Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 281 - Education Department › Title III - Community Colleges › Chapter 21 - Community Colleges › Rule 281-21.3 - Associate of Arts and Associate of Science Transfer Major Programs

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
(1)
General
				program.
Each community college shall offer a general college parallel
				program of study leading to an associate of arts award or an associate of
				science award, pursuant to subrules 21.2(9) and 21.4(2). These programs shall
				offer courses equivalent to the first two years of a baccalaureate program and
				will not be discipline-specific.
(2)
Transfer majors.
A
				community college may establish discipline-specific transfer major programs to
				improve student recruitment, advising, and success and enhance transferability
				of associate-level courses into aligned baccalaureate degree programs. The
				transfer major program will consist of discipline-relevant credits from an
				approved discipline framework that satisfies the requirements of paragraph
				21.3(2)
"b."
A community college will ensure all students are
				appropriately advised regarding the availability, structure, purpose, and other
				pertinent information related to the transfer major program.
a.
Degree option.
A transfer
				major will be embedded within an associate of arts or associate of science
				degree that meets the requirements of this chapter and any applicable statewide
				transfer agreement between the Iowa community colleges and public universities.
				Credits within the transfer major may be utilized to fulfill the general
				education requirements of an associate of arts or associate of science degree,
				as appropriate.
b.
Discipline framework.
Each approved transfer major program
				will adhere to the appropriate adopted discipline framework to ensure
				transferability with the aligned baccalaureate program of study at one or more
				public universities in Iowa.
(1) A discipline
				framework consists of a minimum of 18 discipline-relevant semester credits (27
				quarter credits) that align with a framework of elements based on accepted
				practices of an aligned baccalaureate degree program of study at a public
				university in Iowa.
(2) The courses
				within the discipline framework will articulate with a regionally accredited
				public university in Iowa so that the course credits are recognized by the
				university as fulfilling equivalent course requirements in at least one aligned
				baccalaureate degree program of study.
(3) If the provisions of subparagraph 21.3(2)
"b"
(2) cannot be achieved with at least one regionally
				accredited public university in Iowa, a request may be submitted to the
				department for articulation with a regionally accredited public institution in
				a contiguous state or a group of no less than three regionally accredited
				private postsecondary institutions that confer baccalaureate degrees, are based
				in Iowa, and are approved under Iowa Code chapter 256, subchapter VII, part 4,
				to operate in the state of Iowa.
(4) The discipline framework will be
				developed and adopted by a statewide committee convened by the
				department.
c.
Use of term.
Consistent with department guidance, each
				community college will exclusively use the term "transfer major" to record the
				completion of an approved transfer major program on the student's official
				transcript and other academic records, publish in the college catalog, and
				market the transfer major program to current and potential students and the
				general public. A community college shall not transcript, catalog, or market an
				associate of arts or associate of science program using other terms that
				contain or are synonymous with the term "major" or "transfer" or that imply a
				specialization within a subject area.