OAR 589-006-0100: General Community College Course and Program Approval Requirements

(1) The Commission has responsibility for the approval of community college educational programs and locations. (2) The Commission shall provide community college district boards of education with the standards, criteria, and procedures the Commission will utilize to approve certificate of completion, associate degree, bachelor of applied science degree, and Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree programs and new locations for previously approved programs. Such standards, criteria, and procedures shall be included in the Approval Procedures identified by the Office. (3) Requests for approval of new bachelor of applied science degree, Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree, associate degree, associate degree option, and certificate of completion programs must be submitted by the community college board of education to the Commission and be approved prior to commencement of the program. (4) Applied baccalaureate programs offered by community colleges culminate in the award of the bachelor of applied science degree. Each bachelor of applied science degree program shall conform to the specific degree requirements as identified in the Approval Procedures. (5) Associate degree programs offered by community colleges may include an Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science, and Associate of General Studies. Each associate degree program shall conform to the specific degree requirements as identified in the Approval Procedures. (6) Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree programs offered by community colleges are limited to post-licensure individuals who have already received an associate degree in nursing. These programs culminate in the award of a Bachelor of Science: Nursing Degree. Each Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree program shall conform to the specific degree requirements as identified in the Approval Procedures. (7) Certificate of completion programs offered by community colleges shall include less than one-year, one-year, greater than one-year, and two-year certificates of completion. Each certificate of completion shall conform to the specific certificate of completion requirements identified in the Approval Procedures. (8) Each request for approval to offer a bachelor of applied science degree program or Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree program shall be made according to the process, timeline, and criteria outlined in the Approval Procedures and as specified by Oregon Revised Statutes. (a) To meet the criteria of ORS 350.075(3)(g), the commission shall ensure that approved programs: (A) Are consistent with the mission statement of the community college; (B) Do not unnecessarily duplicate academic programs offered by Oregon’s other community colleges or public universities; (C) Are not located in a geographic area that will cause undue hardship to Oregon’s other community colleges or public universities; and (D) Are allocated among Oregon’s community colleges and public universities to maximize the achievement of statewide needs and requirements. (b) To meet the criteria of ORS 341.013, the Commission shall ensure that approved programs: (A) Describe the program to be offered; (B) Describe the method by which the program will be created, including any necessary accreditation by the relevant accrediting agency or agencies; (C) Document local unmet workforce needs that will be addressed by offering the program; and (D) Document that the community college has the expertise, resources, and student interest necessary to make the program successful. (9) A proposed bachelor of applied science degree program or Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree program must be approved by the Commission. The Commission shall approve a proposed bachelor of applied science degree program or Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree program if: (a) the community college submits all the information and documentation required under subsections 8(a) and 8(b) above; and (b) Meets or exceeds the local community college board of education program approval standards; and (c) Meets or exceeds the Commission’s program approval standards and criteria. (10) To meet the approval standards of the Commission, bachelor of applied science degree programs or Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree programs must: (a) Require 180 total credits for degree completion. (b) Require a minimum of 60 upper-division credits. (c) For a bachelor of applied science degree program have a program design that accommodates first-time students who may start by seeking an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree or an Associate of Science (AS) degree, as well as students returning to school who may have made significant progress towards or have completed a relevant AAS or AS . (d) For a Bachelor of Science: Nursing degree program, be designed as a post-licensure degree program in which individuals who have already received an associate degree in nursing receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing. (e) Demonstrate occupational focus and be designed to help fill specific labor market needs within targeted professional and technical fields, with professionals that participate and assist in program design. (f) Have a recognizable core of general education or related instruction with identified outcomes in the areas of communication, computation, and human relations that align with and support program goals or intended outcomes. Related instruction components may be embedded within program curricula or taught in blocks of specialized instruction, but each approach must have clearly identified content and means to assess learning. (g) Have an established standard of academic achievement; and (h) Meet or exceed the local community college board of education program approval standards; and (i) Meet or exceed the Commission’s program approval standards. (11) To meet the approval standards of the Commission, associate degree and associate degree option programs must: (a) Include at least 90 total credits; and (b) Be no more than 108 credits; and (c) Have a recognizable core of general education or related instruction courses; and (d) Have an established standard of academic achievement; and (e) Meet or exceed the local community college board of education program approval standards; and (f) Meet or exceed the Higher Education Coordinating Commission program approval standards and criteria. (12) To meet the approval standards by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission, certificate of completion programs must: (a) Include at least 12 credits; and (b) Be no more than 108 credits; and (c) Have a recognizable core of general education or related instruction courses for programs one year or more in length; and (d) Have an established standard of academic achievement; and (e) Demonstrate occupational content leading to employment; and (f) Meet or exceed the local community college board of education program approval standards; and (g) Meet or exceed the Commission program approval standards and criteria. (13) Certificate of completion and associate of applied science degree programs shall include a designation of the particular occupation, career, or career area as a component of the award title. (14) Options to constitute a variation in the state-approved degree are allowable only for associate of applied science degree programs. Associate of applied science degree options may be added to new or existing associate of applied science degree programs following the procedures in the Approval Procedures identified by the department.