1. (a) An academic course may be approved for unique need if it meets the following criteria:

   1. (1) The course must be acceptable for transfer and apply toward a baccalaureate degree to satisfy general academic, major, or elective requirements at a minimum of two regional universities. Courses accepted to meet general academic or major requirements are strongly preferred. Copies of current letters signed by the universities' registrars documenting transferability must be included in the application.
   2. (2) The course must have college-level rigor. A course designed to meet a community service, leisure, vocational, or avocational need are inappropriate for unique need approval and state funding.

2. (b) Procedures for unique need approval are as follows:

   1. (1) The application for each unique need submitted must be accompanied by a statement of need for the course and a syllabus which includes a course description, detailed course outline, and objectives.
   2. (2) Colleges must reapply for approval of unique need courses on an annual basis. At the institution's request upon the third consecutive approval, a course may be considered for continued placement in that institution's course inventory. The request must include the enrollments and frequency with which the course was offered over the preceding three years. Courses may be approved for continuing unique need if they have been offered at least three times with an average enrollment of 10 students or greater. The Board staff shall review and evaluate continued need on a five-year cycle.
3. (c) Courses listed in the Academic Course Guide Manual but offered for a greater number of contact hours or semester credit hours than specified must be submitted for unique need approval.

Source Note:The provisions of this §9.74 adopted to be effective August 23, 1998, 23 TexReg 8431.