(a)An academic course may be approved for unique need if it meets the following criteria: (1)The course must have college-level rigor. A course designed to meet a community service, leisure, career/technical [ vocational], or avocational need is inappropriate for unique need approval [and state appropriations]. (2)The course must be freshman or sophomore level. Upper-division courses shall not be approved for unique need. For purposes of this subchapter, a course may be considered to be lower-division if a majority of the public universities in Texas offering an equivalent course classify it as lower-division in their catalogs. (3)[(2)] The course must be acceptable for transfer and apply toward a baccalaureate degree[. In order to satisfy this requirement, the course must meet at least one of the following] requirements at a minimum of three Texas public universities. If a university's degree program requirements could be satisfied by an existing course in the ACGM, then that university cannot count as one of the required three.[:] [(A)The course has a documented course equivalent at a minimum of two Texas and/or regional universities; or] [(B)The course will be accepted in satisfaction of either general education or degree program requirements at a minimum of two regional universities.] (4)[(3)] An exception [ Exceptions] may be granted for a unique need course [ courses] that transfers [transfer] to a single [regional] university if the college documents that [a large number of] its students transfer to that university on a yearly basis into a discipline-specific major of which the course is a required component, [institution] and the course is part of a current, documented articulation agreement between the two-year college and the [regional] university. The articulation agreement documentation must demonstrate that the course is a degree program requirement and not merely an option or elective. (b)Procedures for unique need approval. (1)The application for each unique need course submitted must be accompanied by a statement of need for the course and a syllabus which includes a course description, detailed course outline, and objectives. Except as specified in subsection (a)(4)[(3)] of this section, the application must be accompanied by documentation [letters] from [regional] universities that clearly indicate the basis for transferability of the course [(]as a degree program requirement [course equivalent, general education course, or academic major course)]. (2)Once approved, a unique need course shall be placed on the college inventory for three years. Colleges must reapply for approval of unique need courses every three years. (3)If an institution is seeking re-approval of a course previously approved for unique need, the institution must submit, in addition to the requirements listed in paragraph (1) of this subsection, the number of students who transferred in the last three years to the specific baccalaureate program(s) for which the unique need permission was requested. (c)Courses listed in the ACGM [Lower-Division Academic Course Guide Manual] but offered for a greater number of contact hours or semester credit hours than specified must be submitted for unique need approval. (d)Unique need courses which have been offered at public community colleges, public technical colleges, or public state colleges in different geographic regions of the state may be recommended for addition to the ACGM upon request of a sponsoring institution. (e)Unique need courses may not be included in an institution's core curriculum. [(d)Courses approved as continuing unique need courses prior to September 1, 2004 shall expire five years from the date of approval.]
This agency hereby certifies that the proposal has
been
reviewed by legal counsel and found to be within the agency's
legal authority to adopt.
Filed with the Office
of the Secretary of State on July 18, 2011
TRD-201102701 Bill Franz
General Counsel
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Proposed date of adoption: October 27, 2011
For further information, please call: (512) 427-6114
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