TITLE 5 POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION
CHAPTER 55 PUBLIC POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION GENERAL
PROVISIONS
PART 6 GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM
5.55.6.1 ISSUING AGENCY: New Mexico Higher Education Department (NMHED).
[5.55.6.1 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.2 STATUTORY AUTHORITY: Section 9-25-8 NMSA1978 and Section 21-1B-1
et seq. NMSA 1978.
[5.55.6.2 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.3 SCOPE: The provisions of 5.55.6
NMAC apply to all public higher
education institutions operating within and receiving financial support from
the state of New Mexico.
[5.55.6.3 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.4 DURATION: Permanent.
[5.55.6.4 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.5 EFFECTIVE DATE: June 12, 2018, unless a later date is cited at the end of a section.
[5.55.6.5 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.6 OBJECTIVE:
A. Establish and maintain a statewide general education curriculum that includes a comprehensive array of lower-division college-level courses designed to provide a foundation for a well-rounded education.
B. Establish a process by which courses are submitted, reviewed and approved by the department to be included within the general education curriculum.
[5.55.6.6 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.7 DEFINITIONS:
A. “Department”
means the New Mexico higher education department.
B. "Essential skills" means the transferable skills set by the department, in consultation with faculty, that are essential to success in education and the workforce.
C. “Faculty” means the current members of the faculty at the public post-secondary institutions operating within and receiving financial support from the state of New Mexico.
D. “Flexible nine” means the nine credit hours set by each public post-secondary institution to be included within the institution’s general education requirements for all bachelor’s degrees and all associate’s degrees, other than associate’s of applied science.
E. “Flexible three” means the three credit hours set by each public post-secondary institution to be included within the institution’s general education requirements for all associate’s of applied science degrees.
F. “General education course” means a course that has been approved by the New Mexico curriculum and articulation committee as fulfilling the requirements of a content area that is part of the general education curriculum.
G. “General education curriculum” or “general education” means a program that imparts knowledge to students and develops essential skills necessary for success in education and the workforce.
H. “Institution” means a public higher education institution operating within and receiving financial support from the state of New Mexico.
I. “New general education course” means a course that differs from currently approved courses at the proposing institution.
[5.55.6.7 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.8 GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:
A. The
department shall adopt a general education curriculum of at least 30 credit
hours for all bachelor’s degrees and all associate’s degrees, other than
associate’s of applied science, that includes broad content areas of
learning. The department shall adopt a
general education curriculum of at least 15 credit hours for all associate’s of
applied science degrees that includes broad content areas of learning.
B. The department, in consultation with
faculty, will develop and maintain the general education curriculum, which is
designed to provide students with knowledge and the transferable essential
skills that are essential to success.
C. The department shall maintain and publish a list of the courses approved to be part of the general education curriculum.
D. Each institution shall publish and make available to students the general education curriculum and approved courses it offers that fulfill the requirement of the general education curriculum.
E. Each institution shall have an assessment plan for its general education program on file with the department. The assessment plan shall outline the program's practices, intentions, and process for demonstrating institutional effectiveness.
F. A student shall only be required to fulfill the general education curriculum requirements specified in the catalog in effect at the time in which the student enrolls as a first-time freshman. If that catalog expires while the student is enrolled, the student shall follow institutional processes for selecting a new catalog. A student may elect to follow the requirements of any revisions to the general education curriculum that occur after the student enrolls as a first-time freshman.
G. Students should consult advisors at their institution regarding which specific courses fulfill the general education curriculum and degree requirements. The general education curriculum may fulfill requirements of meta-majors or transfer modules, as defined in 5.55.7 NMAC.
H. A single course may fulfill both general education curriculum and degree requirements.
I. A student who has completed the general education curriculum is not exempted from courses that are required for their chosen degree that are also general education courses.
J. When a student completes the credit hours of the general education curriculum, a notation shall be made on the student's transcript that shows that the student has completed the general education curriculum.
K. Any tribal college or tribal university may participate in the general education curriculum, upon execution of a memorandum of understanding with the department expressing its intent to implement the general education curriculum. If a tribal college or university has executed a memorandum of understanding with the department, the tribal college or tribal university shall be considered an institution for purposes of the Subsection H of 5.55.6.7 NMAC.
[5.55.6.8 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.9 NEW
MEXICO CURRICULUM AND ARTICULATION COMMITTEE: The department
will convene and chair, as a non-voting member, a statewide committee of
faculty to advise the department on issues related to articulation and
curriculum, such as common course numbering, general education curriculum,
meta-majors, transfer modules, or any other matters related to curriculum.
A. The New Mexico
curriculum and articulation committee (NMCAC) shall consist of at least one
representative from each institution.
The representative should also be a member of the institution's
curriculum committee.
(1) Each
institution will have one vote on matters brought before the committee. In case of a tie vote, the committee chair
shall cast the tie-breaking vote.
