By:  Rosson                                           S.B. No. 1192
       73R6329 ESH-D
                                 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
    1-1                                AN ACT
    1-2  relating to certain degree programs offered by proprietary schools.
    1-3        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
    1-4        SECTION 1.  Section 32.401, Education Code, is amended to
    1-5  read as follows:
    1-6        Sec. 32.401.  Approved Degrees.  (a)  A proprietary school
    1-7  may offer an associate of applied arts, <or> an associate of
    1-8  applied science degree, or an associate of occupational studies
    1-9  degree approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
   1-10        (b)  A proprietary school may offer an applied technology
   1-11  degree<, an occupational studies degree,> or other degree approved
   1-12  by the Central Education Agency.  The Central Education Agency
   1-13  shall have no authority to approve a degree title that uses
   1-14  "associate," "bachelor's," "master's," or "doctor's" in the title
   1-15  and shall consult with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating
   1-16  Board to ensure that the titles of degrees approved by the agency
   1-17  are distinctly different from the titles of degrees approved by the
   1-18  board.
   1-19        SECTION 2.  Subchapter D, Chapter 32, Education Code, is
   1-20  amended by adding Section 32.402 to read as follows:
   1-21        Sec. 32.402.  ACADEMIC REQUIREMENTS FOR ASSOCIATE OF
   1-22  OCCUPATIONAL STUDIES DEGREE.  (a)  A proprietary school that offers
   1-23  an associate of occupational studies degree must provide the
   1-24  equivalent of 15 credit hours of academic courses.
    2-1        (b)  The commissioner of higher education may not require a
    2-2  proprietary school to provide academic courses required by
    2-3  Subsection (a) of this section as separate courses but shall permit
    2-4  a school to incorporate the academic courses into the practical
    2-5  skills training program if the courses are approved by the
    2-6  commissioner as appropriate for incorporation into the school's
    2-7  skills training program.
    2-8        (c)  The commissioner of higher education, in cooperation
    2-9  with the proprietary schools that offer an associate of
   2-10  occupational studies degree, shall develop a system to evaluate the
   2-11  outcome of academic courses required by Subsection (a) of this
   2-12  section.
   2-13        SECTION 3.  This Act takes effect September 1, 1993.
   2-14        SECTION 4.  The importance of this legislation and the
   2-15  crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an
   2-16  emergency and an imperative public necessity that the
   2-17  constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several
   2-18  days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended.