| (B) Each faculty member except, as provided by subparagraph
(E) of this paragraph, teaching career and technical courses in an
applied associate degree program, or career and technical courses
that academic associate or baccalaureate students may choose to take,
shall have at least an associate degree in the discipline being taught
from an institution accredited by a recognized agency and or at least
three (3) years of full-time direct or closely related experience
in the discipline being taught.
(C) Each faculty member, except as provided by subparagraph
(E) of this paragraph, teaching general education courses in an applied
associate degree program shall have at least a master's degree from
an institution accredited by a recognized accrediting agency with
at least eighteen (18) graduate semester credit hours in the discipline,
or closely related discipline, being taught.
(D) Except as provided by subparagraph (E) of this
paragraph, graduate-level degree programs shall be taught by faculty
holding doctorates, or other degrees generally recognized as the highest
attainable in the discipline, or closely related discipline, awarded
by institutions accredited by an agency recognized by the Board.
(E) With the approval of a majority of the institution's
governing board, an individual with exceptional experience in the
field of appointment, which may include direct and relevant work experience,
professional licensure and certification, honors and awards, continuous
documented excellence in teaching, or other demonstrated competencies
and achievements, may serve as a faculty member without the degree
credentials specified in subparagraphs (A) - (D) of this paragraph.
Such appointments shall be limited and the justification for each
such appointment shall be fully documented. The Board may review the
qualifications of the full complement of faculty providing instruction
at the institution to verify that such appointments are justified.
(12) Faculty Size. There shall be a sufficient number
of faculty holding full-time teaching appointments that are accessible
to the students to ensure continuity and stability of the education
program, adequate educational association between students and faculty
and among the faculty members, and adequate opportunity for proper
preparation for instruction and professional growth by faculty members.
At the associate and baccalaureate levels, there shall be at least
one (1) full-time faculty member in each program. At the graduate
level, there shall be at least two (2) full-time faculty members in
each program.
(13) Academic Freedom and Faculty Security. The institution
shall adopt, adhere to, and distribute to all members of the faculty
a statement of academic freedom assuring freedom in teaching, research,
and publication. All policies and procedures concerning promotion,
tenure, and non-renewal or termination of appointments, including
for cause, shall be clearly stated and published in a faculty handbook,
adhered to by the institution, and supplied to all faculty. The specific
terms and conditions of employment of each faculty member shall be
clearly described in a written document to be given to that faculty
member, with a copy to be retained by the institution.
(14) Curriculum.
(A) The quality, content, and sequence of each course,
curriculum, or program of instruction, training, or study shall be
appropriate to the purpose of the institution and shall be such that
the institution may reasonably and adequately achieve the stated objectives
of the course or program. Each program shall adequately cover the
breadth of knowledge of the discipline taught and coursework must
build on the knowledge of previous courses to increase the rigor of
instruction and the learning of students in the discipline. A majority
of the courses in the areas of specialization required for each degree
program shall be offered in organized classes by the institution.
An institution may offer for-credit coursework that does not directly
relate to approved programs, provided that it does not exceed twenty-five
(25) percent of all courses.
(B) Academic associate degrees must consist of at least
sixty (60) semester credit hours and not more than sixty-six (66)
semester credit hours or ninety (90) quarter credit hours and not
more than ninety-nine (99) quarter credit hours. Applied associate
degrees must consist of at least sixty (60) semester credit hours
and not more than seventy-two (72) semester credit hours or ninety
(90) quarter credit hours and not more than one hundred eight (108)
quarter hours. A baccalaureate degree must consist of at least one
hundred twenty (120) semester credit hours or one hundred eighty (180)
quarter credit hours. A master's degree must consist of at least thirty
(30) semester credit hours and not more than thirty-six (36) semester
credit hours or forty-five (45) quarter credit hours and not more
than fifty-four (54) quarter credit hours of graduate level work past
the baccalaureate degree.
(C) Courses designed to correct deficiencies, remedial
courses for associate and baccalaureate programs, and leveling courses
for graduate programs, shall not count toward requirements for completion
of the degree.
(D) The degree level, degree designation, and the designation
of the major course of study shall be appropriate to the curriculum
offered and shall be accurately listed on the student's diploma and
transcript.
(15) General Education.
(A) Each academic associate degree program shall contain
a general education component consisting of at least twenty (20) semester
credit hours or thirty (30) quarter credit hours. Each applied associate
degree program shall contain a general education component of at least
fifteen (15) semester credit hours or twenty-three (23) quarter credit
hours. Each baccalaureate degree program shall contain a general education
component consisting of at least twenty-five (25) percent of the total
hours required for graduation from the program.
(B) This component shall be drawn from each of the
following areas: Humanities and Fine Arts, Social and Behavioral Sciences,
and Natural Sciences and Mathematics. It shall include courses to
develop skills in written and oral communication and basic computer
instruction.
(C) The applicant institution may arrange to have all
or part of the general education component taught by another institution,
provided that:
(i) the applicant institution's faculty shall design
the general education requirement;
(ii) there shall be a written agreement between the
institutions specifying the applicant institution's general education
requirements and the manner in which they will be met by the providing
institution; and
(iii) the providing institution shall be accredited
by a Board-recognized accrediting agency or hold a Certificate of
Authority.
(16) Credit for Work Completed Outside a Collegiate
Setting.
(A) An institution awarding collegiate credit for work
completed outside a collegiate setting (outside a degree-granting
institution accredited by a recognized agency) shall establish and
adhere to a systematic method for evaluating that work, shall award
credit only in course content which falls within the authorized degree
programs of the institution or, if by evaluative examination, falls
within the standards for awarding credit by exam used by public universities
in Texas, in an appropriate manner shall relate the credit to the
student's current educational goals, and shall subject the institution's
process and procedures for evaluating work completed outside a collegiate
setting to ongoing review and evaluation by the institution's teaching
faculty. To these ends, recognized evaluative examinations such as
the Advanced Placement program (AP) or the College Level Examination
Program (CLEP) may be used.
(B) No more than one half of the credit applied toward
a student's associate or baccalaureate degree program may be based
on work completed outside a collegiate setting. Those credits must
be validated in the manner set forth in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph.
No more than fifteen (15) semester credit hours or twenty-three (23)
quarter credit hours of that credit may be awarded by means other
than recognized evaluative examinations. No graduate credit for work
completed outside a collegiate setting may be awarded. In no instance
may credit be awarded for life experience per se or merely for years
of service in a position or job.
(17) Learning Resources. The institution shall maintain
and ensure that students have access to learning resources with a
collection of books, educational material and publications, on-line
materials and other resources and with staff, services, equipment,
and facilities that are adequate and appropriate for the purposes
and enrollment of the institution. Learning resources shall be current,
well distributed among fields in which the institution offers instructions,
cataloged, logically organized, and readily located. The institution
shall maintain a continuous plan for learning resources development
and support, including objectives and selections of materials. Current
and formal written agreements with other institutions or with other
entities may be used. Institutions offering graduate work shall provide
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