(2) The
NMCAC may form subcommittees upon the request of any committee member. Subcommittees may seek subject matter experts
to review or study a specific matter.
Subcommittees shall report findings and make recommendations to the
NMCAC membership.
B. The NMCAC will
meet at least four times during the academic year.
[5.55.6.9 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.10 GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM:
A. By August 1,
2019, each institution shall adopt the following 31 credit hour statewide
general education curriculum for all bachelor’s degrees and all associate’s
degrees, other than associate’s
of applied science:
(1) Fixed
22. At least 22 credit hours of courses in the following six content areas:
(a) communications;
(b) mathematics;
(c) science;
(d) social and behavioral science;
(e) humanities; and
(f) creative and fine arts.
(2) Flexible
nine. Each institution shall develop a
flexible nine which may be from:
(a) the content areas listed in Paragraph (1) of Subsection A of
5.55.6.10, NMAC; or
(b) other content areas such as foreign languages, interdisciplinary
studies, business, engineering, information technology or any other content
area that the institution deems appropriate.
B. By August 1,
2019, each institution shall adopt the following 15 credit hour statewide
general education curriculum for all associate’s
of applied science degrees:
(1) Fixed
12. At least 12 credit hours from four of the following six content areas:
(a) communications;
(b) mathematics;
(c) science;
(d) social and behavioral science;
(e) humanities; and
(f) creative and fine arts.
(2) Flexible
three. Each institution shall develop a flexible three which may be from:
(a) the content areas listed in Paragraph (1) of Subsection B of
5.55.6.10, NMAC; or
(b) other content areas such as foreign languages,
interdisciplinary studies, business, engineering, information technology or any
other content area that the institution deems appropriate.
C. The general
education curriculum, including content areas, essential skills, and courses,
shall be reviewed every five years by the NMCAC. The NMCAC shall make recommendations to the
department regarding any necessary revisions.
The department shall make the final determination regarding any
revisions to the general education curriculum.
[5.55.6.10 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.11 CERTIFICATION OF GENERAL
EDUCATION COURSES:
A. The department
shall create and make available a certification form to be used by institutions
to request the certification of a new general education course.
B. Completed certification
forms shall be submitted to the department by the institution's chief academic
officer or designee only after receiving approval by the chief academic
officer.
C. If the
certification form is submitted on or before the deadline published by the
department, consideration of the certification form shall be placed on the next
NMCAC meeting agenda. If the institution
submits the certification form after the published deadline, consideration of
the certification form will be postponed until the subsequent NMCAC meeting.
D. The department
shall conduct an initial review of the certification form to determine whether
it has been correctly and fully completed.
The department may request additional information from the institution
for use in its initial review. If the
department determines that the certification form has met the initial review
criteria, the department shall submit the certification form and all supporting
material to the NMCAC and require that the certification form be considered by
NMCAC. If the department determines that
a certification form is not correctly and fully completed, the department shall
return the certification form to the institution with recommendations as to how
deficiencies may be remedied. A
certification form shall not be presented to the NMCAC until the department has
completed initial review and determines that the certification form is
correctly and fully completed.
E. In reviewing the
certification form and supporting materials, the NMCAC may request more information
from the institution. If additional information is requested, the institution
shall submit the additional information by the deadline set by the
department. If the additional
information is not received by the deadline, consideration of the certification
form will be postponed to the subsequent NMCAC meeting.
F. The department
shall have a representative present during the advisory committee meeting to
present the certification form. The
department shall not make any recommendation to NMCAC regarding the
certification.
G. A representative
from the applicant institution shall be present during the NMCAC meeting and
shall be prepared to respond to questions presented by NMCAC members.
H. NMCAC shall
consider the certification form, any supporting materials, and information
presented during its meeting. The chair
shall conduct a roll call or written vote.
Each institution shall cast a single vote. Based on the majority vote, NMCAC may
approve, deny, table, or send the request to a subcommittee for further
review. The vote shall be certified by
the committee chair and the department shall issue official notice of the NMCAC
decision to the institution within 10 business days after the NMCAC meeting.
I. An institution
must receive notice of the NMCAC decision from the department before the
institution publishes and makes available to students the courses it offers
that fulfill the requirements of the general education curriculum. Courses that are approved to be part of the
general education curriculum shall be designated as general education by a
notation in the course description in the institution’s course catalog.
J. Institutions
will notify the department if any approved general education courses will no
longer be offered at least 30 business days prior to the time the course will
no longer be offered.
K. The
department shall update the general education curriculum inventory to reflect
all changes.
[5.55.6.11 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.12 FACTORS CONSIDERED IN
CERTIFICATION FORM REVIEW
A. Each
institution shall have an assessment plan for its general education program on
file with the department by August 1, 2019.
The assessment plan must include the goals of the program, how the goals
are addressed in the curriculum, student learning outcomes, and assessment
methods.
B. Each
institution shall articulate how the course integrates essential skills to
achieve the student learning outcomes of the course.
