State Law Requirements for Degrees or Certificates
Candidates for degrees or teaching certificates must meet state law requirements, Section 170.011 (Rev 2014), of a completed course of instruction in and satisfactory passing of “an examination on the provisions and principles of the constitution of the United States and of the State of Missouri, and in American history and American institutions.” To comply with the law, students may: (1) complete POLS 34102, or (2) complete the requirement at another collegiate institution with substitution determined by the Office of Admissions.
Pursuant to state law section 170.013 (2018), students must also complete the Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Exam with a score of seventy percent or better to earn a degree. To comply with the law, students may complete the Missouri Higher Education Civics Achievement Exam module as a part of POLS 34102. Transfer students who (1) do not have an Associate of Arts degree from a Missouri institution or (2) have not taken and passed the Exam must complete the module online through the Office of Assessment. This requirement applies to any student entering a Missouri public institution of higher education for the first time after July 2019.