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 research
doctorate degrees and of the various doctoral-level professional
degrees.
(2)Freedom of Inquiry and Expression. Doctoral programs
must be characterized by complete freedom of inquiry and expression.
(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 doctoral level [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 doctoral degrees [PhDs] being produced annually
in the area and comparing that to the numbers of professional job
openings for doctoral degrees [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 on [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 and [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,] 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. If an institution is required to hire additional
faculty prior to opening the proposed program and enrolling students,
the institution will provide documentation on a schedule determined
by the Coordinating Board of the faculty hires through submission
of a letter of intent, curriculum vitae, and a list of courses to
be taught. 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)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. The procedures for establishing
that equivalency shall be consistent with the guidelines of the National
Council on the Evaluation of Foreign Education Credentials, or its
successor.
(6)Teaching Loads of Faculty. Teaching loads of faculty
in the doctoral program should not exceed two or three courses per
term, and it must be recognized that some of these shall be advanced
courses and seminars with low enrollments. Adequate funds should be
available for attendance and participation in professional meetings
and for travel and research necessary for continuing professional
development.
(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)On-Campus Residency Expectations.
(A)Institutions which offer doctoral degrees must
provide through each doctoral program:
(i)significant, sustained, and regular interaction
between faculty and students and among students themselves;
(ii)opportunities to access and engage in depth a
wide variety of educational resources related to the degree program
and associated fields;
(iii)opportunities for significant exchange of knowledge
with the academic community;
(iv)opportunities to broaden educational and cultural
perspectives; and
(v)opportunities to mentor and evaluate students in
depth.
(B)Institutions are traditionally expected to meet
these provisions through substantial on-campus residency requirements.
Proposals to meet them in other, non-traditional ways (e.g., to enable
distant delivery of a doctoral program) must provide persuasive and
thorough documentation as to how each provision would be met and evaluated
for the particular program and its students. Delivery of doctoral
programs through distance education and/or off-campus instruction
requires prior approval of the Board as specified in §4.261(3)
of this title (relating to Standards and Criteria for Distance Education
Programs).
(9)Adequate Financial Assistance for Doctoral Students.
There should be adequate financial assistance for doctoral students
so as to assure that most of them can be engaged in full-time study.
Initially, funds for financial assistance to the doctoral students
usually [must] come from institutional sources. As the
program develops and achieves distinction, it increasingly shall attract
support from government, industry, foundations, and other sources.
(10)Carefully Planned Program [of Study].
The proposed program [There] should be a carefully
planned and systematic program with [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 students [
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 proposed
degree 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)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)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. [
There should be an adequate library for the proposed program.]
Library resources should be strong [not only] in the proposed
doctoral program field and [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)Program Evaluation Standards. The proposed
program [Proposed programs] should meet the standards
of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission
on Colleges, 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
be used by the institution and the Board to assist in evaluating the
quality of a proposed doctoral level program. The institution
submitting the proposal is responsible for reimbursing the Coordinating
Board for the costs associated with the external review by out-of-state
consultants.
(17)Strategic Plan. The proposed program [
Proposed programs] should build on existing strengths at the
institution as indicated by its Program Inventory, should
fit into the institution's strategic plan, and should align with the
state's [state] strategic plan.
(18)Marketable Skills. There must
be a list of the marketable skills associated with the proposed program
in keeping with the state strategic plan, 60x30TX,
and a plan for how students will be informed of the marketable
skills.
(19)[(18)] First Doctoral Program.
When an institution has not previously offered doctoral level work,
notification to the executive secretary of the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools, 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 January 22, 2018
TRD-201800202 Bill Franz
General Counsel
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Earliest possible date of adoption: March 4, 2018
For further information, please call: (512) 427-6104
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