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Senate Bill 497 |
Senate Author: Seliger et al. |
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Effective: 6-14-13 |
House Sponsor: Branch |
Senate Bill 497 amends the Education Code to prohibit an institution of higher education from requiring a student to complete more than the minimum number of semester credit hours required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools for a student to earn an associate's degree, unless the institution determines that there is a compelling academic reason for requiring the additional semester credit hours. The bill exempts from this prohibition an associate's degree awarded by an institution to a student enrolled in the institution before the 2015 fall semester and specifies that the exemption does not prohibit the institution from reducing the number of semester credit hours the student must complete to receive the degree. The bill authorizes the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to review one or more of an institution's associate's degree programs to ensure compliance.