By: West, Taylor of Collin S.B. No. 2122

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to the coordination of the transfer of course credit between public institutions of higher education.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Sections 51.9685(b), (c), and (d), Education Code, are amended to read as follows:

(b) Except as otherwise provided by Subsection (c), not later than the end of the first regular semester or term immediately following the semester or term in which the student earned the following number of semester credit hours for coursework successfully completed by the student, including transfer courses, international baccalaureate courses, dual credit courses, and any other course for which the institution the student attends has awarded the student college course credit, including course credit awarded by examination, each student enrolled [in an associate or bachelor's degree program] at an institution of higher education shall:

(1) following a semester or term in which the student earned a cumulative total of 15 or more semester credit hours, receive formal advising regarding the student's degree plan; and

(2) following a semester or term in which the student earned a cumulative total of 30 or more semester credit hours, file a degree plan with the institution [not later than the end of the second regular semester or term immediately following the semester or term in which the student earned a cumulative total of 45 or more semester credit hours for coursework successfully completed by the student, including transfer courses, international baccalaureate courses, dual credit courses, and any other course for which the institution the student attends has awarded the student college course credit, including course credit awarded by examination].

(c) A student to whom this section applies who begins the student's first semester or term at an institution of higher education with 30 [45] or more semester credit hours of course credit for courses described by Subsection (b) shall file a degree plan with the institution not later than the end of the student's second regular semester or term at the institution.

(d) An institution of higher education shall provide to students to whom this section applies information regarding the requirement for formal advising and the degree plan filing requirement under this section and options for consulting with an academic advisor for those purposes [that purpose], which may include consultation through electronic communication.

SECTION 2. Section 61.059(p), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(p) In its instruction and operations formula applicable to an institution of higher education, the board may not include any semester credit hours earned for dual course credit by a high school student for high school and college credit at the institution unless those credit hours are earned through any of the following:

(1) a course in the core curriculum of the institution providing course credit;

(2) a career and technical education course that applies to any certificate or associate's degree offered by the institution providing course credit; [or]

(3) a foreign language course; or

(4) a course in a field of study curriculum approved by the board under Section 61.823 offered by the institution providing course credit.

SECTION 3. Section 61.822, Education Code, is amended by amending Subsections (a), (a-1), and (b) and adding Subsections (a-2), (f), and (g) to read as follows:

(a) The board shall develop and implement a policy regarding [encourage] the transferability of lower division course credit among institutions of higher education.

(a-1) The board, with the assistance of advisory committees composed of representatives of institutions of higher education, shall develop a recommended core curriculum of at least 42 semester credit hours, including a statement of the content, component areas, and objectives of the core curriculum. The core curriculum must provide the knowledge and academic competencies foundational for all future learning. Courses in the core curriculum shall be general education courses, broad in scope, and may not narrowly focus on knowledge and competencies specific to a particular occupation or profession.

(a-2) At least a majority of the members of any advisory committee named under this section shall be faculty members of an institution of higher education. An institution shall consult with the faculty of the institution before nominating or recommending a person to the board as the institution's representative on an advisory committee.

(b) Each institution of higher education shall adopt a core curriculum of no less than 42 semester credit hours, including specific courses comprising the curriculum. The core curriculum must be approved by the board and shall be consistent with the common course numbering system approved by the board under Section 61.832 and with the statement, recommendations, and rules issued by the board. [An institution may have a core curriculum of other than 42 semester credit hours only if approved by the board.]

(f) The board shall establish a database and collect information as determined by the board to annually identify the 25 degree programs that have the greatest transfer student enrollment. Each general academic teaching institution must identify for each of those degree programs:

(1) a list of the lower-division courses offered by institutions of higher education that are considered by the board to be general academic transfer courses that may be offered for state funding by public junior colleges, public state colleges, and public technical institutes;

(2) the required courses for the degree program that satisfy the core curriculum requirements at the institution; and

(3) any additional lower-division requirements for the degree program at the institution.

(g) Courses identified by a general academic teaching institution under Subsection (f) are only required to be applied to the appropriate degree program for a student in the period of the institution's course catalog beginning with the student's first enrollment in an institution of higher education.

SECTION 4. Section 61.823, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (f) to read as follows:

(f) Each public junior college, public state college, and public technical institute that offers a degree program for which a field of study curriculum is developed shall adopt the field of study curriculum.

SECTION 5. Section 61.832, Education Code, is amended by adding Subsection (e) to read as follows:

(e) The board may monitor the use of the common course numbering system by general academic teaching institutions to ascertain benefits and problems with the implementation of the system and issue an annual report, including a timeline for statutory compliance, to the governor, the lieutenant governor, the speaker of the house of representatives, the chair of the senate finance committee, and the chair of each standing committee in the legislature with jurisdiction over higher education.

SECTION 6. The changes in law made by this Act apply beginning with the 2018-2019 academic year.

SECTION 7. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2017.