Kent State is lowering the minimum number of credit hours required to graduate from 121 to 120; however, some programs will not change, meaning many students will still graduate with more than 120 hours.

Director of Curriculum Services Therese Tillett said roughly 68 percent of bachelor’s degree programs will make the change for fall 2014. Provost Todd Diacon said the one credit hour change is due to 120 hours now being the national standard of credit hours to graduate.

“If you think about it, we tend to say 15 credit hours a semester. If you take 15 credit hours a semester, you ought to be able to graduate in four years, and that’s 120 hours,” Diacon said.

According to the curriculum proposal to revise the minimum number of credit hours, Kent State originally required 129 credits to graduate. This number was lowered to 121 in fall of 1996. The concept was students take 15 credit hours per semester for four years to have 120 credits. The additional one credit hour comes from the First Year Experience course taken by all freshman students.

Diacon said it makes sense to lower the minimum to 120 hours because there are students who come to Kent State with an abundance of transfer credits or who are above the age of 21 and don’t need to take the First Year Experience course.

 “We’re not saying that you can get out of any of your major courses or general education courses,” Diacon said. “We’re just saying that if you find yourself in that situation, and you have 120 credits, and you’ve done all your major courses, and you’ve done all your (general education) courses and all you have left are electives, it doesn’t make sense for us to require you to go find another one-credit course to take.”

Tillett said that some students can take the First Year Experience course and still graduate.

Contact Marissa Barnhart at [email protected] .