Kentucky 2025 2025 Regular Session

Kentucky House Bill HB499 Introduced / Bill

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AN ACT relating to comprehensive universities. 1 
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2 
Section 1.   KRS 164.295 is amended to read as follows: 3 
(1) The six (6) state comprehensive universities: 4 
(a) Shall provide, upon approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education, 5 
associate and baccalaureate programs of instruction; 6 
(b) Shall provide, upon approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education, 7 
graduate programs of instruction[ at the master's-degree level] in education, 8 
business, and the arts and sciences, specialist degrees, and programs beyond 9 
the master's-degree level to meet the requirements for teachers, school 10 
leaders, and other certified personnel; and 11 
(c) Shall provide research and service programs directly related to the needs of 12 
their primary geographical areas. 13 
(2) A comprehensive university may provide: 14 
(a) Programs of a community college nature in their own community comparable 15 
to those listed for the Kentucky Community and Technical College System, as 16 
provided in KRS 164.580; 17 
(b) Upon approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education, [an advanced 18 
practice doctoral program in nursing in compliance with KRS 314.111 and 19 
314.131; and 20 
(c) Upon approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education, one (1) or more 21 
additional ]advanced practice doctoral programs; and 22 
(c) Upon approval of the Council on Postsecondary Education, research 23 
doctoral degree programs, including but not limited to Doctor of 24 
Philosophy, in areas that the Council on Postsecondary Education 25 
determines will directly affect the workforce and economy of Kentucky. 26 
(3) The Council on Postsecondary Education, in consultation with the Advisory 27  UNOFFICIAL COPY  	25 RS BR 1674 
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Conference of Presidents pursuant to KRS 164.021, shall develop criteria and 1 
conditions upon which an advanced practice doctoral degree program and research 2 
doctoral degree programs may be approved. The criteria shall include but not be 3 
limited to a determination of the academic and workforce needs for a program, 4 
consideration of whether the program can be effectively delivered through a 5 
collaborative effort with an existing program at another public university within the 6 
Commonwealth, and the capacity of a university to effectively offer the program. A 7 
university requesting approval of an advanced practice doctoral program or 8 
research doctoral degree shall be required to provide assurance that funding for the 9 
program will not impair funding of any existing program at any other public 10 
university. The Council on Postsecondary Education shall not approve a request 11 
for an advanced practice doctoral degree program or research doctoral degree 12 
program at a comprehensive university that would interfere with the 13 
comprehensive university's fulfillment of its mission. 14 
(4) The council shall promulgate administrative regulations setting forth the agreed-on 15 
criteria and conditions identified under subsection (3) of this section. 16 
(5) The council shall review advanced practice doctorates and research doctorates 17 
consistent with its review schedule for all other academic programs. 18 
(6) A comprehensive university shall not[: 19 
(a) Offer the terminal degrees of Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Musical Arts; 20 
doctor's degrees required for professional practice and licensure in medicine, 21 
veterinary medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, pharmacy, law, or optometry; or 22 
the primary degree required for professional practice and licensure in 23 
architecture. The existing school of law at Northern Kentucky University is 24 
exempted from the requirements of this paragraph; or 25 
(b) ] describe itself in official publications or in marketing materials as a research 26 
university or research institution unless designated as such by a nationally-27  UNOFFICIAL COPY  	25 RS BR 1674 
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recognized authority for the classification of research universities. Nothing 1 
in this subsection[paragraph] shall be construed as precluding a 2 
comprehensive university from conducting basic, applied, or translational 3 
research. 4