Instruction

Kent State follows a semester academic year. In addition, Intersession classes may be offered at the end of fall and spring semesters.  Summer courses are offered during one of three segments: summer I and III, which run 5 weeks, and summer II, which runs 8 weeks.

Each faculty member is required to have stated office hours published in the departmental office. Instructors should notify each class of hours during which they are available for conferences. It is expected that each faculty member will hold a minimum of five office hours per week.

Classes are conducted on the premise that regular attendance is expected. The individual instructor has both the responsibility and the prerogative for managing student attendance. If students anticipate an absence, they should consult with the instructor individually. In the event the absence was due to illness or injury, verification from the medical professional treating the illness or injury should be presented to the instructor.

An overview of computing resource uses can found in the Policy Register, Chapter 9-01 University policy on responsible use of information technology.

Teaching, research and public service are greatly enhanced through the use of computing systems and software, access to the World Wide Web, and other technology resources. Authorized users of campus computing and network resources shall be faculty, staff, students and other affiliated individuals or organizations authorized by the vice president for information services.

The University has the responsibility to protect student information as it pertains to educational records. Educational records are defined as those records, files, documents, and other materials (for example, official academic records, advisement records, student conduct records, health records, and placement bureau records) which contain information directly related to the student and are maintained by a college, school, department, office or other University organizational subdivision, or by a person acting for the University or any of its subdivisions.

The University shall make reasonable accommodations in its academic requirements to ensure that such requirements do not discriminate on the basis of disability against a qualified individual with a disability, whether applicant or student. To this end, specific accommodations can be made for students appropriately evaluated by Student Accessibility Services or other certified or licensed provider.

The Graduation Planning System, or GPS, tracks student progress to graduation. GPS includes all requirements for earning a degree in the declared program. It also includes a student's individualized plan of study, which is created in consultation between the student and an advisor and which outlines semester by semester, what the student must complete to graduate.

Advising at the College level takes place at the Office of Advising & Academic Services, which is responsible for academic advising, assistance with registration issues, probation/dismissal, and graduation for all undergraduate students.

Office of Advising & Academic Services

Faculty help by meeting with students to advise them on courses to take, course topics, and solutions to particular problems in their major. 

Information about the Office of the University Registrar may be found at About Us

All curricular approval processes start at the academic unit level by a faculty member submitting a basic data sheet (BDS) that contains the subject matter of the intended process (a course/program revision, approval, or inactivation). The proposal is reviewed and approved by the following faculty committees as appropriate:

Program Curricular Group
Regional Campuses Faculty Councils
Departmental/School Curriculum Committee
College Curriculum Committee (CCC)
Educational Policies Council (EPC)
Faculty Senate

A detailed flowchart of the curricular approval process is presented in Curriculum Services' Curriculum Guidelines.

The Educational Policies Council is concerned with conceptual and structural aspects of long-range academic and curricular planning. The Council consists of two bodies, one responsible for undergraduate education called the Undergraduate Council and the other responsible for graduate education called the Graduate Council.