of Kansas. Further details of program specific admission, provisional admission, and readmission information can be found in the Admissions section of the catalog for each graduate program.
Enrollment
Full-time, Half-Time and Part-Time Enrollment
Please see the Full-time Enrollment policy in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog and the KU Policy Library for the definitions of full-time, half-time, and part-time enrollment.
Maximum enrollment for graduate students in the School of Professional Studies is 12 hours in fall or spring semester and 6 hours in the summer session. Students may appeal to their program for exceptions.
At a minimum, all graduate students must be continuously enrolled in the fall and spring semesters while completing the requirements for fulfillment of their degree. Please consult the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog and the KU Policy Library for other enrollment regulations.
Probation and Dismissal Guidelines
To be in good standing, a student must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade-point average and be making satisfactory progress toward the degree, as determined by Graduate Studies' Good Academic Standing policy and the department or program's internal guidelines. The Good Academic Standing policy may be found in the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog and the KU Policy Library.
Probation Due to GPA
In any term, a student whose cumulative GPA has fallen below a 3.0 is automatically placed on academic probation for the following term (fall, spring, or summer). Students are notified by the School of Professional Studies of their probationary status. Students are removed from probation once the 3.0 cumulative GPA is regained. Once a student is on probation they must maintain at least a 3.0 term GPA to maintain progress towards removal from probation. Failure to do so will result in a review that could result in dismissal.
Dismissal
It is the academic unit’s responsibility to ensure that students who are not demonstrating academic achievement sufficient to meet the requirements of a School of Professional Studies graduate degree are dismissed from their programs. This typically occurs when a student fails to meet the terms of the probationary period. Academic dismissal should occur immediately following a student’s failure to meet the terms of the probationary period. The School will notify the student in writing of the reasons for their dismissal.
A student who has been dismissed from a graduate program at KU is not eligible for readmission to graduate study in any department or program at the University of Kansas. A student may petition for an exception. The petition must be approved by the department to which the student intends to apply, the graduate division of the College, and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Such petitions are rarely approved.
University Regulations on Grading
Article II of the University Senate Rules and Regulations provides detailed information on regulations governing the grading of graduate coursework. Students should also consult the Graduate Studies section of the online catalog and the KU Policy Library for more information on the Grading Policy.
Time Limits
The University has established time limits governing various stages of the graduate student career.
Maximum Time to Count Required Course Work
Courses completed at the University of Kansas, or transfer credits from another university, are valid for a period of 10 years. With the endorsement of their graduate programs, students may petition the School to accept out-of-date course work to fulfill the requirements for their graduate degrees, provided they are able to justify why this course work meets the current standards of scholarship in the discipline.
Maximum Time to Complete the Degree
Graduate Studies has established time limits on master’s and doctoral degree completion. Please see Graduate Studies policies on Doctoral Program Time Constraints and Master's Program Time Constraints in the Graduate Studies sections of the online catalog and in the KU Policy Library for full details. Master's degree students have a total of 7 calendar years, excluding any periods of absence due to an approved leave of absence or voluntary discontinuation from a program, in which to complete the work for a master’s degree.
A time limit extension may be granted by the School. All extension petitions require the department to prepare and submit a Graduate Degree Completion Agreement, which must then be approved by the School of Professional Studies Academic Council. Per Graduate Studies policy, extensions may be granted for up to 1 year. However, additional time may be requested in the Completion Agreement. If a Completion Agreement with a timeline greater than 1 year is approved, the department must submit a renewal petition annually after the first year until the Completion Agreement has ended. Renewal petitions must indicate the student's progress on the Completion Agreement and will receive expedited review.
Academic units may set their own, more rigorous time limits. Consult with your advisor and review your academic unit’s handbook and the relevant Departments and Programs section of the online catalog for program-specific information, requirements, and restrictions.
Academic and Research Integrity
The School of Professional Studies strictly enforces KU and School policies on academic and scholarly misconduct. Academic integrity requires honest performance of academic and research responsibilities by students. These include, but are not limited to, ethical preparation of assignments, reports, and research papers; completion of examinations; ethical treatment of human and animal subjects; execution of administrative requirements; and a sincere and conscientious effort by students to abide by the policies set forth by instructors and research advisors. See the School of Professional Studies website for procedures for misconduct and grievances.
Graduation
Graduate students must be enrolled the semester they complete degree requirements.
Graduate Studies establishes an early deadline for degree completion for each semester and summer session, usually occurring at the end of the first 2 weeks of a semester or the end of the first week of summer session. If the student was enrolled the previous semester and meets all degree requirements including the submission of all required documentation by the early deadline, they are not required to enroll for that semester.
The final Graduate Application for Graduation deadline is set by the Registrar for each semester. Please consult the official Academic Calendar for specific dates. To be eligible for graduation, an application for degree must be submitted and all degree requirements met by this deadline. This includes the submission of all required documentation to the School of Professional Studies.
Career
The School of Professional Studies and KU Edwards Campus is committed to helping you accomplish your career goals, and offers resources to help you find career solutions on how to navigate the career change process, career mobility, and/or develop strategies for that first career conversation.
University Career Center
The University Career Center, Summerfield Hall, 1300 Sunnyside Ave., Room 206, provides career counseling and services for all KU students, including students in the School of Professional Studies, both in person as well as online. Call 785-864-3624 for more information.