SECTION 511.51. Educational Definitions

(a) The following words and terms extracted from rules promulgated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, shall have the following meanings for this chapter, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

(1) "Accelerated courses" means courses delivered in shortened semesters which are expected to have the same number of contact hours and the same requirement for out-of-class learning as courses taught in a normal semester.

(2) "Contact hour" means a time unit of instruction used by institutions of higher education consisting of 60 minutes, of which 50 minutes must be direct instruction.

(3) "Non-traditionally-delivered course" means a course that is offered in a non-traditional way and does not meet the definition of contact hours.

(4) "Semester" means and normally shall include 15 weeks for instruction and one week for final examination or a total of 16 weeks instruction and examination combined.

(5) "Semester credit hour" means a unit of measure of instruction consisting of 60 minutes, of which 50 minutes must be direct instruction, over a 15-week period in a semester system or a 10-week period in a quarter system.

(6) "Traditionally-delivered three semester-credit-hour course" or "traditional course" means a course containing 15 weeks of instruction (45 contact hours) plus a week for final examinations so that such a course contains 45-48 contact hours depending on whether there is a final exam.

(b) The following words and terms shall have the following meanings.

(1) "Recognized community college" means a Texas community college or campus of the community college that holds the designation 'Qualifying Educational Credit for the CPA Examination' awarded by the board.

(2) "Extension and correspondence school" means a program within an institution that offers courses that are not equivalent to courses offered in an academic department at the institution and the courses are not listed on an official transcript from the institution.

(3) "Institution" or "Institution of Higher Education" means any U.S. public or private senior college or university which confers a baccalaureate or higher degree to its students completing a program of study required for the degree.

(4) "Independent study" means academic work selected or designed by the student with the pre-approval of the appropriate department or a college or university under faculty supervision. This work typically occurs outside of the regular classroom structure.

(5) "Internship" means faculty pre-approved and appropriately supervised short-term work experience, usually related to a student's major field of study, for which the student earns academic credit.

(6) "Proprietary organization" means a CPA review course provider.

(7) "Quarter credit hour" is the unit of measurement based upon an institution of higher education system that divides the academic year into three equal sessions of 10 to 11 weeks. A quarter credit hour represents proportionately less work than a semester hour because of the shorter session and is counted as 2/3 of a semester credit hour for each hour of credit.

(8) "Reporting institution" means the institution of higher education in the state that serves as the clearinghouse for educational institutions of higher education in Texas. Currently, the University of Texas-Austin is the reporting institution for the state of Texas.

(9) "SACS" means the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges.

(10) "THECB" means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

(11) "Transcript," "Official Transcript" or "Official Educational Document" means a document prepared by an institution that contains a record of the academic coursework offered by an academic department that a student has taken, grades and credits earned, and degrees awarded. The document is printed on paper bearing a watermark specific to the institution and is embossed with the institution's seal, date and the signature of the Registrar who is responsible for certifying coursework and degrees. The document may be provided electronically from the institution or its authorized agent.

(12) "UCPAE" means the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination prepared and graded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

(13) "Upper Division Accounting Course" means at a minimum junior and senior year course work that requires the successful completion of introductory or basic course work before it can be taken.

(14) "Upper Division Business Course" means at a minimum junior and senior year course work that requires the successful completion of introductory or basic course work before it can be taken.

Source Note: The provisions of this §511.51 adopted to be effective April 11, 2012, 37 TexReg 2405; amended to be effective October 10, 2012, 37 TexReg 8017; amended to be effective August 7, 2013, 38 TexReg 4895; amended to be effective June 10, 2015, 40 TexReg 3566; amended to be effective February 8, 2017, 42 TexReg 420; amended to be effective June 2, 2021, 46 TexReg 3400; amended to be effective February 2, 2022, 47 TexReg 301