Texas 2013 - 83rd Regular

Texas House Bill HB30 Compare Versions

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1	1	83R16616 KSD-D
2	2	By: Branch, et al. H.B. No. 30
3	3	Substitute the following for H.B. No. 30:
4	4	By: Branch C.S.H.B. No. 30
5	5
6	6
7	7	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
8	8	AN ACT
9	9	relating to measures to facilitate the transfer of students within
10	10	the public higher education system and the timely graduation of
11	11	students from public institutions of higher education.
12	12	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
13	13	SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
14	14	amended by adding Section 51.96852 to read as follows:
15	15	Sec. 51.96852. TRANSFER OF CREDIT FROM LOWER-DIVISION
16	16	INSTITUTIONS; ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS. (a) In this section:
17	17	(1) "Articulation agreement" means a formal written
18	18	agreement between a public junior college and a general academic
19	19	teaching institution identifying courses offered by the public
20	20	junior college that must be accepted for credit toward specific
21	21	course requirements at the general academic teaching institution.
22	22	(2) "Lower-division institution of higher education"
23	23	means a public junior college, public state college, or public
24	24	technical institute.
25	25	(3) "Public junior college" and "general academic
26	26	teaching institution" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
27	27	(b) Each general academic teaching institution shall:
28	28	(1) publish on the institution's Internet website for
29	29	use by prospective undergraduate students a detailed description
30	30	developed by the institution's faculty of the learning objectives,
31	31	content, and prior knowledge requirements for at least 12 courses
32	32	offered by the institution for which credit is frequently
33	33	transferred to the institution from lower-division institutions of
34	34	higher education;
35	35	(2) identify the public junior colleges from which the
36	36	general academic teaching institution regularly receives transfer
37	37	students; and
38	38	(3) establish, for at least five degree plans for
39	39	which credit is frequently transferred to the institution from
40	40	lower-division institutions of higher education, articulation
41	41	agreements with each public junior college from which the general
42	42	academic teaching institution has received an average of at least
43	43	five percent of the institution's transfer students in the three
44	44	preceding academic years.
45	45	(c) A general academic teaching institution's participation
46	46	in an articulation agreement under this section does not affect the
47	47	institution's admissions policies.
48	48	(d) In consultation with general academic teaching
49	49	institutions and public junior colleges, the Texas Higher Education
50	50	Coordinating Board shall adopt any rules the coordinating board
51	51	considers necessary for the administration of this section.
52	52	SECTION 2. Section 61.0515, Education Code, is amended by
53	53	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
54	54	follows:
55	55	(a) To earn a baccalaureate degree, a student may not be
56	56	required by a general academic teaching institution to complete
57	57	more than the minimum number of semester credit hours required for
58	58	the degree by the institution's board-recognized accrediting
59	59	agency [Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or its
60	60	successor] unless the institution determines that there is a
61	61	compelling academic reason for requiring completion of additional
62	62	semester credit hours for the degree.
63	63	(d) The board shall adopt any rules the board considers
64	64	necessary for the administration of this section.
65	65	SECTION 3. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
66	66	amended by adding Section 61.05151 to read as follows:
67	67	Sec. 61.05151. SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED FOR ASSOCIATE
68	68	DEGREE. (a) To earn an associate degree, a student may not be
69	69	required by an institution of higher education to complete more
70	70	than the minimum number of semester credit hours required for the
71	71	degree by the institution's board-recognized accrediting agency
72	72	unless academic accreditation or professional licensure
73	73	requirements require the completion of additional semester credit
74	74	hours for the degree.
75	75	(b) The board may review one or more of an institution's
76	76	associate degree programs to ensure compliance with this section.
77	77	(c) Subsection (a) does not apply to an associate degree
78	78	awarded by an institution to a student enrolled in the institution
79	79	before the 2015 fall semester.
80	80	(d) The board shall adopt any rules the board considers
81	81	necessary for the administration of this section.
82	82	SECTION 4. Section 61.052, Education Code, is amended by
83	83	amending Subsections (a) and (b) and adding Subsection (b-1) to
84	84	read as follows:
85	85	(a) Each governing board shall submit to the board once each
86	86	year on dates designated by the board a comprehensive list by
87	87	department, division, and school of all courses, together with a
88	88	description of content, scope, and prerequisites of all these
89	89	courses, that will be offered by each institution under the
90	90	supervision of that governing board during the following academic
91	91	year. The list for each institution must also specifically
92	92	identify any course included in the common course numbering system
93	93	under Section 61.832 that has been added to or removed from the
94	94	institution's list for the current academic year, and the board
95	95	shall distribute that information as necessary to accomplish the
96	96	purposes of Section 61.832.
