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Senate Bill 2118 |
Senate Author: Seliger et al. |
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Effective: 6-12-17 |
House Sponsor: Davis, Sarah et al. |
Previous law required the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to authorize public junior colleges that had previously participated in a related pilot project to offer baccalaureate degree programs in applied science and applied technology. Senate Bill 2118 amends the Education Code to instead generally authorize the coordinating board to authorize public junior colleges to offer baccalaureate degree programs and specifically authorize the coordinating board to authorize baccalaureate degree programs at one or more junior colleges that offer a degree program in applied science, applied technology, or nursing and have demonstrated a workforce need. The bill decreases the limit on the number of baccalaureate degree programs a junior college may offer at any time from five to three, with an exception for a junior college that previously participated in an applicable pilot project.
Senate Bill 2118 revises and expands requirements for a junior college seeking to offer a baccalaureate degree program and sets out further requirements specifically applicable to a junior college seeking to offer a baccalaureate degree program in nursing.
Previous law required the coordinating board to establish a pilot project to examine the feasibility and effectiveness of baccalaureate degree programs in dental hygiene at Tyler Junior College. Senate Bill 2118 instead requires the coordinating board to authorize baccalaureate degree programs in that field at the college.
Senate Bill 2118 provides for the funding of a baccalaureate degree program at a junior college and revises the biennial reporting requirement for such a junior college by requiring that the junior college conduct a review of each such program offered as a preliminary step to preparing the report and include program quality in the report.