Section 2.262 - Certificate Titles, Length, and Program Content(a) Career and Technical Education Certificate--A post-secondary credential, other than a degree, which a student earns upon successful completion of a career and technical education workforce or continuing education program offered by an institution of higher education. Courses that comprise career and technical education certificates are listed in the Workforce Education Course Manual and the Academic Course Guide Manual and are subject to Board approval.(b) Certificates subject to this subchapter are defined as follows: (1) Advanced Technical Certificate (ATC)--has a specific associate or baccalaureate degree or junior level standing in an approved baccalaureate degree program as a prerequisite for admission. It consists of at least 16 semester credit hours and no more than 45 semester credit hours and must be focused, clearly related to the prerequisite degree, and justifiable to meet industry or external agency requirements.(2) Continuing Education Certificate--is awarded for completion of a program of instruction that meets or exceeds 360 contact hours and earns continuing education units. The certificate program is intended to prepare the student to qualify for employment; to qualify for employment advancement; or to bring the student's knowledge or skills up to date in a particular field or profession.(3) Enhanced Skills Certificate (ESC)--a certificate associated with an applied associate degree program intended to provide advanced skills identified by business and industry that are not part of the applied associate degree. The certificate must be clearly defined in course content and outcomes. It must consist of at least six (6) semester credit hours and no more than twelve (12) semester credit hours. An ESC may extend an applied associate degree to an overall total that must not exceed 72 semester credit hours. An ESC is awarded concurrently with a degree but may not be considered to be an intrinsic part of the degree or be used to circumvent the 60-semester credit hour associate degree limitation.(4) Institutional Credential Leading to Licensure or Certification (ICLC)--is awarded by an institution upon a student's completion of a course or series of courses that represent the achievement of identifiable skill proficiency leading to licensure or certification. This definition includes a credential that meets the definition of an Occupational Skills Award in all respects except that the program may provide training for an occupation that is not included in the Local Workforce Development Board's Target Occupations list.(5) Level 1 Certificate--is designed to provide the necessary academic skills and the workforce skills, knowledge, and abilities necessary to attain entry-level employment or progression toward a Level 2 Certificate or an applied associate degree, with at least 50 percent of course credits drawn from a single technical specialty. A Level 1 Certificate must be designed for a student to complete in one calendar year or less time and consists of at least 15 semester credit hours and no more than 42 semester credit hours.(6) Level 2 Certificate--consists of at least 30 semester credit hours and no more than 51 semester credit hours.(7) Occupational Skills Award (OSA)--a sequence of courses that meets the minimum standard for program length specified by the Texas Workforce Commission for the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act program (9-14 semester credit hours for credit courses or 144-359 contact hours for continuing education courses). An OSA must possess the following characteristics: (A) The content of the credential must be recommended by an external workforce advisory committee, or the program must provide training for an occupation that is included on the Local Workforce Development Board's Target Occupations list;(B) In most cases, the credential should be composed of Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM) courses only. However, lower-division courses from the Academic Course Guide Manual (ACGM) may be used if recommended by the external committee and if appropriate for the content of the credential;(C) The credential complies with the Single Course Delivery guidelines for WECM courses; and(D) The credential prepares students for employment in accordance with guidelines established for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.(8) Third-Party Credential--A certificate as defined in Texas Education Code, § 61.003(12)(C). A Third-Party Credential meets the following requirements: (A) The third-party credential is listed in the American Council on Education's ACE National Guide with recommended semester credit hours;(B) The third-party credential program content is either embedded in a course, embedded in a program, or is a stand-alone program;(C) The third-party credential is conferred for successful completion of the third-party instructional program in which a student is enrolled;(D) The third-party credential is included on the workforce education, continuing education, or academic transcript from the college;(E) The third-party provider of the certificate develops the instructional program content, develops assessments to evaluate student mastery of the instructional content, and confers the third-party credential; and(F) The third-party credential meets the requirements in §13.556 of this part (relating to Performance Tier: Fundable Outcomes).19 Tex. Admin. Code § 2.262
Adopted by Texas Register, Volume 49, Number 32, August 9, 2024, TexReg 5960, eff. 8/15/2024