Program Approval Rule Changes & Implementation

• Academic associate degrees
• Bachelor’s & master’s degrees
• Doctoral & professional degrees (must be submitted one year prior to submission of full degree program proposal)

Applied, Embedded, and Multidisciplinary Studies associate degrees are exempt from the planning
notification requirement.

The planning notification form will be a short online form available June 1 that includes basic contact information and the proposed degree title, designation, level, and CIP code. A formal signature from a chief administrative officer (CAO), or designee, and board member (or designee) will not be required, but the submitter will need to certify that its CAO and board or designees have approved the planning notification.

The ability to submit a planning notification will be limited to those staff at institutions who currently have access to submit other program approval documents.

The planning notification form is an online form. The link is available in the existing document submission portal and will be visible once a user logs in. As noted above, only those with existing access to the document submission portal will be able to submit the form.

The current rules require a one-year waiting period for professional programs, and that requirement has been extended to doctoral programs. Given the amount of time and planning required to launch a doctoral program, the THECB anticipates that most institutions will know the basic information listed above at least one year in advance. This also allows the THECB to anticipate more accurately when doctoral programs will be submitted and plan for allocation of staff time dedicated doctoral program approvals. If there are extenuating circumstances related to meeting the one-year planning notification requirement for a doctoral or professional program, please contact emma.gelsinger@highered.texas.gov.

No, if a planning notification has already been submitted before June 1, 2023, the doctoral program falls under the current planning notification rules and the one-year waiting period is not required.

Beginning September 1, new degree programs requiring board approval will include only doctoral, professional, and degrees that represent a level change up for the institution (e.g. first Bachelor’s degree at a community college).

New degree programs with more than 50% new content will require approval from the Commissioner of Higher Education, and the majority of other requests will require assistant commissioner approval or notification only.

Institutions will no longer be required to complete a 50-mile notification before submitting a full proposal. Instead, the THECB will notify area institutions once proposals have been received and there will be a 30-day comment period during the approval process. Comments received by institutions will be considered as part of the request review process, and significant objections will be mediated by the THECB.

Universities and health-related institutions will no longer be required to submit requests for approval of certificates. The THECB will complete a collection at least once a year of all credit-bearing certificates offered at each university and health-related institution, regardless of semester credit hours required. The date and process for the first collection of certificates has not yet been determined. More information will be made available in the coming months.