Kean reducing number of credits for academic majors

By Lena Zhu | Published by Oct. 25, 2018

Kean University is in the process of reducing the number of courses required for academic majors.

Currently, most academic majors require anywhere from 36 credits to about 50 credits. During a recent closed meeting with the University Senate, President Dawood Farahi stated that all academic majors should be reduced to about 36 credits, which amounts to about 13 courses.

The changes will not apply to certain majors with state preconditions or other accreditation requirements.

Dr. Jonathan Mercantini, the acting dean of the College of Liberal Arts, said Kean wants students to be more marketable for employers by taking other elective courses outside of their major.  Elective credits can make room for students who want to double major and that will help students become more marketable in the job industry, he said.

“One of the things that I have been talking about quite a lot is the idea of using the liberal arts to develop the skills you need to succeed in the economy,” Dr. Mercantini said, “but then pair that with something else that may make you more employable.”

As an example, Dr. Mercantini noted that a major in the College of Liberal Arts may want to minor or double major in business or graphic design.

Khushi Sheth, a sophomore majoring in Psychology and Psychiatry Rehabilitation, said she agrees with the new curriculum change.

“It would be less stressful for me considering I won’t have to take so many classes and try to balance good grades for each class,” Sheth said. “There would be less stress compared to 40 semester hours.”

Helping students in the most efficient way possible was a factor that was considered when making the judgment call on the curriculum change.

“We want our students to be as prepared as possible for the workplace, for qualification exams, for graduate school,” Mercantini said. “But at the same time, we want our students to graduate in a timely manner and to put them in a position to do that. I think it is fully appropriate for us to want our students to graduate in four years. That’s a real mark of success.”

This coincides with a recently signed a legislation by Governor Murphy that states, “No more than 120 credits will be required for baccalaureate degree awarded by a public institution and no more than 60 credits for an associate degree,” according to NJ.gov.

Currently, Kean University requires 124 credits to graduate.

Margie Rosado, a senior studying Communication, with a concentration in Media and Film, said this will help save other students money on tuition.

“For me, personally, at this point in my college career, I’m about to be done,” Rosado said. “But if it means saving upcoming students money and it helps them graduate a bit faster, then it can possibly be a good thing.”

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