2.7.4

The institution provides instruction for all course work required for at least one degree program at each level at which it awards degrees. If the institution does not provide instruction for all such course work and (1) makes arrangements for some instruction to be provided by other accredited institutions or entities through contracts or consortia or (2) uses some other alternative approach to meeting this requirement, the alternative approach must be approved by the Commission’s Board of Trustees. In both cases, the institution demonstrates that it controls all aspects of its educational program. (See Commission policy “Core Requirement 2.7.4: Documenting an Alternative Approach.”) (Course work for degrees)

Compliance Judgment

X      In compliance     Partially compliant     Non-compliant

Narrative

Degree program requirements from Francis Marion University catalogs and redacted student transcripts from recent graduates show that Francis Marion provides all of the course work needed for at least one degree program at each level at which it awards degrees (baccalaureate and master’s). Two examples are explained below: a Bachelor of Arts (English) and a Master of Science in Nursing (Family Nurse Practitioner).

Bachelor of Arts in English

The Bachelor of Arts in English degree program offers three options: Liberal Arts, Professional Writing, and Teacher Licensure. Every course required for the Liberal Arts option in English in the Catalog 2011-2012 [1] was taken by the sample student at Francis Marion as evidenced by the redacted transcript [2].

Table 1 below matches the degree program requirements for English Liberal Arts in the Catalog 2011-2012 with the sample student’s coursework. The Department of English, Modern Languages, & Philosophy allowed this student four course substitutions as seen in the second column of Table 1 because of changes to the English curriculum from the time the student entered Francis Marion in Fall 2011 and graduated in Fall 2016. The student had no transfer credits; all substituted courses were taken at Francis Marion.

Table 1.  Bachelor of Arts in English Liberal Arts Requirements: Fall 2016

Table 2 below matches Francis Marion General Education requirements in the Catalog 2011-2012 [3] with the sample student’s coursework on the transcript. The student fulfilled all General Education requirements by taking Francis Marion courses.

Table 2.  Bachelor of Arts in English General Education Requirements: Fall 2016

Master of Science in Nursing (Family Nurse Practitioner)

The Graduate Nursing Program offers two options for master’s degrees: Family Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Educator. The Graduate Nursing Program teaches all of the courses required for the Master of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner, including 55 graduate credit hours and 630 practicum hours. Practicum hours are noted as “clinical” or “laboratory” hours with each appropriate course. APRN 701, Primary Care of Adults, notes 135 clinical hours, for example [4].

Every course required for the Family Nurse Practitioner major in the Catalog 2015-2016 [5] was taken by the sample graduate student at Francis Marion as evidenced by the redacted transcript [6].

Table 3 below matches the degree program requirements for the Master of Science in Nursing/Family Nurse Practitioner in the Catalog 2015-2016 with the sample graduate student’s coursework.

Table 3.  Master of Science in Nursing / Family Nurse Practitioner Requirements: Fall 2016

Documentation

1. Catalog 2011-2012, English-Liberal Arts Requirements, p. 89
2. Unofficial Redacted Undergraduate Transcript
3. Catalog 2011-2012, General Education Requirements, p. 73
4. Catalog 2015-2016, 701 Primary Care for Adults, p. 226
5. Catalog 2015-2016, Family Nurse Practitioner Requirements, p. 224
6. Unofficial Redacted Graduate Transcript