Fla. Admin. Code R. 6A-10.024

Current through Reg. 50, No. 177; September 10, 2024

Section 6A-10.024 - Articulation Between and Among Universities, Florida Colleges, and School Districts

It is the intent of the Board of Governors in regulation and the State Board of Education in rule to facilitate articulation and seamless integration of the education system by agreeing to the provisions of this articulation agreement, pursuant to Section 1007.23, F.S. The authority to adopt and amend this rule aligns with the Constitutional power given the Board of Governors for the state university system and the statutory authority given the State Board of Education for the district school boards, the Florida College System, and the Department of Education.

(1) Each state university board of trustees, Florida College System board of trustees, and district school board shall plan and adopt policies and procedures to provide articulated programs so that students can proceed toward their educational objectives as rapidly as their circumstances permit.

(2) General education.

(a) Each state university and Florida College System institution shall establish a general education curriculum, which shall require thirty-six (36) semester hours of communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences for students working toward an associate in arts degree, specialized associate in arts transfer degree, or baccalaureate degree.

(b) After a state university or Florida College System institution has published its general education curriculum, the integrity of that curriculum shall be recognized by the other public postsecondary institutions. Once a student has been certified by such an institution on the official transcript as having completed satisfactorily its prescribed general education curriculum, regardless of whether the associate in arts degree or specialized associate in arts transfer degree is conferred, no other public postsecondary institution to which he or she may transfer shall require any further such general education courses.

(c) If a student does not complete the general education curriculum prior to transfer, the general education requirement becomes the responsibility of the new institution, consistent with Section 1007.24, F.S.

(3) Associate in Arts (A.A.) Degree. Every associate in arts graduate of a Florida College System institution shall be granted admission to the upper division of a public postsecondary institution consistent with Section 1007.23, F.S. Admission to the student's preferred public postsecondary institution or program is not guaranteed.

(a) The associate in arts degree is defined in subsection 6A-14.030(3), F.A.C., (The rule may be obtained from the Office of Articulation, Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399) which definition is incorporated by reference herein, and for purposes of this agreement, shall include:

1. Completion of sixty (60) semester hours of college credit courses in an established program of study that includes a general education curriculum of thirty-six (36) semester hours of college credit in communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences and demonstration of competency in a foreign language pursuant to s. 1007.262, F.S., and demonstration of civic literacy competency pursuant to s. 1007.25(5), F.S. The sixty (60) semester hours that comprise a completed associate in arts degree shall be accepted in total upon transfer to an upper division program at another public postsecondary institution.

2. Achievement of a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0, provided that only the final grade received in courses repeated by the student shall be used in computing the average. The grade of "D" shall transfer and count toward the associate and baccalaureate degrees in the same way as "D" grades obtained by native students in the receiving public postsecondary institution. Whether courses with "D" grades in the major satisfy requirements in the major field may be decided by the receiving public postsecondary institution.

(b) Nothing herein shall prevent a postsecondary institution from denying admission or continued enrollment based on an applicant's past misconduct, both on or off campus, or when past actions have been found to disrupt or interfere with the orderly conduct, processes, functions or programs at any other postsecondary institution.

(c) Each student in an associate in arts program at a Florida College System institution must indicate a baccalaureate degree program at an institution of interest by the time the student earns thirty (30) semester hours. If the student indicates a program at a public postsecondary institution, the Florida College System institution in which the student is enrolled must inform the student of the common program prerequisites, pursuant to Section 1007.23(4), F.S.

(d) The award of additional credit after award of the associate in arts degree pursuant to Section 1007.25(9), F.S., does not exclude a student from the provision in subsection (3). However, students must maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher to qualify for guaranteed admission under subsection (3) of this rule.

(4) Specialized Associate in Arts Transfer (SAAT) Degree. Specialized associate in arts transfer degrees are designed for Florida College System institution students who need lower-level coursework beyond the sixty (60) credits required for the general associate in arts degree for admission to a specified bachelor's degree program. Every associate in arts specialized transfer degree graduate of a Florida College System institution shall be granted admission to the upper division of a public postsecondary institution based upon an executed articulation agreement between the awarding Florida College System institution and receiving State University System institution consistent with s. 1007.25, F.S., as approved by the State Board of Education.

