Missouri Code of State Regulations › Title 6 - DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT › Division 10 - Commissioner of Higher Education › Chapter 4 - Submission of Academic Information, Data and New Programs › Section 6 CSR 10-4.010 - Academic Program Approval

Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 14, July 15, 2024
PURPOSE: This amendment sets forth the revised
				  evaluation criteria and procedures for submitting new degree and certificate
				  programs and program changes by public and independent institutions of higher
				  education in Missouri to the Coordinating Board for Higher
				  Education.
(1) Definitions.
(A) CBHE-approved mission-a description of
				the public institution's programs, audiences served, level and type of degrees
				offered, or other distinguishing factors which the CBHE has reviewed and
				approved.
(B) CBHE-approved
				off-site location-locations other than the main campus (for universities) or
				taxing district (for community colleges) that the CBHE has reviewed and
				approved. The department maintains an official inventory of approved off-site
				locations.
(C) Certificate
				program-a prescribed course of study which confers an award other than a formal
				academic degree.
(D) Classification
				of Instructional Programs (CIP)-a taxonomic scheme that supports the accurate
				tracking and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity. The
				CIP is the accepted federal government statistical standard on instructional
				program classifications, developed by the U.S. Department of
				Education.
(E) Collaboration-two
				(2) or more institutions of higher education working together to deliver an
				academic program or degree.
(F)
				Combination programs-the result of a mechanical combination of two (2)
				previously existing programs.
(G)
				Commissioner-the commissioner of higher education as appointed by the
				CBHE.
(H) Content-the program
				specialization with its related options, if any, for which recognition is
				intended to be given by the conferring of a degree or certificate.
(I) Coordinating board, board, or CBHE-the
				Coordinating Board for Higher Education created by article I V, section 52 of
				the Missouri Constitution.
(J)
				Degree-an award conferred by a college, university, or other postsecondary
				education institution as official recognition for the successful completion of
				a program of studies as defined by and reported to the United States Department
				of Education and to the coordinating board's certificate and program inventory.
				In baccalaureate degrees or higher, the term program is generally the same as
				major.
(K) Department-the Missouri
				Department of Higher Education created by article IV, section 52 of the
				Missouri Constitution.
(L)
				Duplication-proposing to offer the same or a similar program to one that is
				already being offered by another institution.
(M) Inactive status-the result of formal
				action by an institution on the status of an existing academic program, which
				suspends the program for a period not to exceed five (5) years.
(N) Independent institution-an approved
				private institution of higher education meeting the requirements of section
				173.1102(2),
				RSMo, provided it is also either accredited
				or a candidate for accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission.
(O) Level-a degree, such as associate,
				baccalaureate, first professional, master's, specialist, doctorate, and any
				other designation lower, higher, or intermediate to those which now exist or
				may be created. (Specialist programs, related to the state requirements for the
				certification of public school administrators and to the further education of
				public school teachers and supervisors, should be limited specifically to the
				field of education. These programs are essentially extensions of master's level
				studies and should evidence a study beyond that expected of master's
				programs.)
(P) Minor
				change-modifications to existing programs that do not involve changes to course
				content, prerequisites, or credit hours, including change of program title or
				CIP code; combination programs; inactive status; one- (1-) year certificate
				programs; options; program deletion; single-semester certificate
				programs.
(Q) Professional
				Degree-is an award for completing a program that
1) serves as a prerequisite to practicing in
				the profession;
2) requires at
				least two (2) years of college work prior to entering the program;
				and
3) requires a total of at least
				six (6) academic years of college work to complete the degree program,
				including prior required college work plus the length of the professional
				program itself.
(R)
				Program-a prescribed course of study that leads to the formal award of a
				certificate or degree.
1. Certificate 0
				(Undergraduate)-Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma (less than one (1)
				academic year) below the baccalaureate degree-
A. Less than nine hundred (900) contact or
				clock hours; or
B. Less than thirty
				(30) semester or trimester credit hours; or
C. Less than forty-five (45) quarter credit
				hours.
2. Certificate 1
				(Undergraduate)-Postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma (at least one (1),
				but less than two (2) academic years) below the baccalaureate degree-
A. At least nine hundred (900), but less than
				one thousand eight hundred (1,800) contact or clock hours; or
B. At least thirty (30), but less than sixty
				(60) semester or trimester hours; or
C. At least forty-five (45), but less than
				ninety (90) quarter hours.
3. Associate's degree-an award that normally
				requires no more than sixty (60) semester credit hours unless necessary for
				accreditation or licensure.
4.
				Certificate 2 (Undergraduate)-postsecondary award, certificate, or diploma (at
				least two (2), but less than four (4) academic years) below the baccalaureate
				degree-
A. At least one thousand eight hundred
				(1,800), but less than three thousand six hundred (3,600) contact or clock
				hours; or
B. At least sixty (60),
				but less than one hundred twenty (120) semester or trimester credit hours;
				or
C. At least ninety (90), but
				less than one hundred eighty (180) quarter credit hours.
5. Baccalaureate degree-an award that
				normally requires no more than one hundred twenty (120) semester credit hours
				unless necessary for accreditation or licensure.
6. Graduate certificate-an organized program
				of study beyond the bachelor's degree, designed for persons who have completed
				a baccalaureate degree but not meeting requirements of academic degrees at the
				master's level.
7. Master's
				degree-an award that typically requires successful completion of a program of
				study of at least the full-time equivalent of one (1), but not more than two
				(2) academic years of work beyond the bachelor's degree. Some of these degrees
				may require more than two (2) full-time equivalent academic years of
				work.
8. Post-master's certificate
				(First-professional certificate)- an organized program beyond the master's
				degree but not meeting requirements of academic degrees at the doctor's level.
				This award is designed for persons having completed the first-professional
				degree (refresher courses or additional units of study in a specialty or
				subspecialty).
9. Doctoral
				degree-the highest award a student can earn for graduate study
				(research/scholarship or professional practice).
(S) Program deletion-the removal of a program
				or an option from an institution's program offerings.
(T) Program change-any revision or change in
				a program name or its nomenclature, including CIP number.
(U) Public institution-an approved public
				institution of higher education meeting the requirements of section
				173.1102(3),
				RSMo.
(V) Program option or
				option-a formally designated area of specialization within an existing degree
				program that has a distinctive curricular pattern. A majority of required
				courses for the option will be taken in a core of courses common to all
				variations of the existing parent degree. For the purposes of program changes,
				option, emphasis area, and other similar terms are assumed to be
				equivalent.
(W) Substantive
				curricular change-significant modifications or expansion of an existing
				program. Examples of substantive changes include, but are not limited to, a
				change in the program's overall credits or goals; deletion and replacement of a
				significant number of courses in the program's curriculum; change in the
				primary mode of delivery; change in the program's purpose; change in the
				audience(s) that the program is intended to serve.
(X) Program type or type of program-A
				designation within a degree level, such as associate of arts(AA), associate of
				science (AS), associate of applied science (AAS), bachelor of arts, bachelor of
				science, bachelor of science in engineering, master of arts, master of science,
				doctor of philosophy, doctor of education, etc.