STATEWIDE AAS DEGREES & CERTIFICATES

Statewide programs are designed to ensure consistency in curriculum and outcomes. These programs are developed and managed by a consortium of colleges, therefore reducing the state approval procedures submitted by individual colleges to the state.

Overview

From OAR 589-006-0050 (48), the following definition of a statewide program applies:

"Statewide or regional consortium program" (*) is defined as an associate of applied science and/or certificate of completion program which is developed, applied for and continuously monitored by a partnership of colleges to address a specific program need through a cohesive and transferable curriculum among participating colleges."

* The term “regional consortium program” is not in general use and will not be used in this document.

The term “statewide program” indicates that a program has been approved by the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) as meeting the conditions of this definition. A statewide program is not necessarily offered statewide at every community college. Despite the implication of the term, not every Oregon community college offers a particular statewide program. For example, Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree is a statewide program but not every Oregon community college offers it.

Goals

The goals of statewide programs are to:

  1. Address an identifiable program and labor market need that exists within the state and/or the districts of each of the community colleges requesting approval to offer the proposed program;
  2. Assure that specific certification, licensure, or degree requirements are consistently met and maintained;
  3. Create and maintain a high level of quality and consistency between programs;
  4. Assure the complete transferability of coursework for students who transfer between participating community colleges at the beginning of an academic year, and make as many accommodations as possible for students who transfer at other times during the year;
  5. Facilitate the planning of secondary students as they complete high school and prepare to enroll in a statewide program at a community college approved to offer a statewide program;
  6. Facilitate standardized articulation agreements with other post secondary institutions or other next step education options;
  7. Assure employers and others of a reliable standard of expectation concerning graduates from a statewide program at any participating community college; and
  8. Provide mutually developed and approved guiding principles, agreements and procedures for the administration of these unique programs.

Requirements

For complete requirements of a statewide program, please visit CCWD's Program Approval webpage regarding Statewide Degrees.

Guidelines & ​Requirements for ​Statewide ​Program ​Consortium and ​By-​Laws

According to the “Goals and Requirements for Statewide Programs,” each consortium will develop a set of by-laws which define and determine the operating procedures for the consortium. At the least, the following components must be addressed within the consortium’s by-laws. Additional procedures and agreements also may be included as necessary to accomplish the requirements for statewide programs as described in the “Goals and Requirements for Statewide Programs” document. Other by-law topics may also be determined by the consortium’s membership.

Essential Components:

The following sections outline the essential components that need to be addressed with the statewide program consortium’s by-laws. The accompanying template below is a suggested format for creating those by-laws. Due to the individual differences and needs of each consortium, that template may be adapted as necessary. However, it is expected that the following components be addressed, regardless of the form in which the by-laws are created.

1. Cooperation and Collaboration

Statewide programs require a high level of cooperation and collaboration. The sponsoring and participating community colleges are responsible for communicating, cooperating, and consulting regularly with each other, employers, workforce partners, applicable professional associations, licensing organizations, regulatory agencies, other key stakeholders, the related consortium, and CCWD-EII to develop, operate, evaluate, manage, and improve statewide programs.

2. Sponsoring ​Community ​College(s) 

Each statewide program must be represented by at least one coordinating sponsoring community college, designated by the related consortium. A second sponsoring college may be designated to help share the responsibilities required of the consortium and avoid putting an inequitable workload on any one college.

3. Consortium

Each statewide program will be coordinated and monitored by a related consortium (i.e., composed of member community colleges who have a direct and related interest in developing the statewide program).The consortium membership will include an instructional representative from each of the community colleges seeking approval and/or approved to offer the statewide program.

4. Program ​Approval and Amendment

To protect the interests of students and to achieve the goals of statewide programs, each community college agrees to the conditions and requirements of a statewide program related to program approval. This process includes Notice of Application (NOA), Application, opting-in and opting-out of the consortium, and program amendments.

5. Curriculum and ​Program Design 

The by-laws should describe the process for curriculum and program design and program change. Specific information on curriculum requirements is included in the “Goals and Requirements” document.

6. Student Transfers

If a student who is enrolled in a statewide program at one community college transfers to the same statewide program at another community college, all of the courses that the student has successfully completed that are part of the statewide program will transfer and fulfill the same completion requirements.

By-Laws Template

The following is an example template for creating the organizational by-laws for a statewide program consortium. Please refer to the “By-laws Template for Statewide Programs” document and the “Goals and Requirements for Statewide Associate of Science and Certificate of Completion Programs” document for required information, explanations, and additional suggestions. 

This template is only an example

[Name of Consortium] State Program Consortium By-laws

Article I—Name and Purpose
Section 1—Name and acceptable use of name
Section 2—Purpose and goals
Section 3—History/Time line

Article II—Consortium Partnership and Collaboration

Section 1—Membership
Section 2—Roles and responsibilities within the consortium
Section 3—Communication procedures
    A—Internal
    B—External
    C—Record keeping

Article III—Sponsoring College

Section 1—Selection and replacement
Section 2—Roles and responsibilities
    A—Consortium management
    B—Communications
    C—Other roles

Article IV—Consortium Organization and Operations

Section 1—Elections and administration
Section 2—Decision-making processes

Article V—Program and Curriculum

Section 1—Program Design
Section 2—Program changes
Section 3—Intra-member agreements
    A—Course matrices
    B—Student transfers

Article VI—Process for dissolution

Forms

Two forms are associated with joining a consortium of statewide programs are listed here:

  1.  Request to ​Participate with ​Assurances form 
  2.  Request to ​Offer form

To access the forms, please visit CCWD's Program Approval webpage regarding Statewide Degrees.