| (a) All proposed baccalaureate and master's degree
programs must meet the criteria set out in this subsection, in addition
to the general criteria in Subchapter A, §2.5, of this chapter.
(b) Board Staff shall ensure that each institution
certifies and provides required evidence that a proposed baccalaureate
or master's degree meets the criteria in Subchapter A, §2.5,
of this chapter and the following criteria in its proposal request:
(1) Program Need. To meet the requirements of Subchapter
A, §2.5(a)(1) and (2), the institution must be able to demonstrate
present and future workforce need of the state and nation. There should
be a ready job market for graduates of the program, or alternatively,
the program should produce students for master's or doctoral-level
programs in fields in which there is a demonstrated need for professionals.
(2) Adequate Financing. In assessing whether the program
meets the requirements of Subchapter A, §2.5(a)(4) and (5), the
program must demonstrate that there is adequate financing available
to initiate the proposed program without reducing funds for existing
programs or weakening them in any way. The program must provide evidence
demonstrating generation of sufficient semester credit hours under
funding formulas and student tuition and fees to pay faculty salaries,
departmental operating costs, and instructional administration costs
for the program after the start-up period.
(3) Faculty and Resources.
(A) Faculty. In assessing the criteria under Subchapter
A, §2.5(a)(6), Board Staff shall ensure that the faculty are
adequate to provide high program quality. In reviewing faculty, Board
Staff will review for the following minimum criteria:
(i) With few exceptions, the master's degree should
be the minimum educational attainment for faculty teaching in baccalaureate
programs.
(ii) In most disciplines, the doctorate should be the
minimum educational attainment for faculty teaching in graduate programs.
(iii) Faculty shall meet the qualitative and quantitative
criteria of the institution's appropriate accrediting body.
(iv) The institution must dedicate a sufficient number
of qualified faculty to a new program. This number shall vary depending
on the discipline, the nature of the program, and the anticipated
number of students; however, there must be at least one full time
equivalent faculty already in place for the program to begin enrolling
students.
(v) In evaluating faculty resources for proposed degree
programs, Board Staff shall consider only those degrees held by faculty
that were issued by:
(I) United States institutions accredited by accrediting
agencies recognized by the Board, or
(II) institutions located outside the United States
that have demonstrated that their degrees are equivalent to degrees
issued from an institution in the United States accredited by accrediting
agencies recognized by the Board.
(B) Facilities and Other Resources. To meet the criteria
in Subchapter A, §2.5(a)(6), each program must include adequate
facilities and resources to accommodate the program, including:
(i) Office space for the faculty, teaching assistants,
and administrative and technical support staff; seminar rooms; computer
and electronic resources; and other appropriate facilities such as
laboratories; and
(ii) Library and IT Resources. Library and information
technology resources must be adequate for the proposed program and
meet the standards of the appropriate accrediting agencies. Library
resources should be strong in the appropriate program field and in
related and supporting fields.
(4) Quality of the Program and Alignment with the Long-Range
Plan. To assess the quality of the program, the program must be able
to demonstrate the quality of the program, including quality of curriculum
design. In addition to meeting the criteria in Subchapter A, §2.5(a)(6)
and (a)(8), the proposed program must offer high-quality curriculum,
as evidenced by the following:
(A) Professional programs and those resulting in licensure
are designed to meet the standards of appropriate regulatory bodies;
(B) The curricular structure and policies of the proposed
program should promote students' timely completion of the program,
including policies awarding:
(i) transfer of credit, as required by Chapter 4, Subchapter
B of this title (relating to Transfer of Credit, Core Curriculum and
Field of Study Curricula);
(ii) course credit by examination, credit for professional
experience, placing out of courses, and any alternative learning strategies,
such as competency-based education, which may increase efficiency
in student progress in the proposed program; and
(iii) Strong Related Programs. There must be high-quality
programs in other related and supporting disciplines at the baccalaureate
or master's levels, as evidenced by enrollments, numbers of graduates,
and completion rates in those related and supporting programs, as
appropriate.
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