Requests for new doctoral programs must provide information
and documentation demonstrating that the proposed programs meet all
of the following criteria:
(1)Design of the Program. A doctoral-level program
is designed to prepare a graduate student for a lifetime of teaching
, creative activity, research, or other professional activity.
The administration and the faculty of institutions initiating doctoral-level
programs should exhibit an understanding of and commitment
to the long tradition of excellence associated with the awarding of
the traditional doctorate degrees and of the various doctoral-level
professional degrees.
(2)(No change.)
(3)Programs at the Undergraduate and Master's Levels.
Doctoral programs, in most instances, should be undergirded by quality
programs in a wide number of disciplines at the undergraduate
and master's levels. Quality programs in other related and supporting
doctoral areas must also be available.
(4)Need for the Program. There should be a demonstrated
and well-documented need for doctorally prepared professionals in
the discipline of the proposed program both in Texas and in the nation.
It is the responsibility of the institution requesting a doctoral
program to demonstrate that such a need exists, preferably through
an analysis of national data showing the number of PhDs being produced
annually in the area and comparing that to the numbers of professional
job openings for PhDs in the discipline in question as indicated by
sources such as the main professional journal(s) of the discipline.
The institution must also provide data regarding the enrollments,
number of graduates, and capacity to accept additional students of
other similar doctoral programs in Texas, demonstrating that current
production levels of graduates are insufficient to meet projected
workforce needs. The institution should also provide evidence
of student demand for a doctoral program in the discipline, such as
potential student survey results or documentation that qualified students
are not gaining admission to existing programs in Texas.
(5)Faculty Resources.
(A)There must be a strong core of doctoral faculty,
at least four [or five], holding the doctor of philosophy
degree or its equivalent from a variety of graduate schools of recognized
reputation. Professors and associate professors must be mature persons
who have achieved national or regional professional recognition. All
core faculty must be currently engaged in productive research, and
preferably have published the results of such research in the main
professional journals of their discipline. They should come from a
variety of academic backgrounds and have complementary areas of specialization
within their field. Some should have experience directing doctoral
dissertations. Collectively, the core of doctoral faculty should guarantee
a high quality doctoral program with the potential to attain national
prominence. The core faculty members should already be in the employ
of the institution. Proposed recruitment of such faculty shall not
meet this criterion. No authorized doctoral program shall be initiated
until qualified faculty are active members of the department through
which the program is offered.
(B)In evaluating faculty resources for proposed degree
programs, the Board shall consider only those degrees held by the
faculty that were issued by:
(i) - (ii)(No change.)
(6)(No change.)
(7)Critical Mass of Superior Students. Admission standards
, student recruitment plans, and enrollment expectations must
guarantee a critical mass of superior students. The program must not
result in such a high ratio of doctoral students to faculty as to
make individual guidance prohibitive.
(8) - (9)(No change.)
(10)Carefully Planned Program of Study. There should
be a carefully planned and systematic program of study and a degree
plan which is clear, comprehensive, and generally uniform but which
permits sufficient flexibility to meet the legitimate professional
interests and special needs of doctoral-level degree candidates. There
should be a logical sequence of stages by which degree requirements
shall be fulfilled. Consideration must also be given to alternative
methods of determining mastery of program content, such as competency-based
education, prior learning assessment, and other options for reducing
student time to degree. The plan should require both specialization
and breadth of education, with rules for the distribution of study
to achieve both, including interdisciplinary programs if indicated.
The plan should include a research dissertation or equivalent requirements
to be judged by the doctoral faculty on the basis of quality rather
than length.
(11)External Learning Experiences.
There must be a plan for providing external learning experiences for
students, such as internships, clerkships, or clinical experiences,
in disciplines that require them. The plan should include provisions
for increasing the number of opportunities for such experiences if
the number of students in existing programs equals or exceeds the
available number of opportunities in Texas.
(12)Support Staff. There should be
an adequate number of support staff to provide sufficient services
for both existing programs and any proposed increases in students
and faculty that would result from the implementation of the proposed
program.
(13)[(11)] Physical Facilities.
There should be an adequate physical plant for the program. An adequate
plant would include reasonably located office space for the faculty,
teaching assistants, and administrative and technical support staff;
seminar rooms; laboratories, computer and electronic resources; and
other appropriate facilities.
(14)[(12)] Library Resources.
There should be an adequate library for the proposed program. Library
resources should be strong not only in the doctoral program field
but also in related and supporting fields.
(15)Costs and Funding. The institution
should have a budgetary plan for the proposed program that clearly
delineates the anticipated costs and the sources of funding. Costs
for new personnel and physical resources should be adequate and reasonable,
existing programs should not be negatively affected by the reallocation
of funds, state funding income should be calculated correctly, and
total revenues should exceed total costs by the fifth year of projected
program operation.
(16)[(13)] Program Evaluation
Standards. Proposed programs should meet the standards of the Southern
Association of Colleges and Schools, and the accrediting standards
and doctoral program criteria of appropriate professional groups and
organizations, such as the Council of Graduate Schools in the United
States, the Modern Language Association, the American Historical Association,
the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology or other bodies
relevant to the particular discipline. Out-of-state consultants shall
[may] be used by the institution and [or
] the Board to assist in evaluating the quality of a proposed
doctoral level program.
(17)Strategic Plan. Proposed programs
should build on existing strengths at the institution, should fit
into the institution's strategic plan, and should align with the state
strategic plan.
(18)[(14)] First Doctoral Program.
When an institution has not previously offered doctoral level work,
notification to the executive secretary of the Commission on Colleges,
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, is required at least
one year in advance of program implementation.
The agency certifies that legal counsel has
reviewed the proposal and found it to
be within the state agency's
legal authority to adopt.
Filed with the Office
of the Secretary of State on September 21, 2015
TRD-201503913 Bill Franz
General Counsel
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Earliest possible date of adoption: November 1, 2015
For further information, please call: (512) 427-6114
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