Texas 2019 - 86th Regular

Texas House Bill HB2072 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	86R11917 KSD-F
2	2	By: Wu H.B. No. 2072
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to measures to facilitate the transfer, academic progress,
8	8	and timely graduation of students in public higher education.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter Z, Chapter 51, Education Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Section 51.96852 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 51.96852. TRANSFER OF CREDIT FROM LOWER-DIVISION
13	13	INSTITUTIONS; ARTICULATION AGREEMENTS. (a) In this section:
14	14	(1) "Articulation agreement" means a formal written
15	15	agreement between a public junior college and a general academic
16	16	teaching institution identifying courses offered by the public
17	17	junior college that must be accepted for credit toward specific
18	18	course requirements at the general academic teaching institution.
19	19	(2) "General academic teaching institution," "public
20	20	junior college," "public state college," and "public technical
21	21	institute" have the meanings assigned by Section 61.003.
22	22	(3) "Lower-division institution of higher education"
23	23	means a public junior college, public state college, or public
24	24	technical institute.
25	25	(b) Each general academic teaching institution shall:
26	26	(1) publish on the institution's Internet website for
27	27	use by prospective undergraduate students a detailed description
28	28	developed by the institution's faculty of the learning objectives,
29	29	content, and prior knowledge requirements for at least 12 courses
30	30	offered by the institution for which credit is frequently
31	31	transferred to the institution from lower-division institutions of
32	32	higher education;
33	33	(2) identify the public junior colleges from which the
34	34	general academic teaching institution regularly receives transfer
35	35	students; and
36	36	(3) establish, for at least five degree plans for
37	37	which credit is frequently transferred to the institution from
38	38	lower-division institutions of higher education, articulation
39	39	agreements with each public junior college from which the general
40	40	academic teaching institution has received an average of at least
41	41	five percent of the institution's transfer students in the three
42	42	preceding academic years.
43	43	(c) A general academic teaching institution's participation
44	44	in an articulation agreement under this section does not affect the
45	45	institution's admissions policies.
46	46	(d) In consultation with general academic teaching
47	47	institutions and public junior colleges, the Texas Higher Education
48	48	Coordinating Board, using the negotiated rulemaking procedures
49	49	under Chapter 2008, Government Code, shall adopt any rules the
50	50	coordinating board considers necessary for the administration of
51	51	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. In adopting
65	65	rules under this subsection, the board shall use the negotiated
66	66	rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code.
67	67	SECTION 3. Section 61.05151, Education Code, is amended by
68	68	amending Subsection (a) and adding Subsection (d) to read as
69	69	follows:
70	70	(a) To earn an associate degree, a student may not be
71	71	required by an institution of higher education to complete more
72	72	than the minimum number of semester credit hours required for the
73	73	degree by the institution's board-recognized accrediting agency
74	74	[Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or its successor]
75	75	unless the institution determines that there is a compelling
76	76	academic reason for requiring completion of additional semester
77	77	credit hours for the degree.
78	78	(d) The board shall adopt any rules the board considers
79	79	necessary for the administration of this section. In adopting
80	80	rules under this subsection, the board shall use the negotiated
81	81	rulemaking procedures under Chapter 2008, Government Code.
82	82	SECTION 4. Section 61.822, Education Code, is amended by
83	83	amending Subsection (a-1) and adding Subsection (f) to read as
84	84	follows:
85	85	(a-1) The board, with the assistance of advisory committees
86	86	composed of representatives of institutions of higher education,
87	87	shall develop a recommended core curriculum of at least 42 semester
88	88	credit hours, including a statement of the content, component
89	89	areas, and objectives of the core curriculum. Administrators of an
90	90	institution of higher education may serve as representatives of the
91	91	institution on any advisory committee under this section. At least
92	92	a majority of the members of any advisory committee named under this
93	93	section shall be faculty members of an institution of higher
94	94	education. An institution shall consult with the faculty of the
95	95	institution before nominating or recommending a person to the board
96	96	as the institution's representative on an advisory committee.
97	97	(f) In an effort to facilitate the transfer of major-related
98	98	coursework beyond the general education core curriculum, the board,
99	99	with the assistance of the advisory committees described by
100	100	Subsection (a-1), shall:
101	101	(1) develop a course-specific core curriculum for each
102	102	broad academic discipline within the general core curriculum; and
103	103	(2) identify those degree programs offered at
104	104	institutions of higher education to which the course-specific core
105	105	curriculum, if successfully completed by a student at another
106	106	institution of higher education, is fully transferable.
107	107	SECTION 5. Not later than May 31, 2021, each general
108	108	academic teaching institution shall publish on the institution's
109	109	Internet website the information required by Section 51.96852,
110	110	Education Code, as added by this Act, and establish articulation
111	111	agreements in accordance with that section.
112	112	SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act to Sections
113	113	61.0515(a) and 61.05151(a), Education Code, apply beginning with
114	114	undergraduate students who initially enroll in an institution of
115	115	higher education for the 2021 fall semester. An undergraduate
116	116	student who initially enrolls in an institution of higher education
117	117	before that semester is covered by the law in effect before the
118	118	effective date of this Act, and that law is continued in effect for
119	119	that purpose.
120	120	SECTION 7. Not later than May 31, 2021, the Texas Higher
121	121	Education Coordinating Board shall develop core curricula for broad
122	122	academic disciplines included within the general core curriculum
123	123	that conform to the requirements of Section 61.822, Education Code,
124	124	as amended by this Act.
125	125	SECTION 8. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.