|
|
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. |
|
|
|
* * * * * |