Operating Policy and Procedure
HSC OP: 77.17, Core & Transfer Compliance Policy
PURPOSE: The purpose of the Health Sciences Center Operating Policy and Procedure (HSC OP) is to establish core and transfer compliance requirements in accordance with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).
REVIEW: This HSC OP will be reviewed on May 1 every year (EY) by the Registrar, with recommendation for revisions forwarded to the Associate Provost for Student Affairs and the Executive Student Affairs Workgroup (ESAW), with final review by the Academics Council and approval by the Provost.
POLICY/PROCEDURE:
1. Overview.
The intention of this policy is to maintain best practices in applying transfer credits and to ensure the academic integrity of TTUHSC academic programs. Senate Bill 111 from the 79th Regular Session of the Texas Legislature (TEC 51.968) requires all Texas public colleges and universities adopt a policy regarding the awarding of academic credit to entering students who have completed a post-secondary level program while still in high school. Those programs include Advanced Placement (AP) courses, College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and the International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD). House Bills 133 and 1170 (TEC 51.3041) require all institutions of higher education to award course credit toward a degree for students’ completion of certain military training.
The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) requires that “The institution publishes policies for evaluating, awarding, and accepting credit not originating from the institution. The institution ensures (a) the academic quality of any credit or coursework recorded on its transcript, (b) an approval process with oversight by persons academically qualified to make the necessary judgments, and (c) the credit awarded is comparable to a designated credit experience and is consistent with the institution’s mission.” (SACSCOC 10.8)
The THECB has provided a Texas Core Curriculum Application Guide with additional information on Texas Core requirements.
2. Institutional Policy.
a. TTUHSC does not offer lower division core curriculum courses but does follow Texas Core Curriculum as set forth by the THECB. General education requirements completed at a private or out-of-state institution may not be equivalent to the required Texas Core Curriculum, and may not excuse a student from not completing the Texas Core Curriculum. In accordance with 19 Texas Administrative Code § 4.28 (j), no institution or institutional representative may approve course substitutions or waivers of the institution’s core curriculum requirements. The student is responsible for completing the core requirements at another institution prior to beginning the program of study at TTUHSC as follows:
Texas Core Curriculum Requirements:
Course Credits
Communication (010) 6 credit hours
Mathematics (020) 3 credit hours
Life and Physical Sciences (030) 6 credit hours
Language, Philosophy and Culture (040) 3 credit hours
Creative Arts (050) 3 credit hours
American History (060) 6 credit hours
Government/Political Science (070) 6 credit hours
Social and Behavioral Sciences (080) 3 credit hours
Component Area Option (090) 6 credit hours
Total Core Curriculum Requirements: 42 credit hours
*Course numbers listed are based on the Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS). Check with your academic institution to verify the course number that corresponds with the TCCNS number.
A student’s official transcript from another Texas public college or university must be notated as Texas Core Curriculum complete so that no additional Texas Core Curriculum requirements will be imposed.
Texas Core Curriculum requirements are only applicable when an undergraduate degree is being pursued or conferred at TTUHSC. Graduate or doctoral degrees being pursued or conferred at TTUHSC do not follow Texas Core Curriculum requirements, therefore, that requirement does not require verification. In the case where a baccalaureate degree is required for admission, Texas Core Curriculum does not need to be verified. For example, a baccalaureate degree from an out-of-state institution would be accepted even though that institution does not require Texas Core Curriculum completion.
b. For all degrees awarded, and in accordance with accreditation guidelines under The Southern Association of College and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), a minimum of 25% of the baccalaureate coursework (SACSCOC 9.4) and a minimum of 33% of graduate coursework (SACSCOC 9.5) must be taken at the TTUHSC to receive a degree from the institution. The minimum applies to all baccalaureate coursework including courses taken the first two years of college.
