Chapter 779 Oregon Laws 2009

AN ACT

HB 3093

Relating to applied baccalaureate degrees; and declaring an emergency.

Be It Enacted by the People of the State of Oregon:

SECTION 1. (1) As used in this section, “applied baccalaureate degree” means a bachelor’s degree designed to incorporate applied associate courses and degrees with additional coursework emphasizing higher-order thinking skills and advanced technical knowledge and skills.

          (2) The Joint Boards of Education shall develop a plan for offering applied baccalaureate degree programs at community colleges and state institutions of higher education. The boards shall consider the following types of programs for the purpose of offering some of these types and the possibility of combinations of these types:

          (a) A career ladder program that requires a substantial number of upper level courses in the same technical area of study as the student’s applied associate degree;

          (b) An inverse program that reverses the traditional curriculum sequence by adding general education courses in the student’s third and fourth years to the associate degree courses taken in the student’s first and second years;

          (c) A management ladder program that combines associate degree requirements with applied management skills coursework; and

          (d) A work experience program that combines general education and technical coursework with direct, supervised work experience in a relevant field.

          (3) The Joint Boards of Education plan must include the following elements:

          (a) The method by which the applied baccalaureate degree programs will be created, including any necessary accreditation by the relevant accrediting agency;

          (b) The criteria for approving the degree and course options offered by state institutions of higher education and community colleges;

          (c) The articulation agreements between community colleges and state institutions of higher education necessary to ensure that the applied baccalaureate degree programs are as widely available as possible;

          (d) The resources required to implement the applied baccalaureate degree program;

          (e) The timeline necessary to implement the applied baccalaureate degree program; and

          (f) A recommendation as to whether community colleges should be allowed to offer applied baccalaureate degrees.

          (4) The Joint Boards of Education shall submit a report, along with proposed legislation, to the interim committee of the Legislative Assembly related to higher education prior to November 1, 2010. The boards shall provide progress reports on the plan to the interim committee.

          (5) The Department of Higher Education, the Department of Education and the Department of Community Colleges and Workforce Development shall provide staff support to the Joint Boards of Education in the preparation of the reports required by this section.

SECTION 2. This 2009 Act being necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, an emergency is declared to exist, and this 2009 Act takes effect on its passage.

Approved by the Governor July 22, 2009

Filed in the office of Secretary of State July 22, 2009

Effective date July 22, 2009

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