Part II: The Abbreviated Institutional Summary
History and Characteristics
The University of Kentucky grew from the vision of one man, John Bowman. In 1865, after
winning financial support through the federal Morrill Land-Grant College Act and private donations,
Bowman realized his dream with the opening of the state’s new Agricultural and Mechanical College. The
college was renamed “the University of Kentucky” in 1916. Other historical highlights include:
 The first women were admitted to the University in 1880, but they earned certificates, not
degrees. In 1888, the first woman broke the barrier and graduated with a degree.
 The Agricultural Experiment Station opened in 1885.
 Athletics arrived on campus in the 1890’s initiated by students who scheduled football games
with neighboring colleges.
 The University Library was established in 1909.
 The Graduate School was established in 1917.
 Racial integration was achieved at UK in 1948, when Lyman T. Johnson successfully sued to
win access for African Americans to the graduate program.
UK’s Agricultural Extension Service was launched in 1910, one the nation’s first such programs
and a model for the federally mandated programs required in 1914. In 1918, the University’s three
engineering schools were consolidated into a single college. The Department of Education was elevated to
college status in 1923. The College of Commerce, now the Carol Martin Gatton College of Business and
Economics, was established in 1925. UK awarded its first doctoral degree in 1929. The Albert B.
Chandler Medical Center was created in 1956. The colleges of Medicine and Nursing opened their doors in
1960, followed two years later by the College of Dentistry. The College of Allied Health Professions (now
the College of Health Sciences) and a school of Public Health were added in 1996 and 2000 respectively.
In 1964, development of a statewide community college system was initiated as part of the University. In
1982, the University was organized into three chancellor-led sectors (Medical Center, Lexington Campus,
Community Colleges) under a Central Administration; however, the General Assembly passed House Bill 1
in 1997 to transfer the community college system, except for Lexington Community College, to an
independent Kentucky Community and Technical College System. In 2001, Lee T. Todd, Jr. became
President and the University reorganized with a Provost model. In 2002, the College of Design was
established. In 2004 Lexington Community College was transferred to the Kentucky Community and
Technical College System and the College of Public Health was established.
The University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges (COC) of the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools. Its accreditation has been reaffirmed at 10 year intervals since 1915, most
recently in 2002. In addition, many degree and certificate programs as well as the professional colleges are
accredited by agencies appropriate to the specific discipline.
The University of Kentucky provides education, cultural enrichment, and economic development
opportunities in all 120 Kentucky counties. All Kentucky counties benefit from the University’s medical
care, community service, innovative research, and creative teaching and instruction activities. The
University’s mission was further enhanced in 1997, when the Kentucky General Assembly mandated that
UK become a Top 20 public research university by 2020. President Lee T. Todd, Jr. has focused the
University on achieving this goal through the development of a Top 20 Business Plan in 2005 that gained
national prominence for its vision and detail. The current mission statement, approved by the Board of
Trustees in October 2006, follows:
Mission Statement
The University of Kentucky is a public, research-extensive, land grant university, dedicated to improving
people’s lives through excellence in teaching, research, health care, cultural enrichment, and economic
development.
The University of Kentucky:

Facilitates learning, informed by scholarship and research.

Expands knowledge through research, scholarship and creative activity.

Serves a global community by disseminating, sharing and applying knowledge.
The University, as the flagship institution, plays a critical leadership role for the Commonwealth by
contributing to the economic development and quality of life within Kentucky’s borders and beyond. The
University nurtures a diverse community characterized by fairness and equal opportunity.
Student Characteristics. The student body represents 117 foreign countries, all 50 states, and each
of the 120 counties of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky practices selective
admission. While the student population has enjoyed steady growth in the past several years, the average
ACT score of entering freshmen has continually exceeded the national average and is competitive with
UK’s benchmark institutions. Other descriptive demographic and academic data are available in the UK
Fact Booklet. The high quality of UK’s students is confirmed by their successful competition for the most
prestigious awards, including the Fulbright, Truman, Goldwater and Marshall scholarships. UK has been
selected three times as one of only 13 universities nationwide to participate in the Beckman Foundation
Scholarship Program, allowing the University to award grants of $19,300 to students to support their own
research projects. Boasting 13 Truman Scholars, UK has won recognition from the Harry S. Truman
Foundation as an honor institution for exemplary participation in the program.
Program Offerings. UK students can choose from among 200 majors and degree programs in 17
academic and professional colleges. UK is one of only seven universities nationally with colleges of
agriculture, engineering, medicine, and pharmacy on a single campus. Other colleges or major educational
units include Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Communication and Information Studies,
Dentistry, Design, Education, Fine Arts, the Graduate School, Health Sciences, Law, Nursing, Public
Health, Social Work, and UK Libraries.
List of Degrees
Click here for list of all degrees currently offered and the majors or concentrations within those degrees, as
well as graduate certificates.
Locations and Distance Education
1. New off-campus site established since 2002 reaffirmation where a student can obtain 50 percent or
more of credits toward the educational program: Kentucky Utilities Building, One Quality Street,
Lexington, KY 40507. Program delivered: Master’s degree in Social Work. This site is very close to
campus, and it is leased space acquired to ensure adequate nearby space for the social work program.
2. All locations (country, state, and city) where coursework toward a degree, diploma, or certificate can be
obtained primarily through traditional classroom instruction.
The University of Kentucky, as the primary land-grant institution serving the Commonwealth of
Kentucky, delivers course work at sites throughout the state, and it reports this information to the Council
on Postsecondary Education based on an off-campus site list that is updated each semester to include the
city and county of the location. These sites, however, include those locations where students participate in
course activities such as practicum and student teaching, and also included are one-time locations that may
have served a particular need on a short-term basis. An analysis of courses offered for the last two year
period was conducted to identify those locations where courses are offered in a traditional format on a
regular basis. The programs for which 50 percent of requirements can be completed at the site are also
indicated in the final report; however, it should be noted that in many cases, multiple delivery methods are
used to deliver these programs. In addition to the off-campus sites in Kentucky, the University also
collaborates with the Technical Education Institute (TEI) Piraeus in Greece to deliver UK’s 36 credit hour
Master of Business Administration degree in Greece.
3. Distance education credit offerings that can be obtained primarily through electronic means; where the
students are located; and degree or certificate programs that can be completed primarily through electronic
means.
The University of Kentucky delivers distance education credit programs through a variety of
electronic means including online (using course management systems); interactive video; Web 2.0
technologies, and hybrid models. Distance education students taking courses delivered using asynchronous
technologies are located throughout Kentucky and in contiguous and non-contiguous states. Students taking
courses using synchronous technologies are located at specific interactive video sites, including 37 new
sites established and used at least once since 2002. Distance education courses are offered at the bachelor,
master’s and doctoral levels; those programs for which 50 percent or more of the required credit hours are
delivered by electronic means are:
Bachelor in Chemical Engineering
Bachelor in Clinical Laboratory Sciences
Bachelor in Clinical Leadership Management
Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering
Master’s in Interdisciplinary Early Childhood Education
Master’s in Library and Information Science
Master’s in Music Education
Master’s in Physician Assistant Studies
Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling
Master’s in Special Education
Doctorate in Nursing Practice
Doctorate in Physical Therapy
Doctorate in Rehabilitation Sciences
Graduate Certificate in Distance Learning
Students and faculty engaged in these distance education program offerings are supported by Distance
Learning Programs through a wide variety of academic, administrative, and technological support services,
and course development is enriched through use of the national Quality Matters best practices standards.