The following words and terms, when used in this subchapter, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

1. (1) Academic credit course--A college-level course that, if successfully completed, can be applied toward the number of courses required for achieving a degree, diploma, certificate, or other formal award.
2. (2) Area institution--A university, health-related institution, independent institution, or higher education center which is within a 50-mile radius of a proposed off-campus instruction site.
3. (3) Board--The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
4. (4) Commissioner of Higher Education or Commissioner--The chief executive officer of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
5. (5) Community College--Any public community college as defined in Texas Education Code, §§61.003 and 130.005, and whose role, mission, and purpose is outlined in Texas Education Code, §§130.0011 and 130.003.
6. (6) Continuing Education Unit or CEU--Ten contact hours of participation in an organized educational experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction and not offered for academic credit.
7. (7) Correspondence course--An academic credit course delivered through distance education that is either paper-based or electronic and that is largely self-paced.
8. (8) Degree--Any title or designation, mark, abbreviation, appellation, or series of letters or words, including "associate", "bachelor's", "master's", and "doctor's" and their equivalents and foreign cognates, which signifies satisfactory completion of the requirements of a program of study which is generally regarded and accepted as an academic degree-level program by accrediting agencies recognized by the Board.
9. (9) Distance education course--Course in which the majority of the instruction occurs when the students and instructor are not in the same physical setting. A course is considered to be offered by distance education if students receive more than one-half of the instruction at a different location than the instructor. A distance education course can be delivered synchronously or asynchronously to any single or multiple location(s) through electronic, correspondence, or other means. The course may be formula-funded or offered through extension, and it may be delivered to on-campus students and those who do not take courses on the main campus.
10. (10) Distance education degree or certificate program--A program in which a student may complete more than one-half of the semester credit hours required for the program through any combination of electronic and off-campus delivery methods.
11. (11) Electronic delivery--A mode of delivery for distance education courses and programs using electronic telecommunication technology systems.
12. (12) Extension courses and programs--Academic credit courses and programs delivered face-to-face or by distance education, including correspondence, whose semester credit hours are not submitted for formula funding. Face-to-face, academic credit extension courses and programs may be delivered on-campus or off-campus. This term does not apply to courses and programs delivered by community colleges to an extension center or extension facility unless the semester credit hours in the courses are not formula funded.
13. (13) Extension Center or Extension Facility--Any single or multiple locations other than the main campus of a community college district and outside the boundaries of the taxing authority of a community college district.

14. (14) First-Professional Degree--An award that requires completion of a program that meets all of the following criteria:

    1. (A) completion of the academic requirements to begin practice in the profession;
    2. (B) at least 2 years of college work prior to entering the program; and
    3. (C) a total of at least 6 academic years of college work to complete the degree program, including prior required college work plus the length of the professional program itself. First-Professional degrees are discipline-specific, including, but not limited to, degrees such as: Dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D.); Medicine (M.D.); Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M.); Law (L.L.B, J.D.); and Pharmacy (PharmD).
15. (15) Formula funding--The method used to allocate appropriated sources of funds among institutions of higher education.
16. (16) Formula-funded course--An academic credit course delivered face-to-face or by distance education, including correspondence, whose semester credit hours are submitted for formula funding.
17. (17) Governing board--The body charged with policy direction of any public community college district; the technical college system; public state college; public senior college, university, or health-related institution; career school or college; or other educational agency including but not limited to boards of directors, boards of regents, boards of trustees, and independent school district boards.
18. (18) Institution of higher education or Institution--Any public technical institute, public community college, public senior college or university, medical or dental unit, or other agency of higher education as defined in Texas Education Code, §61.003.
19. (19) Higher education center--A Multi-Institutional Teaching Center, University System Center, or single institution center established by the Legislature or approved by the Board for the specific purpose of offering upper-division and graduate academic credit courses and programs from the parent institution(s). Higher education centers are of a larger size and offer a broader array of courses and programs than higher education teaching sites. They have minimal administration and (usually) locally provided facilities.
20. (20) Higher education teaching site--An off-campus, upper-division and graduate teaching location that promotes access in an area not served by other public universities. Teaching sites offer a very limited array of courses and/or programs and do not entail a permanent commitment for continued service. Institutions do not own the facilities for teaching sites nor do they receive state support to acquire or build facilities for them. Board approval or recognition is not required.
21. (21) Private or independent institution of higher education or Independent Institution--A private or independent college or university as defined in the Texas Education Code, §61.003(15).
22. (22) Institutional Report--A report describing distance education and off-campus instruction delivered for academic credit.
23. (23) Main campus--The headquarters of an institution and the location where the principal or chief executive's offices are located, also referred to as on-campus.
24. (24) Off-campus course--Course in which one-half or more of the instruction is delivered with the instructor and student in the same physical location and which meets one of the following criteria: for public senior colleges and universities, Lamar state colleges, or public technical colleges, off-campus locations are locations away from the main campus; for public community colleges, off-campus locations are sites outside the taxing district. The course may receive formula-funding or be given by extension.
25. (25) Off-campus degree or certificate program--A program for which a student may complete more than one-half of the required credit hours by taking off-campus courses.
26. (26) Out-of-state/out-of-country courses and programs--Academic credit courses and programs delivered outside Texas to individuals or groups who are not regularly enrolled, on-campus students. Out-of-state and out-of-country courses do not receive formula funding and are a type of academic credit extension offering. They may be offered through distance education or face-to-face instruction.
27. (27) Program or Program of study--Any grouping of courses which are represented as entitling a student to a degree or certificate.
28. (28) Public health-related institution or Health-related institution--a medical or dental unit as defined by the Texas Education Code, §61.003(5).
29. (29) Public university or University--a general academic teaching institution as defined by the Texas Education Code, §61.003(3).
30. (30) Regional Council--A cooperative arrangement among representatives of all public, private or independent institutions of higher education within a Uniform State Service Region, as established under Texas Education Code, §51.662.
31. (31) Regular on-campus student--A student who is admitted to an institution, the majority of whose semester credit hours are reported for formula funding, and whose coursework is primarily taken at an institution's main campus.
32. (32) Semester credit hour--A unit of measure of instruction consisting of 60 minutes, of which 50 minutes must be direct instruction, over a 15-week period in a semester system or a 10-week period in a quarter system.
33. (33) Service area--The territory served by a community college district as defined in Texas Education Code, §130.161.
34. (34) Study-in-America courses--Off-campus, academic credit instruction which is delivered outside Texas but in the United States primarily to regular on-campus students.
35. (35) Study-Abroad courses--Off-campus, academic credit instruction which is delivered outside the United States primarily to regular on-campus students.
36. (36) Workforce continuing education course--A course of ten contact hours of participation in an organized continuing education experience under responsible sponsorship, capable direction, and qualified instruction, as outlined in the Guidelines for Instructional Programs in Workforce Education with an occupationally specific objective and supported by state appropriations. Workforce continuing education courses are offered by community and technical colleges and differs from a community service course which is not eligible for state reimbursement and is offered for recreational or avocational purposes.

Source Note:The provisions of this §4.103 adopted to be effective August 21, 2005, 30 TexReg 4642.