Athens State University (ASU) is the only upper-division university in the Alabama Community College System (ACCS). The primary mission of the institution is to serve ACCS transfer students as well as students transferring from other accredited institutions.

Athens State University currently offers 31 baccalaureate degree programs that have been reviewed and approved by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) according to published criteria. These programs are published in the official ACHE program inventory for Athens State University. ACHE approves all new academic programs for any publicly funded higher education institutions in Alabama, as well as any major extensions or alterations of existing programs, thus ensuring consistency and coherence between similar programs that are offered at different institutions. In addition, two ASU Colleges have been reviewed and accredited by external accrediting agencies: the College of Business by the Association of Collegiate Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP) and the College of Education by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE).

Athens State University has a clearly defined process for curriculum changes, including the review and evaluation of potential new degree programs. The departmental faculty, Department Chair and the College Dean must demonstrate the relationship between a proposed program and the mission and goals of the College and University. They are also required to demonstrate the need for the new program and the expectations for student learning outcomes, assessment methods, and other considerations. To be approved, a new program proposal requires approval from the Department Chair, College Dean, Faculty Curriculum Committee, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. New program proposals that are approved via this internal process are then submitted to the Department of Postsecondary Education for approval before being submitted to ACHE.

Each of the degree programs offered by ASU is compatible with the institution’s primary mission in that each program is designed to seamlessly incorporate academic credit earned by students from the state’s community colleges and other institutions into the requirements for the particular degree program. In accordance with the State of Alabama’s General Education Articulation requirements, each program consists of a specific general education core, pre-professional or prerequisite courses that may be taken at the community college or other accredited institution, and major or professional courses that are taken at ASU.

The requirements for each degree program are published in the ASU Catalog. All degree programs undergo the extensive review discussed previously, and the faculty in each department and College exercise control over the content of the coursework offered at ASU to ensure that each course of study is coherent and comparable to similar programs at other institutions of higher education.