OAR 583-030-0032: Review Process for Degrees

Effective January 13, 2015: (1) Review of an application to offer instruction or related services leading to a degree or certificate includes evaluation of the school and its proposed programs in relation to the state academic standards set forth in OAR 583-030-0035, or modified under 583-030-0036 for a non-Oregon school that will offer limited resident instruction in Oregon. (2) Pursuant to OAR 583-030-0036, the Commission at its discretion may employ an abbreviated review procedure with adjusted fee for a non-Oregon school offering limited or restricted instruction in Oregon for an external degree. (3) Review of free-standing certificate or diploma programs offered by degree-granting schools, or credit-bearing courses offered by schools that do not issue degrees in their own name will generally follow the model for associate degrees. (4) In the course of evaluation, the Commission’s staff will ordinarily inspect the facilities and records of an applicant school and interview officials, employees, or students of the school as necessary to obtain sufficient information. The staff may also interview employers of school graduates and representatives of organizations that appear closely related to the school. (5) Where competency in a particular academic discipline is essential to an evaluation, the Commission’s executive director may seek expert advice in that discipline. However, adequacy of instruction in a discipline will ordinarily be judged by faculty credentials in relation to the standards, by curricular content in comparison with similar programs of established quality, and by educational resources and student performance. Where competency in a particular occupation or profession is needed for an evaluation, the executive director will seek expert advice from the corresponding state licensing board. (6) The Commission will not review sectarian content of curriculum for degrees with a religious title or significant religious content; the state's only concern will be to ensure that the curriculum has a reasonable structure related to credits awarded. (7) The review culminates in preparation of findings, including explanation of any failure to satisfy a standard, which are provided to the applicant in a formal report. Approval is not granted until all standards are satisfied. If a standard cannot be satisfied in a reasonable length of time, approval will be denied. (8) Refusal by the Commission to authorize an applicant school to offer instruction or related services leading to a degree is subject to right of review as provided in ORS 348.615 by an action brought for trial without jury in the circuit court of the county in which the school is located. A school or putative school having no physical location in Oregon at which students are served shall bring any such action in the circuit court of Marion County.