BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2317
Page 1
Date of Hearing: April 19, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HIGHER EDUCATION
Jose Medina, Chair
AB 2317
(Mullin) - As Introduced February 18, 2016
SUBJECT: California State University: Doctor of Audiology
degrees.
SUMMARY: Authorizes the California State University (CSU) to
award the Doctor of Audiology (Au.D.) degree. Specifically,
this bill:
1)Finds and declares the following intent of the Legislature:
a) Since its adoption in 1960, the Master Plan for Higher
Education has served to create the largest and most
distinguished higher education system in the nation. A key
component of the Master Plan for Higher Education is the
differentiation of mission and function, whereby doctoral
and identified professional programs are limited to the
University of California (UC), with the provision that the
CSU can provide doctoral education in joint doctoral
programs with the UC and independent California colleges
and universities. The differentiation of function has
allowed California to provide universal access to
postsecondary education while preserving quality; and,
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b) Because of the need to prepare and educate increased
numbers of audiologists, the State of California is
granting the CSU authority to offer the Au.D. degree as an
exception to the differentiation of function in graduate
education that assigns sole authority among the California
higher education segments to the UC for awarding doctoral
degrees independently. This exception to the Master Plan
for Higher Education recognizes the distinctive strengths
and respective missions of the CSU and the UC.
2)Authorizes the CSU to award the Au.D. degree.
3)Specifies that the Au.D. degree offered by the CSU shall be
distinguished from doctoral degree programs at the UC.
4)Requires the CSU, when granting Au.D. degrees, to comply with
all of the following requirements:
a) Funding on a per full-time equivalent student (FTES)
basis for each new student in the Au.D. programs shall be
from within the CSU's enrollment growth levels as agreed to
in the annual Budget Act. Enrollments in these programs
shall not alter the CUS's ratio of graduate instruction to
total enrollment, and shall not diminish enrollment growth
in CSU's undergraduate programs. Funding provided from the
state for each FTES shall be at the agreed-upon marginal
cost calculation that the CSU receives;
b) The Au.D. degree offered by the CSU shall focus on
preparing audiologists to provide health care services and
shall be consistent with the standards for accreditation
set forth by the Council on Academic Accreditation in
Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology;
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c) Each student enrolled in an Au.D. degree program shall
be charged fees no higher than the rate charged for
students in state-supported doctoral degree programs in
audiology at the UC, including joint Au.D. programs of the
CSU and UC; and,
d) The CSU shall provide any startup funding needed for the
Au.D. degree programs from within existing budgets for
academic support, without diminishing the quality of
program support offered to CSU undergraduate programs.
Funding of the Au.D. degree programs shall not result in
reduced undergraduate enrollments at the CSU.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Provides that the primary mission of the CSU is undergraduate
and graduate instruction through the master's degree, but
authorizes the CSU to offer joint doctoral degrees with the
UC, or with one or more independent institutions of higher
education, only as specified. Specifies that, in setting
forth the missions and functions of California's public and
independent institutions of higher education that, among other
things, the UC has the sole authority in public higher
education to award the doctoral degree in all fields of
learning, except that it may agree with the CSU to award joint
doctoral degrees in selected fields (Education Code (EC)
66010.4).
2)Authorizes the CSU to independently award the Doctor of
Education (Ed.D.) degree focused solely on preparing
administrative leaders for California public K-14 schools (EC
Section 66040, et seq.).
3)Authorizes the CSU, until January 1, 2019, to offer the Doctor
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of Physical Therapy (D.P.T.) degree; and, specifies that the
D.P.T. degree programs at the CSU shall be focused on
preparing physical therapists to provide health care services,
and shall be consistent with meeting the requirements of the
Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (EC
Section 66042, et seq.).
4)Authorizes the CSU, until January 1, 2019, to offer the Doctor
of Nursing Practice degree programs at up to three campuses
chosen by the CSU Trustees; specifies that the CSU shall not
enroll any new students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice
degree programs on or after July 1, 2018; and, requires the
CSU to provide data, as specified, by July 1, 2016, to the
Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO), in order for the LAO to
prepare a report to the Legislature on or before January 1,
2017 (EC Section 89281, et seq.).
FISCAL EFFECT: Unknown
COMMENTS: Role of audiologists and shortfall. Audiologists are
health care professionals who provide diagnostic and
rehabilitation care for individuals of all ages who have hearing
and balance disorders.
According to the California Academy of Audiology (CAA), the
Newborn Screening Program typically identifies 1,200 infants per
year with severe hearing disabilities in need of treatment.
Additionally, a rapidly growing aging population with identified
hearing challenges, requiring the treatment of audiologists
exists. However, there is a significant shortage of licensed
audiologists in the state. According to CAA, approximately
1,600 licensed audiologists reside in California; it appears
there is an inadequate in-state pipeline. According to the
Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid
Dispensers Board (SLPAHADB) of California, by 2030, it is
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estimated that California will need approximately 750 more
audiologists in order to keep up with the need of the state's
hearing impaired.
Changing standards for audiologists. For many years, the entry
level degree audiologists needed in order to practice, was a
Master of Science degree. However, in 1991, experts and
academicians nationally called for a change in the entry level
degree in audiology to be that of a clinical doctorate or the
Au.D. The California licensing requirements for audiologists
changed in 2008 to mandate that audiology applicants who
graduated from an audiology training program after January 1,
2008, must hold an Au.D. degree from an approved institution.
The new national accreditation standards for audiology caused
the CSU, with many campuses offering Master of Science degree
programs in audiology, to close their programs.
Au.D. degree programs. San Diego State University and UC San
Diego are the only public universities to offer a joint Au.D.
degree program. According to SLPAHADB, from 2007-08 and 2013-14
academic years, the joint program awarded a total of 61
audiology degrees.
The University of the Pacific (UOP), a non-profit private
postsecondary institution of higher learning, launched the first
private Au.D. degree program in the state, in Fall 2015. To
note, UOP expects to admit approximately 20 - 22 students per
year.
Purpose for this measure. According to the author, in order to
keep pace with the increasing demand and need for audiologists,
this measure allows the CSU to award the Au.D. independently
from doctoral degree programs offered at the UC. The author
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contends that, "Au.D. programs provided by CSU will likely
provide more affordable programs that will draw the much-needed
student diversity required of today's hearing health care
providers."
Scope of the CSU. While it is not the norm for the CSU to be
authorized to offer doctoral degrees, as outlined in the
"Existing Law" section of this analysis, the Legislature has
allowed the CSU to offer professional doctoral degrees that have
sought to fulfill a specific needed role for the state, and not
typically offered by the UC.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Academy of Audiology
California Speech-Languages Hearing Association
Dean's Office, Graduate College of Education, San Francisco
State University
Department of Special Education and Communicative Disorders, San
Francisco State University
Hearing Healthcare Providers
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Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and Hearing Aid
Dispensers Board (within the
State of California Department of Consumer Affairs)
Pacific Hearing and Balance, Inc.
23 Individuals
Opposition
None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:Jeanice Warden / HIGHER ED. / (916)
319-3960