By: González H.B. No. 3498
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the development of transfer associate degree programs
to facilitate the transfer of students from public junior colleges
to general academic teaching institutions.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is
amended by adding Section 61.05125 to read as follows:
Sec. 61.05125. TRANSFER ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMS. (a) The
board, in collaboration with public junior colleges and general
academic teaching institutions, shall:
(1) develop and approve transfer associate degree
programs to be offered by public junior colleges in a variety of
fields reflecting the diversity of degree programs offered by
general academic teaching institutions; and
(2) subject to admissions space availability, require
each general academic teaching institution to offer any applicant
for transfer admission to the institution who successfully
completed a transfer associate degree program under Subdivision
(1):
(A) priority consideration in admission to the
institution as a junior-level transfer student with academic credit
for the semester credit hours of course work completed by the
student under the transfer associate degree program; and
(B) priority consideration in admission to a
specific college or degree program at the institution that is
related to the student's associate degree field.
(b) Each transfer associate degree program approved by the
board under this section must require a student to successfully
complete 60 semester credit hours of academic course work at a
public junior college, including the public junior college's core
curriculum adopted under Section 61.822(b), with a cumulative grade
point average of at least 2.0 on a four-point scale or the
equivalent.
SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
shall develop and approve transfer associate degree programs under
Section 61.05125, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as
practicable following the effective date of this Act, but not later
than January 31, 2016.
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.