Current through Reg. 49, No. 38; September 20, 2024
(a) Each
public institution of higher education, in accordance with the requirements of
the institution's approved accreditor, shall have a process to review the
quality and effectiveness of existing degree programs and for continuous
improvement.
(b) Board staff shall
develop a process for conducting a periodic audit of the quality, productivity,
and effectiveness of each existing master's, doctoral, and professional degree
program at a public institution of higher education.
(c) Board staff will meet the requirements of
program review established by Texas Education Code, §
61.0512(e),
by reviewing program data reported in the Accountability System for each
undergraduate degree offered by a public institution of higher education in
Texas.
(d) Each public university
and public health-related institution shall review each of its master's,
doctoral and professional degree programs at least once every ten (10) years.
(1) On a schedule to be determined by the
Commissioner, each institution shall submit a schedule of review for each
graduate program to the Assistant Commissioner with oversight of academic
program approval.
(2) Each
institution shall begin each review of a graduate degree program with a
rigorous self-study.
(3) As part of
the required review process, an institution shall use at least two external
reviewers with subject-matter expertise who are employed by institutions of
higher education outside of Texas. Each institution shall provide its external
reviewers with the materials and products of the self-study and must
participate in a site review.
(4)
Each external reviewer shall be part of a program that is nationally recognized
for excellence in the discipline.
(5) Each external reviewer shall affirm that
they have no conflict of interest related to the Board, the institution, or
program under review.
(6) Each
institution may review a closely-related program, defined as sharing the same
four-digit Classification of Instructional Programs code, in a consolidated
manner at the discretion of the institution.
(7) Each institution shall review a master's
and doctoral program in the same discipline simultaneously, using the same
self-study materials and reviewers. Each institution may also, at their
discretion, review a baccalaureate program in the same discipline as master's
and doctoral programs simultaneously.
(8) Each institution shall submit a report on
the outcomes of each review, including the evaluation of the external reviewers
and actions the institution has taken or will take to improve the program, and
shall deliver these reports to Board staff no later than 180 days after the
reviewers have submitted their findings to the institution.
(9) Each institution may submit a review of a
master's, doctoral, or professional program performed for reasons of
programmatic licensure or accreditation in satisfaction of the review and
reporting requirements in this subsection.
(e) Board staff shall review all reports
submitted for a master's, doctoral, or professional degree program and shall
conduct analysis as necessary to ensure high quality. The Commissioner may
require an institution to take additional actions to improve its program as a
result of Coordinating Board review.
