State-Mandated Civics Exam

A new Missouri Senate bill requires “Any student entering a public institution of higher education for the first time after July 2019 who is pursuing an associate’s or bachelor’s degree from such institution shall successfully pass an examination on the provisions and principles of American civics with a score of seventy percent or greater as a condition of graduation from such institution.”

What is it?

The Missouri Higher Education Civics Examination is a new state-mandated Civics Exam required for all undergraduate degree-seeking students at public universities in Missouri. This exam is in addition to the Missouri government test you may have completed in high school. 

The short exam averages 50 multiple choice questions and is similar to the United State citizenship exam. The following topics will be covered:

• The United Stated Constitution
• The United States Bill of Rights 
• Governmental Institutions
• Historical Manifestations of Federalism
• History of Constitutional Interpretation and Amendments

Am I required to take it? 

Students entering Missouri State under the Fall 2019 undergraduate catalog are required to pass this exam before graduation. The test can be taken until you've achieved a 70% or higher. Study guides are available on Brightspace and below.

The following students will receive an automatic exemption from the exam:

• All first-time transfer students with post-high school transfer work from a Missouri public college or university prior to fall 2019 .
• All re-admit students with MSU coursework prior to fall 2019.

Any other Civics Exam inquiries should be made to the Office of Assessment and Accreditation at assessment@missouristate.edu. 

Why am I seeing the Civics Exam on my degree audit when I shouldn't be?

If you are a senior or otherwise not eligible for the exam but are seeing it on your degree audit, check and see if you are looking at a "what if" degree audit. A "what if" audit will automatically add the exam in as a requirement. If you are looking at a "what if" degree audit, that's why you are seeing the Civics exam as needed when it's not.

Appeal Process

Students entering Missouri State under the Fall 2019 undergraduate catalog are required to pass the Civics Exam before graduation. If you believe that there is a circumstance where you should not be required to complete the exam, please fill out and submit the Civics Exam Appeal form.

Civics Exam Appeal Form

Study Guides

Your success is paramount, and we are committed to support you in your learning. The Political Science and History Departments have developed study guides for the topics covered on the exam, which you can find below: 

• Court Cases
• Prominent Legislation
• The United States Constitution
• The United States Bill of Rights and Amendments

Important Information

The exam will become available in a student's Brightspace account under the My Courses section listed as State-Mandated Civics Exam.

Although this is a graduation requirement, we strongly suggest you complete this exam as soon as possible after it appears in your Brightspace course list. It will be removed from your course list once you have passed the exam and your degree audit is updated. After the survey appears on your Brightspace site, you will be able to access and complete it. For best performance, please use a desktop or laptop computer with a wired internet connection rather than a tablet or smartphone. Some students have reported difficulty completing the exit survey on smaller devices, and Computer Services strongly recommends any assessments within Brightspace be completed using a wired internet connection.

After passing completion of the exam, the graduation requirement will be met and this will be reflected in the student's degree audit within five full business days.

Need help?

Instructions for completing the graduation requirement are available on Brightspace under the My Courses section listed as State-Mandated Civics Exam.

Please contact the Office of Assessment and Accreditation via assessment@missouristate.edu, for any further questions.

Accessibility

Missouri State is committed to providing an accessible and supportive environment for students with disabilities. Our office works collaboratively with other offices on campus to ensure that students are provided with appropriate accommodations to fulfill the State-Mandated Civics Exam graduation requirement. Students requesting academic accommodations for a disability are responsible for notifying the university of their disability and their request for accommodations.

Academic accommodations

To initiate a request for academic accommodations, please contact the Disability Resource Center.

Learning disabilities

Students with learning disabilities who need accommodations for the civics exam should contact the Learning Diagnostic Clinic, a.k.a. LDC.

Assistive technology

Students who need access to assistive technology for the civics exam should contact the Access Technology Center, a.k.a. ATC.