SECTION 2.181. Academic Programs at Public Universities and Public Health-Related Institutions

(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.

(e) Board Staff shall review all reports submitted for a master's, doctoral, or professional degree program and shall conduct analysis as necessary to ensure high quality. The Commissioner may require an institution to take additional actions to improve its program as a result of Board review.

Source Note: The provisions of this §2.181 adopted to be effective November 28, 2022, 47 TexReg 7901