The authority for this subchapter is Texas Education Code, §§61.051 and 61.0512, which provide that no new degree or certificate program may be added at any public institution of higher education except with specific prior approval of the Board. Texas Education Code, §130.001, grants the Board the responsibility to adopt policies and establish general rules necessary to carry out statutory duties with respect to public junior colleges. Texas Education Code, §61.05151, requires that the number of semester credit hours required for the applied associate degree not exceed the minimum number required by the institution's accreditor, in the absence of a compelling academic reason provided by the institution.