Or. Admin. Code § 589-006-0100 - General Community College Course and Program Approval Requirements
(1) The Commission has responsibility for the
approval of community college educational programs and locations.
(2) The Commission shall provide community
college district boards of education with the standards, criteria, and
procedures the Commission will utilize to approve certificate of completion,
associate degree, bachelor of applied science degree, and Bachelor of Science:
Nursing degree programs and new locations for previously approved programs.
Such standards, criteria, and procedures shall be included in the Approval
Procedures identified by the Office.
(3) Requests for approval of new bachelor of
applied science degree, Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree, associate degree,
associate degree option, and certificate of completion programs must be
submitted by the community college board of education to the Commission and be
approved prior to commencement of the program.
(4) Applied baccalaureate programs offered by
community colleges culminate in the award of the bachelor of applied science
degree. Each bachelor of applied science degree program shall conform to the
specific degree requirements as identified in the Approval
Procedures.
(5) Associate degree
programs offered by community colleges may include an Associate of Arts Oregon
Transfer degree, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, and
Associate of General Studies. Each associate degree program shall conform to
the specific degree requirements as identified in the Approval
Procedures.
(6) Bachelor of
Science: Nursing degree programs offered by community colleges are limited to
post-licensure individuals who have already received an associate degree in
nursing. These programs culminate in the award of a Bachelor of Science:
Nursing Degree. Each Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree program shall conform
to the specific degree requirements as identified in the Approval
Procedures.
(7) Certificate of
completion programs offered by community colleges shall include less than
one-year, one-year, greater than one-year, and two-year certificates of
completion. Each certificate of completion shall conform to the specific
certificate of completion requirements identified in the Approval
Procedures.
(8) Each request for
approval to offer a bachelor of applied science degree program or Bachelor of
Science: Nursing degree program shall be made according to the process,
timeline, and criteria outlined in the Approval Procedures and as specified by
Oregon Revised Statutes.
(a) To meet the
criteria of ORS 350.075(3)(g), the commission shall ensure that approved
programs:
(A) Are consistent with the mission
statement of the community college;
(B) Do not unnecessarily duplicate academic
programs offered by Oregon's other community colleges or public
universities;
(C) Are not located
in a geographic area that will cause undue hardship to Oregon's other community
colleges or public universities; and
(D) Are allocated among Oregon's community
colleges and public universities to maximize the achievement of statewide needs
and requirements.
(b) To
meet the criteria of ORS 341.013, the Commission shall ensure that approved
programs:
(A) Describe the program to be
offered;
(B) Describe the method by
which the program will be created, including any necessary accreditation by the
relevant accrediting agency or agencies;
(C) Document local unmet workforce needs that
will be addressed by offering the program; and
(D) Document that the community college has
the expertise, resources, and student interest necessary to make the program
successful.
(9) A proposed bachelor of applied science
degree program or Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree program must be approved
by the Commission. The Commission shall approve a proposed bachelor of applied
science degree program or Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree program if:
(a) the community college submits all the
information and documentation required under subsections 8(a) and 8(b) above;
and
(b) Meets or exceeds the local
community college board of education program approval standards; and
(c) Meets or exceeds the Commission's program
approval standards and criteria.
(10) To meet the approval standards of the
Commission, bachelor of applied science degree programs or Bachelor of Science:
Nursing degree programs must:
(a) Require 180
total credits for degree completion.
(b) Require a minimum of 60 upper-division
credits.
(c) For a bachelor of
applied science degree program have a program design that accommodates
first-time students who may start by seeking an Associate of Applied Science
(AAS) degree or an Associate of Science (AS) degree, as well as students
returning to school who may have made significant progress towards or have
completed a relevant AAS or AS.
(d) For a Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree
program, be designed as a post-licensure degree program in which individuals
who have already received an associate degree in nursing receive a bachelor's
degree in nursing.
(e) Demonstrate
occupational focus and be designed to help fill specific labor market needs
within targeted professional and technical fields, with professionals that
participate and assist in program design.
(f) Have a recognizable core of general
education or related instruction with identified outcomes in the areas of
communication, computation, and human relations that align with and support
program goals or intended outcomes. Related instruction components may be
embedded within program curricula or taught in blocks of specialized
instruction, but each approach must have clearly identified content and means
to assess learning.
(g) Have an
established standard of academic achievement; and
(h) Meet or exceed the local community
college board of education program approval standards; and
(i) Meet or exceed the Commission's program
approval standards.
(11)
To meet the approval standards of the Commission, associate degree and
associate degree option programs must:
(a)
Include at least 90 total credits; and
(b) Be no more than 108 credits;
and
(c) Have a recognizable core of
general education or related instruction courses; and
(d) Have an established standard of academic
achievement; and
(e) Meet or exceed
the local community college board of education program approval standards;
and
(f) Meet or exceed the Higher
Education Coordinating Commission program approval standards and
criteria.
(12) To meet
the approval standards by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission,
certificate of completion programs must:
(a)
Include at least 12 credits; and
(b) Be no more than 108 credits;
and
(c) Have a recognizable core of
general education or related instruction courses for programs one year or more
in length; and
(d) Have an
established standard of academic achievement; and
(e) Demonstrate occupational content leading
to employment; and
(f) Meet or
exceed the local community college board of education program approval
standards; and
(g) Meet or exceed
the Commission program approval standards and criteria.
(13) Certificate of completion and associate
of applied science degree programs shall include a designation of the
particular occupation, career, or career area as a component of the award
title.
(14) Options to constitute a
variation in the state-approved degree are allowable only for associate of
applied science degree programs. Associate of applied science degree options
may be added to new or existing associate of applied science degree programs
following the procedures in the Approval Procedures identified by the
department.
Notes
Publications: Publications referenced are available from the agency.
Statutory/Other Authority: ORS 350.075
Statutes/Other Implemented: ORS 341.465 & ORS 341.013
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