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
P3 1Audiology degree as an exception to the differentiation of function
2in graduate education that assigns sole authority among the
3California higher education segments to the University of
4California for awarding doctoral degrees independently. This
5exception to the Master Plan for Higher Education recognizes the
6distinctive strengths and respective missions of the California State
7University and the University of California.
8(b) Pursuant to subdivision (a), and notwithstanding Section
966010.4,
in order to meet specific audiology education needs in
10California, the California State University may award the Doctor
11of Audiology (Au.D.) degree. The authority to award degrees
12granted by this article is limited to the discipline of audiology. The
13Au.D. degree offered by the California State University shall be
14distinguished from doctoral degree programs at the University of
15California.
In implementing Section 66041, the California State
17University shall comply with all of the following requirements:
18(a) begin deleteFunding on a per full-time equivalent student (FTES) basis Enrollments in these programs
19for each new student in these degree programs shall be from within
20the California State University’s enrollment growth levels as agreed
21to in the annual Budget Act. end deletebegin delete shall shall not diminish enrollment
22not alter the California State University’s ratio of graduate
23instruction to total enrollment, andend delete
24growth
in university undergraduate programs.begin delete Funding provided
25from the state for each FTES shall be at the agreed-upon marginal
26cost calculation that the California State University
receives.end delete
27(b) The Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree offered by the
28California State University shall be focused on preparing
29audiologists to provide health care services and shall be consistent
30with the standards for accreditation set forth by the Council on
31Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language
32Pathology.
33(c) Each student in the programs authorized by this article shall
34be charged fees no higher than the rate charged for students in
35state-supported doctoral degree programs in audiology at the
36University of California, including joint Au.D. programs of the
37California State University and the University of California.
38(d) The California State University shall provide any startup
39begin insert
and operationend insert funding needed for the programs authorized by this
40article from within existing budgets for academic programs support,
P4 1without diminishing the quality of program support offered to
2California State University undergraduate programs. Funding of
3these programs shall not result in reduced undergraduate
4enrollments at the California State University.
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