1. (a) The following words and terms extracted from rules promulgated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

   1. (1) "Accelerated courses" means courses delivered in shortened semesters which are expected to have the same number of contact hours and the same requirement for out-of-class learning as courses taught in a normal semester.
   2. (2) "Contact hour" means a time unit of instruction used by institutions of higher education consisting of 60 minutes, of which 50 minutes must be direct instruction.
   3. (3) "Distance education" means the formal educational process that occurs when students and instructors are not in the same physical setting for the majority (more than 50 percent) of instruction.

   4. (4) "Distance education course" means a course in which a majority (more than 50 percent) of the instruction occurs when the student(s) and instructor(s) are not in the same place. Two categories of distance education courses are defined:

      1. (A) "Fully distance education course" means a course which may have mandatory face-to-face sessions totaling no more than 15 percent of the instruction time. Examples of face-to-face sessions include orientation, laboratory, exam review, or an in-person test.
      2. (B) "Hybrid/Blended course" means a course in which a majority (more than 50 percent but less than 85 percent), of the planned instruction occurs when the students and the instructor(s) are not in the same place.
   5. (5) "Non-traditionally-delivered course" means a course that is offered in a non-traditional way (for example, over the internet, or through a shortened, intensive format) that does not meet the definition of contact hours.
   6. (6) "Semester" means and normally shall include 15 weeks for instruction and one week for final examination or a total of 16 weeks instruction and examination combined.
   7. (7) "Semester credit hour" means 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.
   8. (8) "Traditionally-delivered three semester-credit-hour course" or "traditional course" means a course containing 15 weeks of instruction (45 contact hours) plus a week for final examinations so that such a course contains 45-48 contact hours depending on whether there is a final exam.

2. (b) The following words and terms shall have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise and shall be considered substantially equivalent to definitions and references in rules promulgated by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

   1. (1) "AACSB-International" means the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business-International.
   2. (2) "ACBSP" means the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs.
   3. (3) "Accredited community college" means a board-recognized Texas community college or campus of the community college that holds the designation 'Qualifying Educational Credit for the CPA Examination' awarded by the board.
   4. (4) "CHEA" means the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.
   5. (5) "Extension and correspondence school" means a program within an institution that offers courses that are not equivalent to courses offered in an academic department at the institution and the courses are not listed on an official transcript from the institution.
   6. (6) "Institution" or "Institution of Higher Education" means any U.S. public or private senior college or university which confers a baccalaureate or higher degree to its students completing a program of study required for the degree.
   7. (7) "Proprietary organization" means a CPA review course provider.
   8. (8) "Quarter credit hour" is the unit of measurement based upon an institution of higher education system that divides the academic year into three equal sessions of 10 to 11 weeks. A quarter credit hour represents proportionately less work than a semester hour because of the shorter session and is counted as 2/3 of a semester credit hour for each hour of credit.
   9. (9) "Reporting institution" means the institution of higher education in the state that serves as the clearinghouse for educational institutions of higher education in Texas. Currently, the University of Texas-Austin is the reporting institution for the state of Texas.
   10. (10) "SACS" means the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools-Commission on Colleges.
   11. (11) "THECB" means the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.
   12. (12) "Transcript" or "Official Transcript" means a document prepared by an institution that contains a record of the academic coursework offered by an academic department that a student has taken, grades and credits earned, and degrees awarded. The document is printed on paper bearing a watermark specific to the institution and is embossed with the institution's seal, date and the signature of the Registrar who is responsible for certifying coursework and degrees.
   13. (13) "UCPAE" means the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination prepared and graded by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.
   14. (14) "Upper Division Accounting Course" means at a minimum junior and senior year course work that requires the successful completion of introductory or basic course work before it can be taken.

Source Note:The provisions of this §511.51 adopted to be effective April 11, 2012, 37 TexReg 2405; amended to be effective October 10, 2012, 37 TexReg 8017; amended to be effective August 7, 2013, 38 TexReg 4895; amended to be effective June 10, 2015, 40 TexReg 3566; amended to be effective February 8, 2017, 42 TexReg 420.