| (a) Requests for new associate degree and certificate
programs shall be made in accordance with the procedures stipulated
in subsection (b) of this section.
(1) Public two-year colleges shall request new associate
degree and certificate programs using the appropriate degree program
request form.
(2) Public two-year colleges must submit documentation
sufficient to establish that the new program meets all of the criteria
listed in subsection (b) of this section. Board staff will review
all requests for new programs within five business days of receipt.
If Board staff determines that the request is incomplete and additional
information or documentation is needed, the institution must respond
with all of the requested information or documentation within ten
working days or the request will be returned to the institution. An
institution may resubmit a request that was incomplete as soon as
it has obtained the requested information or documentation.
(b) New associate degree and certificate programs shall
be approved if all of the following conditions are met, provided that
the number of semester credit hours required to complete a proposed
associate degree program does not exceed 60 semester credit hours
(SCH).
(1) The institution shall certify that:
(A) The program has institutional and governing board
approval;
(B) The institution has researched and documented current
job market need for the program and/or that the program would lead
to opportunities for further education;
(C) There is recent evidence of both short-term and
long-term student demand for the program;
(D) Enrollment projections reflect student demand estimates
to ensure the financial self-sufficiency of the program;
(E) Basic and career technical/workforce skills have
been integrated into the curriculum;
(F) The institution has an enrollment management plan
for the program;
(G) The institution has or will initiate a process
to establish articulation agreements for the program with secondary
and/or senior level institutions;
(H) The program is designed to be consistent with the
standards of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission
on Colleges (SACSCOC), and with the standards of other applicable
accrediting agencies, and is in compliance with appropriate licensing
authority requirements;
(I) The program would not unnecessarily duplicate existing
programs at other institutions;
(J) Representatives from private sector business and
industry have been involved in the creation of the program through
participation in an advisory committee;
(K) Adequate funding is available to cover all new
costs to the institution over the first five years after the implementation
of the program;
(L) New costs during the first five years of the program
would not exceed $2 million;
(M) The institution has an improvement plan in place
for all career technical/workforce programs that do not currently
meet Board standards for both graduation and placement;
(N) The appropriate Higher Education Regional Council
has been notified in writing of the proposal for a new program, and
no unresolved objections to the program have been reported; and
(O) Skill standards recognized by the Texas Skill Standards
Board, if they exist for the discipline, have been reviewed and considered
for inclusion in the curriculum for the program.
(2) If a proposed two-year career technical/workforce
education program or a certificate program meets the conditions stipulated
in this subsection, the institution shall submit a request to the
Assistant Commissioner for Workforce, Academic Affairs and Research
to add the program. If a proposed program does not meet the conditions
stipulated in this subsection, the institution must submit a proposal
using the standard electronic new program application process.
(3) If the number of SCH required to complete a proposed
associate's program exceeds 60, the institution must provide detailed
written documentation describing the compelling academic reason for
the number of required hours, such as programmatic accreditation requirements,
statutory requirements, or licensure/certification requirements that
cannot be met without exceeding the 60-hour limit. The Coordinating
Board will review the documentation provided and make a determination
to approve or deny a request to exceed the 60-hour limit. Institutions
of higher education must be in compliance with this paragraph on or
before the 2015 fall semester.
(4) The institution proposing the program shall notify
all public institutions within 50 miles of the teaching site of their
intention to offer the program at least 30 days prior to submitting
their request to the Coordinating Board. If no objections are received,
the Coordinating Board staff shall update the institution's program
inventory accordingly. If objections occur, the proposed program shall
not be implemented until all objections are resolved. If the proposing
institution cannot resolve the objection(s), the proposing institution
may request the assistance of the Assistant Commissioner of Workforce,
Academic Affairs and Research to mediate the objections and determine
whether the proposing institution may implement the proposed program.
(5) If objections to the proposed program are received
by the Coordinating Board staff, the proposed program shall not be
implemented until all objections are resolved.
(c) New Program Approval. The Board delegates to the
Commissioner final approval authority for all certificate programs,
and for applied associate degree programs that meet Board policies
for approval as outlined in the Guidelines for Instructional Programs
in Workforce Education. The Commissioner may delegate this final authority
to the Assistant Commissioner for Workforce, Academic Affairs and
Research.
(d) Each quarter, the Commissioner shall prepare a
list of the approvals and disapprovals under this section for Board
members. The list of the approvals and disapprovals shall also be
attached to the minutes of the next appropriate quarterly meeting.
(e) The Commissioner shall forward a program to the
Board for consideration at an appropriate quarterly meeting if either
of the following conditions is met:
(1) The proposed program is the subject of an unresolved
grievance or dispute between institutions; or
(2) The Commissioner has disapproved the proposed program
and the institution has requested a Board review.
(f) Revision of an existing associate degree or certificate
program shall be approved if all of the requirements in subsection
(b) of this section are met.
(g) To request a change of CIP code for an existing
degree or certificate program, the institution shall notify the Coordinating
Board staff and certify that the revised program meets the requirements
in subsection (b) of this section.
(h) If the revision of an existing degree or certificate
program meets the conditions stipulated in subsection (b) of this
section the institution shall submit a request to the Assistant Commissioner
for Workforce, Academic Affairs and Research to revise the program.
The Coordinating Board staff shall update the institution's program
inventory accordingly.
(i) If a program revision does not meet the conditions
stipulated in subsection (b) of this section, the institution shall
submit a revision request using the standard electronic program revision
request process.
(j) Administrative Officers. All programs must be under
the direction of an administrator having appropriate authority to
ensure that quality is maintained and that programs are conducted
in compliance with all applicable laws and rules. Administrative officers
must possess credentials, work experience, and/or demonstrated competence
appropriate to their areas of responsibility as specified by the SACSCOC.
(k) Faculty and Staff. Faculty and staff must be approved
by the postsecondary institution.
(l) Each public two-year college may classify career
technical/workforce continuing education and other courses as earning
SCH or continuing education units (CEUs). Contact hours reported for
career technical/workforce education courses which result in either
SCH or CEUs shall be eligible for state appropriations. A course or
program that meets or exceeds 360 hours in length must be approved
as a career technical/workforce certificate program except by special
justification and approval by Board staff. A course or program that
meets or exceeds 780 hours in length must result in the award of appropriate
semester credit hours and be applicable to a certificate and an applied
associate degree program.
(m) The Coordinating Board reserves the right to audit
a certificate or degree program at any time to ensure compliance with
any of the requirements in this subchapter.
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| Source Note: The provisions of this §9.93 adopted to be effective May 25, 2004, 29 TexReg 5068; amended to be effective May 12, 2005, 30 TexReg 2663; amended to be effective November 25, 2009, 34 TexReg 8323; amended to be effective February 26, 2013, 38 TexReg 1161; amended to be effective November 24, 2013, 38 TexReg 8440; amended to be effective September 4, 2014, 39 TexReg 6846 |