3. General Rules and Regulations.
a. The program in which the student is applying for, prior to admission, will complete evaluation of core and transfer credits.
b. All official documents submitted to TTUHSC become property of the University and will not be returned or copied for the applicant.
c. Any accepted applicant seeking credit at TTUHSC through any means must have met all admissions requirements including, but not limited to, assessment scores, minimum GPAs, submission of previous transcripts, pre-requisites, and the Texas Core curriculum. (See 2a)
d. The total number of semester credit hours awarded for credit may vary depending upon the student’s program of study. (See 2b)
e. Credit granted will be reflected on the student’s official transcript with a specific course number or a general subject prefix from TTUHSC. Transfer work applied to a student’s degree program is noted as credit only on the TTUHSC transcript. Grades from prior institutions are not calculated into the overall GPA for TTUHSC.
f. All students admitted to TTUHSC must provide a final transcript of all previous work at other institutions directly to their appropriate school, no later than the last day of the first term in which they are enrolled. Transcripts submitted to third party application services will be considered official as long as they come through a verification provider.
4. Transfer Credit
Transfer students must submit official transcripts from all previously attended institutions regardless of whether or not transfer credit is assigned or desired as a condition of admission.
a. The student's transfer course work from college-level courses must have been earned at an institution whose course content and learning outcomes are comparable with current TTUHSC courses required in the student's program of study. Schools will submit a transfer request form to the Office of the Registrar for courses they determine meet their course requirements. Please contact the TTUHSC School Official for specific degree program requirements of transfer coursework and minimum grade requirements. In accordance with SACSCOC accreditation requirements, no more than seventy-five percent of the total credit hours of the required course work may be applied from transfer credit.
1) Transfer credit will be awarded on a semester credit hour scale in all instances, including courses transferred in on a quarter-hour scale. Credit transferred in on a quarter-hour scale will be converted to semester credit hours by multiplying the number of quarter hours by two-thirds (or .67). The remaining fraction of the semester credit hour will be rounded to the nearest whole number from the tenth’s position of the decimal.
2) Students should be prepared to obtain and provide supporting documentation for previous coursework, including course descriptions, syllabi, catalogs or any other documentation deemed appropriate by the School Official.
3) Core and/or transfer course evaluation forms will be submitted for processing by the school to the Office of the Registrar by the 12th class day of the term in which the student is admitted. At this time, the forms will be compared to what has been entered in the student information system and adjustments will be made to ensure accuracy and consistency.
4) Core and transfer courses will be entered into the student information system at the time of admittance. Adjustments will continue to occur throughout a student’s attendance at TTUHSC as updated transcripts are received.
b. Transfer of Courses from Texas Public Institutions: When applicable, the Office of the Registrar will use the Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) to perform transfer of credit for courses offered by regionally accredited state institutions.
c. TTUHSC currently does not award academic credit for coursework taken on a non-credit basis.
d. 19 Texas Administrative Code § 4.27 (a) and Texas Education Code 61.826 states the following steps can be taken to dispute transfer credit for lower-division courses:
1) If an institution of higher education does not accept course credit earned by a student at another institution of higher education, the receiving institution shall give written notice to the student and to the sending institution that transfer of the course credit is denied, and shall include in that notice the reasons for denying the credit. Attached to the written notice shall be the procedures for resolution of transfer disputes for lower-division courses as outlined in this section, accompanied by clear instructions outlining the procedure for appealing the decision to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Commissioner of Higher Education.
2) A student who receives notice as specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection may dispute the denial of credit by contacting a school official at either the sending or the receiving institution.
3) The two institutions and the student shall attempt to resolve the transfer of the course credit in accordance with the THECB rules and guidelines.
4) If the transfer dispute is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student or the sending institution within 45 days after the date the student received written notice of denial, the sending institution may notify the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Commissioner of Higher Education in writing of the request for transfer dispute resolution. The institution that denies the course credit for transfer shall also notify the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Commissioner of Higher Education in writing of its denial and the reasons for the denial.
5. Second degree programs
Where a student has already earned a bachelor degree, the school will ensure that the equivalent of 42 Texas core hours are complete to be considered core compliant.
Any student who does not show core complete on their transcript for their previous degree will have their courses evaluated by the program in which they are applying to determine if any previous course work would fulfill the core curriculum requirements for TTUHSC.
6. Foreign Transcripts
For any foreign transcripts, a foreign transcript evaluation must be submitted in lieu of the official transcript. Accepted courses on foreign transcript evaluations must be supported with proper documentation (i.e. course syllabus or catalog description) to justify equivalency. As schools identify evaluations from new providers, they will collaborate with the Office of the Registrar to determine institutional acceptance of the service provider.