C. Each
course shall include at least three of the following essential skills:
(1) communication;
(2) critical thinking;
(3) information and digital literacy;
(4) quantitative reasoning; and
(5) personal and social responsibility.
D. The
certification form will be evaluated based on criteria published by the
department.
[5.55.6.12 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.13 TRANSFER OF GENERAL EDUCATION
COURSES:
A. For each general
education course approved by NMCAC, its credits shall transfer as fulfilling
general education curriculum requirements at any institution to which they are
transferred.
B. A student who
has completed the 31 credit hours of the general education curriculum for an
associate’s or bachelor’s degree and transfers to a different institution to
continue an associate’s or bachelor’s degree shall have all previously completed
general education courses accepted by the receiving institution as fulfilling
the general education curriculum for an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
C. A student who
has completed the 15 credit hours of the general education curriculum for an
associate’s of applied science and transfers to a different institution to
continue an associate’s of applied science shall have all previously completed
general education courses accepted by the receiving institution as fulfilling
the general education curriculum for an associate’s of applied science.
D. If a student
transfers and has not completed the 31 credit hours of the general education
curriculum for an associate’s degree, other than an associate’s of applied science,
or bachelor’s degree, the courses taken as part of the general education and
the content areas fulfilled shall be noted on the transcript.
(1) Courses
that have been taken within the fixed 22 credit hours will transfer as
fulfilling the content area for which they are approved.
(2) Courses
taken within the flexible nine shall transfer as meeting the
receiving institution’s flexible nine general education requirement.
(3) Transfer
students who have not completed the flexible nine will be subject
to the receiving institution's flexible nine policy for the remaining credits
that must be completed to fulfill the flexible nine.
E. If
a student transfers and has not completed the 15 credit hours of the general
education curriculum for an associate’s of applied science degree, the courses
taken as part of the general education and the content areas fulfilled shall be
noted on the transcript.
(1) Courses
that have been taken within the fixed 12 credit hours will transfer as
fulfilling the content area for which they are approved.
(2) Courses
taken within the flexible three shall transfer as meeting the
receiving institution’s flexible three general education requirement.
(3) Transfer
students who have not completed the flexible three will be subject
to the receiving institution's flexible three policy.
F. When making
decisions affecting transfer students, receiving institutions should assure
that transfer students are treated equally to those students originating their
post-secondary studies at the institution.
[5.55.6.13 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.14 COMPLAINTS
RELATED TO THE TRANSFER OF GENERAL EDUCATION CURRICULUM:
A. Institutions
shall establish appropriate policies and practices for receiving and resolving
complaints from students or other complainants regarding the transfer of
general education curriculum. Such
policies shall include at least the following components:
(1) Complainants
shall be required to first seek resolution of their complaint directly within
the institution.
(2) A
time frame within which the institution will investigate the complaint and
respond to the complainant shall be specified.
(3) The
institution shall assure that an impartial party will be involved in
consideration of the complaint.
(4) The
institution shall assure that no adverse action will be taken against the
student or complainant as a result of registering the complaint.
(5) The
institution shall identify the department as the agency to be contacted in
cases where the complaint remains unresolved.
B. When a student
or other complainant contacts the department with a complaint, the department
will require that the complaint be submitted in writing. The complaint must include a summary of the
process followed by the complainant in an attempt to resolve the complaint
through the institution’s internal procedures.
C. Following
receipt of a written complaint, the department will contact the relevant
institution to ascertain whether or not the complaint is bona fide, that is,
whether or not the institution's internal complaint process has been followed
sufficiently to warrant filing of the complaint with the department.
D. Upon
determination that the complainant has not followed the institution's internal
process to a sufficient extent, the department shall refer the complainant to
the institution to follow the institution’s complaint procedure.
E. Upon
determination that the complaint is bona fide, the department will request a
response to the complaint from the institution, summarizing its position and
justification for its course of action.
Such response shall be provided in writing to the department within 10
business days of receipt by the institution.
F. The department
will conduct an analysis of the complaint, considering all information submitted
by both parties, and may at its discretion solicit additional information
relevant to the complaint. The analysis
will be consistent with the general principles and other specifications of
5.55.6 NMAC.
G. The department
will render its decision as to the appropriateness of the actions of the
parties to each complaint. If a
student’s articulation complaint includes commonly numbered courses or courses
contained in a meta-major or transfer module and is upheld, the receiving
institution shall reimburse the student the complete cost, including tuition,
books and fees, of each course the student was required to repeat at the
receiving institution.
[5.55.6.14 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
5.55.6.15 REPORTING:
A. An institution
shall report annually to the department by August 31.
B. An institution
shall report on a form provided by the department.
C. The department
shall use the information and data provided by the institutions to prepare its annual
report to the legislative finance committee and the governor regarding the
status of articulation and transfer, which includes common course numbering,
general education, meta-majors, and transfer modules.
[5.55.6.15 NMAC - N, 06/12/2018]
HISTORY OF 5.55.6 NMAC: [RESERVED]