Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 11, August 30, 2024
(1)
Purpose. The purpose of the
operational policy on the approval, disapproval, deferral, and withdrawal of
new programs of instruction is to ensure that all proposals for new degree
programs are subject to a fair and consistent evaluation and
determination.
(2)
Commission
Responsibility. It is the responsibility of the Alabama Commission on
Higher Education to establish policies and procedures for approving,
disapproving, deferring, and withdrawing new programs of instruction. It is
also the Commission's responsibility to ensure that approved programs meet
standards for viability and quality following implementation.
(3)
Scope. This section shall
apply to proposals for new academic degree programs as specified above in
§
300-2-1-.03(3).
(4)
Commission Actions on Proposed New
programs of Instruction: The Commission shall take no longer than ten
months to review a proposal for a new program of instruction before taking one
of the following actions on the proposal:
(a)
Approval: The approval of a new program of instruction shall require the
concurrence of a majority (7) of all the members of the Commission.
(b) Disapproval: A program that receives a
negative recommendation by a majority vote of Commission members present may be
reconsidered after one year at the request of the institution, provided
substantive changes indicate the need for reconsideration.
(c) Deferral: Should the Commission (by
majority vote of members present) defer action on a proposed program, it will
specify the future meeting at which the program will be reconsidered, being
mindful of the ten-month deadline for program action. If the ten-month
limitation has been reached or will be reached before the next scheduled
meeting of the Commission, action will not be deferred; however, if the
Commission decides that special consideration is warranted, such a program may
be disapproved by a majority of members present with the provision that the
program can be reconsidered at a specified meeting scheduled prior to the
one-year restriction on resubmission of disapproved programs. Deferral is a
Commission, not an institutional prerogative.
(5)
Withdrawal of a New Program
Proposal. Should an institution withdraw a proposed program from
Commission consideration, it may be resubmitted at any time; however, the time
which has expired prior to the withdrawal will not count toward the ten-month
deadline on Commission program action. The Commission will have ten months
beginning at the time the program is resubmitted to take action on the
program.
(6)
Post-implementation Requirements for Approved Programs of Study.
Any new degree program approved by the Commission shall have a seven-year
post-implementation monitoring period, during which it must meet conditions set
forth at the time of approval as follows:
(a)
Condition on Graduates: An approved degree program must meet the minimum
viability standard for average number of graduates for its degree level,
established by
Code of Ala. 1975, §
16-5-8(a)(2) as
follows:
1. Baccalaureate degrees (IPEDS Level
5), associate degrees (IPEDS Level 3), and long certificates (IPEDS Level 2)
must produce an average of at least 7.5 graduates per year. In vocational and
technical programs, a student who leaves the program for purposes of gainful
employment, in the same field of study as the program, having obtained the
skills in said program, shall count as a graduate. For two-year technical and
vocational college programs, a student who completes 26 semester hours or
equivalent programs shall be deemed and counted as a graduate for the proposes
of viability standards.
2. Master's
degrees (IPEDS Level 7) must produce an average of at least 3.75 graduates per
year.
3. Education Specialist
(IPEDS Level 8) or terminal sub-doctoral degrees must produce an average of at
least 3.0 graduates per year.
4.
Doctorate degrees (IPEDS Levels 17, 18, and 19) must produce an average of at
least 2.25 graduates per year.
(b) Condition on New Enrollments: Approved
degree programs must attract a sufficient number of new students each year
("new enrollments") to ensure that the program will continue to meet minimum
viability requirements for program graduates. In order to account for attrition
or enrollment fluctuations over the post-implementation period, the condition
for new enrollments shall be set at 25% higher than the minimum viability
standard for graduates as follows:
1.
Baccalaureate degrees, associate degrees, and long certificates must enroll an
average of at least 9.4 students per year following program
implementation.
2. Master's degrees
must enroll an average of at least 4.7 students per year following program
implementation.
3. Education
Specialist or terminal sub-doctoral degrees must enroll an average of at least
3.75 students per year following program implementation.
4. Doctorate degrees (must enroll an average
of at least 2.8 students per year following program implementation, though an
institution may request that the Commission reduce this number under certain
circumstances.
(c)
Condition on Reporting: Institutions must provide a report evaluating whether
the program has met its post implementation conditions and whether it has
fulfilled the objectives stated in the proposal, specifically pertaining to
employment outcomes for graduates.
(d) Additional Conditions: As appropriate to
the specific program of study, the Commission may require additional post
implementation conditions, such as the following:
1. Programs with discipline-specific
accreditation may be required to show progress toward specialized accreditation
as a post-implementation condition of approval.
2. Programs leading to professional licensure
will be required to report steps to be taken to optimize exam pass rates and
the licensure pass rate as a post implementation condition of
approval.
3. In the case that the
proposed program of study is likely to reduce new enrollments or graduates from
an existing program of study, such as when an option within an existing program
becomes a standalone program, the Commission may require that the existing
program continue to maintain viability in terms of average annual number of
graduates.
(7)
Implementation Window. The
window will be 24 months (2 years) from the time of Commission approval to
implementation, before Commission approval will expire. An institution may
request that a longer implementation window be approved under certain
circumstances.
(8)
Post-Implementation Review. At the end of the seven-year
post-implementation period, ACHE staff will review the post implementation
report submitted in fulfillment of the condition on reporting, as noted above,
and will notify the Commission as to whether the program has met its
post-implementation requirements.
(a) Programs
determined to have met all post-implementation conditions will no longer be
subject to post-implementation monitoring.
(b) Any program determined not to have met
one or more of its post-implementation conditions will be recommended for
deletion within the Commission's Academic Program Inventory, unless the
Commission approves an amendment to the post implementation conditions for the
program.
Author: William O. Blow; Robin E. McGill
Statutory Authority:
Code of Ala.
1975, §§
16-5-1,
et seq.