97	97	(b) After the comprehensive list of courses is submitted by
98	98	a governing board under Subsection (a) [of this section], the
99	99	governing board shall submit on dates designated by the board any
100	100	changes in the comprehensive list of courses to be offered,
101	101	including any changes relating to offering a course included in the
102	102	common course numbering system.
103	103	(b-1) Each governing board must certify at the time of
104	104	submission under Subsection (a) that the institution does not:
105	105	(1) prohibit the acceptance of transfer credit based
106	106	solely on the accreditation of the sending institution; or
107	107	(2) include language in any materials published by the
108	108	institution, whether in printed or electronic form, suggesting that
109	109	such a prohibition exists.
110	110	SECTION 5. Section 61.822, Education Code, is amended by
111	111	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
112	112	follows:
113	113	(a) The board, with the assistance of advisory committees
114	114	composed of representatives of institutions of higher education,
115	115	shall develop a recommended core curriculum of at least 42 semester
116	116	credit hours, including a statement of the content, component
117	117	areas, and objectives of the core curriculum. Administrators of an
118	118	institution of higher education may serve as representatives of the
119	119	institution on any advisory committee under this section. At least
120	120	a majority of the members of any advisory committee named under this
121	121	section shall be faculty members of an institution of higher
122	122	education. An institution shall consult with the faculty of the
123	123	institution before nominating or recommending a person to the board
124	124	as the institution's representative on an advisory committee.
125	125	(f) In an effort to facilitate the transfer of major-related
126	126	coursework beyond the general education core curriculum, the board,
127	127	with the assistance of the advisory committees described by
128	128	Subsection (a), shall:
129	129	(1) develop a course-specific core curriculum for each
130	130	broad academic discipline within the general core curriculum; and
131	131	(2) identify those degree programs offered at
132	132	institutions of higher education to which the course-specific core
133	133	curriculum, if successfully completed by a student at another
134	134	institution of higher education, is fully transferable.
135	135	SECTION 6. Section 61.832, Education Code, is amended by
136	136	adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:
137	137	(e) A student who transfers from one institution of higher
138	138	education to another shall receive academic credit from the
139	139	receiving institution for each course that the student has
140	140	successfully completed that serves as an equivalent course under
141	141	the common course numbering system at the institution from which
142	142	the student transfers.
143	143	SECTION 7. Not later than May 31, 2015, each general
144	144	academic teaching institution shall publish on the institution's
145	145	Internet website the information required by Section 51.96852,
146	146	Education Code, as added by this Act, and establish articulation
147	147	agreements in accordance with that section.
148	148	SECTION 8. The change in law made by this Act to Section
149	149	61.0515(a), Education Code, applies beginning with undergraduate
150	150	students who initially enroll in a general academic teaching
151	151	institution for the 2015 fall semester. An undergraduate student
152	152	who initially enrolls in a general academic teaching institution
153	153	before that semester is covered by the law in effect before the
154	154	effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for
155	155	that purpose.
156	156	SECTION 9. The changes in law made by this Act to Section
157	157	61.052, Education Code, apply to the comprehensive lists of courses
158	158	offered by public institutions of higher education beginning with
159	159	lists required to be submitted for the 2014-2015 academic year.
160	160	Course lists for an academic year before that academic year are
161	161	covered by the law in effect before the effective date of this Act,
162	162	and that law is continued in effect for that purpose.
163	163	SECTION 10. Not later than May 31, 2015, the Texas Higher
164	164	Education Coordinating Board shall develop core curricula for broad
165	165	academic disciplines included within the general core curriculum
166	166	that conform to the requirements of Section 61.822, Education Code,
167	167	as amended by this Act.
168	168	SECTION 11. Section 61.832(e), Education Code, as added by
169	169	this Act, applies beginning with the 2013 fall semester.
170	170	SECTION 12. This Act takes effect immediately if it
171	171	receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
172	172	house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
173	173	If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
174	174	effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2013.