Section 2620.5 - Requirements for an Approved Extension Certificate Program(a) An educational program offering an extension certificate in landscape architecture shall apply to the Board for approval and shall meet the following requirements: (1) The educational program shall be established in an educational institution that has a four-year educational curriculum and either is approved under Article 6 (commencing with Section 94885) of Chapter 8 of Part 59 of Division 10 of the Education Code or is an institution of public higher education as defined by Section 66010 of the Education Code.(2) There shall be a written statement of the program's philosophy and objectives that serves as a basis for curriculum structure. Such statement shall take into consideration the broad perspective of values, missions, and goals of the profession of landscape architecture. The program objectives shall provide for relationships and linkages with other disciplines and public and private landscape architectural practices. The program objectives shall be reinforced by course inclusion, emphasis, and sequence in a manner that promotes achievement of program objectives.(3) The program shall have a written plan for evaluation of the total program, including admission and selection procedures, attrition and retention of students, and performance of graduates in meeting community needs.(4) The program shall be administered as a discrete program in landscape architecture within the institution with which it is affiliated.(5) There shall be an organizational chart that identifies the relationships, lines of authority, and channels of communication within the program and between the program and other administrative segments of the institution with which it is affiliated.(6) The program shall have sufficient authority and resources to achieve its educational objectives.(7) The program's director shall be a California licensed landscape architect.(8) The faculty shall have the primary responsibility for developing policies and procedures, planning, organizing, implementing, and evaluating all aspects of the program. The faculty shall be adequate in type and number to develop and implement the program approved by the Board.(9) The program curriculum shall provide instruction in the following areas related to landscape architecture:(A) History, art, and communication;(B) Natural, cultural, and social systems;(C) Design as a process in shaping the environment;(D) Plant material and their application;(E) Construction materials and techniques;(F) Professional practice methods;(G) Professional ethics and values;(H) Computer systems and advanced technology; and(I) Current California statutes and regulations covering the environment, landscape architecture, and water conservation.(10) The program's curriculum shall not be revised until it has been approved by the Board or must be revised to correct deficiencies identified by the Board.(11) The program shall consist of at least 90 quarter units or 60 semester units.(12) The program shall maintain a current syllabus for each required course that includes the course objectives, content, and methods of evaluating student performance.(13) The curriculum shall be offered in a timeframe that reflects the proper course sequence. Students shall be required to adhere to that sequence, and courses shall be offered in a consistent and timely manner in order that students can observe these requirements.(14) A program shall meet the following requirements for its instructional personnel: (A) At least one half of the program's instructional personnel shall hold a professional degree in landscape architecture.(B) At least one half of the program's instructional personnel shall be licensed by the Board as landscape architects.(b) To apply for Board approval the program shall submit to the Landscape Architects Technical Committee a self-evaluation report that shall detail the program's compliance with the requirements set out in subdivision (a) of this section. The Committee and its duties are established in sections 5621 and 5622 of the Code.(c) Within six months from the date that the self-evaluation report is submitted in compliance with subdivision (b), a minimum of three (3) Board designees shall review the submission of the educational program and evaluate the results of the site visit, if conducted. The Board designees shall include one member of the committee. Board designees may conduct a site visit, which may include meetings with the educational institutional administrator, the educational program director, faculty, students, and alumni. No Board designee shall have a current financial interest related to the recommendation of the extension certificate program.(d) The Board designees shall evaluate the educational program's self-evaluation report and site visit, if conducted, and submit to the Committee a written report, which shall contain findings as to whether the educational program has complied with the approval requirements set forth in subdivision (a) and make a recommendation regarding approval.(e) The Committee shall review the recommendation of the Board designees, the application of the educational program, and the self-evaluation report for approval at a public meeting and may:(1) Recommend to the Board approval of the educational program;(2) Request additional information from the educational program;(3) Recommend provisional approval by stating the reasons of non-conformance to be addressed by the educational program within a specified time frame; or(4) Recommend denial of the application.(f) Upon recommendation by the Committee of the educational program, the Board shall review the Committee's recommendation at a public meeting. The Board shall consider the application, self-evaluation report, and recommendation regarding approval, and may approve, provisionally, approve, or deny the application, defined as follows: (1) "Approval" is granted when all requirements are met, or when one or more requirements are met with recommendation, and continued overall program quality and conformance to requirements are judged likely to be maintained.(2) "Provisional approval" is granted when one or more requirements are met with recommendation, and the cited deficiencies are such that continued overall program quality or conformance to requirements is uncertain. Provisional approval may be granted up to two (2) years to permit the program time to correct those deficiencies identified. This status shall not be granted more than twice without an intervening period of approval. A provisional approval to operate shall expire at the end of its stated period, and the request for approval shall be deemed denied, unless the deficiencies are corrected prior to its expiration and an approval to operate has been granted before that date, or the provisional approval to operate has been extended for a period not to exceed twenty-four (24) months if the Board is satisfied that the program has made a good faith effort and has the ability to correct the deficiencies. Provisional status is not deemed to be an adverse action and is not subject to appeal.(3) "Denial" results when one or more requirements are not met. This determination is subject to appeal.(g) Programs shall be notified in writing by the Board of any actions taken regarding their application.(h) Within 90 days of the date of the written notification of the Board's denial of an application, the educational program may submit to the Committee an appeal of the Board's decision that shall include a report of deficiencies that have been corrected. The Committee shall review the report and may request the Board designees perform an additional site inspection or review of the educational program pursuant to subdivision (d). The appeal and report of corrected deficiencies shall be reviewed in accordance with subdivisions (e) and (f).(i) The Board approval period of any educational program shall be for a term of six (6) years, unless otherwise specified pursuant to subdivision (f)(2).(j) To renew Board approval, six months prior to the date of expiration of the Board approval, the educational program shall apply for approval renewal by submitting to the Committee a self-evaluation report as referenced in subdivision (b) of this section, which shall detail the educational program's compliance with subdivision (a) of this section. The educational program's self-evaluation report will be reviewed and either approved or denied in compliance with subdivisions (c) through (f).Cal. Code Regs. Tit. 16, § 2620.5
1. New section filed 10-16-91; operative 11-15-91 (Register 92, No. 7).
2. Amendment of subsections (a), (j) and (k) filed 3-29-2002; operative 4-28-2002 (Register 2002, No. 13).
3. Change without regulatory effect amending section filed 5-5-2003 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2003, No. 19).
4. Amendment filed 8-4-2022; operative 10-1-2022 (Register 2022, No. 31). Note: Authority cited: Section 5630, Business and Professions Code. Reference: Section 5650, Business and Professions Code.
1. New section filed 10-16-91; operative 11-15-91 (Register 92, No. 7).
2. Amendment of subsections (a), (j) and (k) filed 3-29-2002; operative 4-28-2002 (Register 2002, No. 13).
3. Change without regulatory effect amending section filed 5-5-2003 pursuant to section 100, title 1, California Code of Regulations (Register 2003, No. 19).
4. Amendment filed 8-4-2022; operative 10/1/2022 (Register 2022, No. 31).