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A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
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AN ACT
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relating to the development of transfer associate degree programs |
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to facilitate the transfer of students from public junior colleges |
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to general academic teaching institutions. |
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
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SECTION 1. Subchapter C, Chapter 61, Education Code, is |
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amended by adding Section 61.05125 to read as follows: |
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Sec. 61.05125. TRANSFER ASSOCIATE DEGREE PROGRAMS. (a) The |
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board, in collaboration with public junior colleges and general |
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academic teaching institutions, shall: |
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(1) develop and approve transfer associate degree |
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programs to be offered by public junior colleges in a variety of |
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fields reflecting the diversity of degree programs offered by |
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general academic teaching institutions; and |
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(2) subject to admissions space availability, require |
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each general academic teaching institution to offer any applicant |
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for transfer admission to the institution who successfully |
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completed a transfer associate degree program under Subdivision |
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(1): |
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(A) priority consideration in admission to the |
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institution as a junior-level transfer student with academic credit |
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for the semester credit hours of course work completed by the |
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student under the transfer associate degree program; and |
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(B) priority consideration in admission to a |
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specific college or degree program at the institution that is |
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related to the student's associate degree field. |
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(b) Each transfer associate degree program approved by the |
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board under this section must require a student to successfully |
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complete 60 semester credit hours of academic course work at a |
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public junior college, including the public junior college's core |
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curriculum adopted under Section 61.822(b), with a cumulative grade |
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point average of at least 2.0 on a four-point scale or the |
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equivalent. |
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SECTION 2. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board |
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shall develop and approve transfer associate degree programs under |
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Section 61.05125, Education Code, as added by this Act, as soon as |
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practicable following the effective date of this Act, but not later |
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than January 31, 2016. |
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SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015. |