AB 2317, as amended, Mullin. California State University: Doctor of Audiology degrees.
Existing law, known as the Donahoe Higher Education Act, sets forth, among other things, the missions and functions of California’s public and independent segments of higher education, and their respective institutions of higher education. Provisions of the act do not apply to the University of California unless the regents of the university act, by resolution, to make them applicable.
Among other things, the act provides that the University of California has exclusive jurisdiction in public higher education to award the doctoral degree in all fields of learning, except that it may agree with the California State University to award joint doctoral degrees in selected fields. With respect to doctoral degrees, the act limits the California State University to awarding these degrees jointly with the University of California, as described above, or, with the approval of the California Postsecondary Education Commission, jointly with independent institutions of higher education.
This bill would instead authorize the California State University to award the Doctor of Audiology degree. The bill would require the degree to be distinguished from doctoral degree programs at the University of California. The bill would require that the degree be focused on preparing audiologists to provide health care services and be consistent with the standards for accreditation set forth by the Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology. The bill would require that each student in the programs authorized by the bill be charged fees no higher than the rate charged for students in state-supported programs in audiology at the University of California.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Article 4.6 (commencing with Section 66041) is
2added to Chapter 2 of Part 40 of Division 5 of Title 3 of the 3Education Code, to read:
4
(a) The Legislature finds and declares both of the
8following:
9(1) Since its adoption in 1960, the Master Plan for Higher
10Education has served to create the largest and most distinguished
11higher education system in the nation. A key component of the
12Master Plan for Higher Education is the differentiation of mission
13and function, whereby doctoral and identified professional
14programs are limited to the University of California, with the
15provision that the California State University can provide doctoral
16education in joint doctoral programs with the University of
17California and independent California colleges and universities.
18The differentiation of function has
allowed California to provide
19universal access to postsecondary education while preserving
20quality.
21(2) Because of the need to prepare and educate increased
22numbers of audiologists, the State of California is granting the
23California State University authority to offer the Doctor of
24Audiology degree as an exception to the differentiation of function
25in graduate education that assigns sole authority among the
P3 1California higher education segments to the University of
2California for awarding doctoral degrees independently. This
3exception to the Master Plan for Higher Education recognizes the
4distinctive strengths and respective missions of the California State
5University and the University of California.
6(b) Pursuant to subdivision (a), and notwithstanding Section
766010.4,
in order to meet specific audiology education needs in
8California, the California State University may award the Doctor
9of Audiology (Au.D.) degree. The authority to award degrees
10granted by this article is limited to the discipline of audiology. The
11begin deleteDoctor of Audiologyend deletebegin insert Au.D.end insert degree offered by the California State
12University shall be distinguished from doctoral degree programs
13at the University of California.
In implementing Section 66041, the California State
15University shall comply with all of the following requirements:
16(a) Funding on a per full-time equivalent student (FTES) basis
17for each new student in these degree programs shall be from within
18the California State University’s enrollment growth levels as agreed
19to in the annual Budget Act. Enrollments in these programs shall
20not alter the California State University’s ratio of graduate
21instruction to total enrollment, and shall not diminish enrollment
22growth in university undergraduate programs. Funding provided
23from the state for each FTES shall be at the agreed-upon marginal
24cost calculation that the California State University
receives.
25(b) The Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree offered by the
26California State University shall be focused on preparing
27audiologists to provide health care services and shall be consistent
28with the standards for accreditation set forth by the Council on
29Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language
30Pathology.
31(c) Each student in the programs authorized by this article shall
32be charged fees no higher than the rate charged for students in
33state-supported doctoral degree programs in audiology at the
34University of California, including joint Au.D. programs of the
35California State University and the University of California.
36(d) The California State University shall provide any startup
37funding needed for
the programs authorized by this article from
38within existing budgets for academic programs support, without
39diminishing the quality of program support offered to California
40State University undergraduate programs. Funding of these
P4 1programs shall not result in reduced undergraduate enrollments at
2the California State University.
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