FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 69
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR HENDERSON.
0931S.01I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To repeal sections 178.786 and 178.787, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof two new sections
relating to higher education core curricula.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 178. 786 and 178.787, RSMo, are 1
repealed and two new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to be 2
known as sections 178.786 and 178.787, to read as follows:3
178.786. 1. The coordinating board for higher 1
education, with the assistance of an advisory committe e 2
composed of representatives from each public community 3
college in this state and each public four -year institution 4
of higher education, shall develop a recommended lower 5
division core curriculum of forty -two semester credit hours, 6
including a statement of the content, component areas, and 7
objectives of the core curriculum. A majority of the 8
members of the advisory committee shall be faculty members 9
from Missouri public institutions of higher education. 10
2. The coordinating board shall approv e a common 11
course numbering equivalency matrix for the forty -two credit 12
hour block at all institutions of higher education in the 13
state to facilitate the transfer of those courses among 14
institutions of higher education by promoting consistency in 15
course designation and course identification. Each 16
community college and four -year institution of higher 17
education shall include in its course listings the 18 SB 69 2
applicable course numbers from the common course numbering 19
equivalency matrix approved by the coord inating board under 20
this subsection. 21
3. The coordinating board shall complete the 22
requirements of subsections 1 and 2 of this section prior to 23
January 1, 2018, for implementation of the core curriculum 24
transfer recommendations for the 2018 -19 academic year for 25
all public institutions of higher education. 26
4. (1) The coordinating board, with the assistance of 27
an advisory committee composed of representatives from each 28
public community college in this state and each public four - 29
year institution of higher education in this state, shall 30
approve a sixty-credit-hour, transferable, lower -division 31
course curriculum and a common course numbering equivalency 32
matrix for the following degree programs: 33
(a) General business; 34
(b) Elementary education and teaching; 35
(c) General psychology; 36
(d) Registered nursing; and 37
(e) General biology or biological science, or both. 38
(2) Such sixty-credit-hour, transferable, lower - 39
division course curriculum shall facilitate the tran sfer of 40
courses that are part of such curriculum among public 41
institutions of higher education in this state by promoting 42
consistency in course designation and course identification. 43
(3) Each public community college and public four -year 44
institution of higher education in this state offering the 45
degree programs described in subdivision (1) of this 46
subsection shall include in its programs of study the common 47
course numbering equivalency matrix approved by the 48
coordinating board under this subse ction. 49 SB 69 3
5. The coordinating board shall complete the 50
requirements of subsection 4 of this section before June 30, 51
2027, for implementation of the sixty -credit-hour, 52
transferable, lower-division course curriculum for the 53
degree programs described i n subdivision (1) of subsection 4 54
of this section for the 2028 -29 academic year for all public 55
institutions of higher education in this state. 56
178.787. 1. Each community college, as defined in 1
section 163.191, and public four -year institution of higher 2
education shall adopt the forty -two credit hour block, 3
including specific courses comprising the curriculum, based 4
on the core curriculum recommendations made by the 5
coordinating board for higher education under subsections 1 6
and 2 of section 178.786, for implementation beginning in 7
the 2018-19 academic year. 8
2. If a student successfully completes the forty -two 9
credit core curriculum at a community college or other 10
public institution of higher education, that block of 11
courses may be transferred to any other public institution 12
of higher education in this state and shall be substituted 13
for the receiving institution's core curriculum. A student 14
shall receive academic credit for each of the courses 15
transferred and shall n ot be required to take additional 16
core curriculum courses at the receiving institution. 17
3. A student who transfers from one public institution 18
of higher education to another public institution of higher 19
education in the state without completing th e core 20
curriculum of the sending institution shall receive academic 21
credit from the receiving institution for each of the 22
courses that the student has successfully completed in the 23
core curriculum of the sending institution. Following 24
receipt of credit for these courses, the student may be 25 SB 69 4
required to satisfy further course requirements in the core 26
curriculum of the receiving institution. 27
4. Each community college in this state, as defined in 28
section 163.191, and public four -year institution of higher 29
education in this state shall adopt the sixty -credit-hour, 30
transferable, lower-division course curriculum and common 31
course numbering equivalency matrix for the degree programs 32
described in subdivision (1) of subsection 4 of section 33
178.786, including specific courses constituting the 34
curriculum, based on the core curriculum recommendations 35
made by the coordinating board for higher education under 36
subsection 4 of section 178.786, for implementation 37
beginning in the 2028 -29 academic year. No institution of 38
higher education in this state shall be required to adopt 39
the sixty-credit-hour, transferable, lower -division course 40
curriculum for degree programs not offered at the 41
institution. 42
5. If a student successfully completes the sixt y- 43
credit-hour, transferable, lower -division courses at a 44
community college or other public institution of higher 45
education in this state, such block of courses may be 46
transferred to any other public institution of higher 47
education in this state and sh all be substituted for the 48
receiving institution's core curriculum for the same degree 49
program. A student shall receive academic credit toward the 50
student's degree for each of the courses transferred and 51
shall not be required to take additional core c urriculum 52
courses at the receiving institution for the same degree 53
program. 54
6. A student who transfers from one public institution 55
of higher education in this state to another public 56
institution of higher education in this state without 57 SB 69 5
completing the sixty-credit-hour, transferable, lower - 58
division course curriculum of the sending institution shall 59
receive academic credit toward the same degree program from 60
the receiving institution for each of the courses that the 61
student has successfully co mpleted in the sixty -credit-hour, 62
transferable, lower-division course curriculum of the 63
sending institution. Following receipt of credit for such 64
courses, the student may be required to satisfy further 65
course requirements in the sixty -credit-hour, transferable, 66
lower-division course curriculum of the receiving 67
institution. 68
7. The coordinating board shall report to the house 69
higher education committee and the senate education 70
committee on progress related to the requirements of 71
subsections 4 and 5 of section 178.786 and subsections 4, 5, 72
and 6 of this section before December 31, 2026. 73