Texas Administrative Code › Title 19 - EDUCATION › Part 1 - TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD › Chapter 2 - ACADEMIC AND WORKFORCE EDUCATION › Subchapter I - REVIEW OF EXISTING DEGREE PROGRAMS › Section 2.181 - Academic Programs at Public Universities and Public Health-Related Institutions

Current through Reg. 49, No. 28; July 12, 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 Tex. Educ. 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 years.
(1) On a schedule to be determined by the
				  Commissioner, institutions shall submit a schedule of review for all graduate
				  programs 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. External reviewers must be provided with the
				  materials and products of the self-study and must participate in a site
				  review.
(4) External reviewers must
				  be part of a program that is nationally recognized for excellence in the
				  discipline.
(5) External reviewers
				  must affirm that they have no conflict of interest related to the Board, the
				  institution, or program under review.
(6) Closely-related programs, defined as
				  sharing the same four-digit Classification of Instructional Programs code, may
				  be reviewed in a consolidated manner at the discretion of the
				  institution.
(7) Institutions shall
				  review master's and doctoral programs in the same discipline simultaneously,
				  using the same self-study materials and reviewers. Institutions may also, at
				  their discretion, review baccalaureate programs in the same discipline as
				  master's and doctoral programs simultaneously.
(8) Institutions 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) Institutions may submit reviews of
				  master's, doctoral, and professional programs performed for reasons of
				  programmatic licensure or accreditation in satisfaction of the review and
				  reporting requirements in this subsection.
(10) Each institution shall submit a report
				  of the outcomes of each review, including the evaluation of the external
				  reviewer(s) and actions the institution has taken or will take to improve the
				  program, and shall deliver these reports to the Assistant Commissioner with
				  oversight of academic approval not later than 180 days after the reviewer(s)
				  have submitted their findings to the institution.
(11) Each institution may submit reviews of
				  graduate programs performed for reasons of programmatic licensure or
				  accreditation in satisfaction of the review and reporting requirements in this
				  subsection.