(a) The specialized associate in arts degree is defined in Rule 6A-14.030(4), F.A.C.

1. Completion of at least sixty (60) semester hours of college credit and the attainment of predetermined and specified performance requirements in an established program of study that includes a general education curriculum of thirty-six (36) semester hours of college credit in communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences, demonstration of competency in a foreign language pursuant to s. 1007.262, F.S., and demonstration of civic literacy competency pursuant to s. 1007.25(5), F.S. All completed coursework that comprises a completed associate in arts specialized transfer degree shall be accepted in total upon transfer to the receiving upper division program based upon the established articulation agreement.

2. Achievement of a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0, provided that only the final course grade received in courses repeated by the student shall be used in computing the average. The grade of "D" shall transfer and count toward the associate and baccalaureate degrees in the same way as "D" grades obtained by native students in the receiving public postsecondary institution. Whether courses with "D" grades in the major satisfy requirements in the major field may be decided by the receiving public postsecondary institution.

(5) Associate in Science (A.S.) Degree. The associate in science degree is defined in subsection 6A-14.030(5), F.A.C., and for purposes of this agreement shall include:

(a) Completion of the minimum number of semester hours of college credit courses in an established program of study as required in subsection 6A-14.030, F.A.C.

(b) Completion of a minimum of fifteen (15) semester hours in the general education subject areas of communication, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences. English and mathematics courses must meet the requirements adopted by the State Board of Education in Rule 6A-10.030, F.A.C., and the Board of Governors Regulation 6.017. No physical education credit will be included in the general education block of credit.

(c) Courses taken as part of the associate in science degree to meet the general education requirements will transfer and apply toward the thirty-six (36) general education credit hours required for the baccalaureate degree. No additional general education credit hours can be required except to complete the total thirty-six (36) general education hours.

(d) Capstone Degree Articulation Agreement. A capstone agreement that is entered into by a specific public or private postsecondary institution provides for the acceptance of a specific associate in science degree from any Florida college and applies it as a block of credit toward a specified baccalaureate degree. The quality and content of the associate in science degree is respected as the technical component of the baccalaureate degree and the remainder of the program is designed to complete general education requirements and provide management skills to assist in job progression. Every associate in science degree graduate of a Florida College System institution program that articulates with a capstone degree program in a specific Florida public or private postsecondary institution shall be guaranteed admission to that program except for limited access programs and those requiring specific grades on particular courses for admission. All associate in science degree graduates who articulate under the capstone agreement shall be treated equally, regardless of the Florida College System institution from which they receive their degrees. The general education component of the associate in science degree shall be accepted in total as a portion of the general education requirement upon transfer to the capstone program in a specific Florida public or private postsecondary institution.

(e) Career Ladder Degree Articulation Agreement. The Career Ladder agreement integrates specific associate in science degree programs with identified baccalaureate degree programs statewide. Each associate in science degree program must meet specific requirements as prescribed in the agreement and public postsecondary institutions are required to honor the transfer of credit toward the specified baccalaureate degree. Graduates of a Florida College System institution associate in science degree program with an agreement that is documented and maintained by the Articulation Coordinating Committee shall be granted admission to a public postsecondary institution in the program designated to articulate with their degree, except for limited access programs and those requiring specific grades on particular courses for admission. Admission to the student's preferred public postsecondary institution is not guaranteed. Each State University System institution shall develop admissions criteria to ensure that associate in science degree students are evaluated on an equal basis with associate in arts degree graduates and native university students for admission into Career Ladder programs designated as limited access and those requiring specific grades on particular courses for admission.

(f) The statewide associate in science to baccalaureate degree program articulation agreements between public postsecondary institutions shall be documented and maintained by the Articulation Coordinating Committee. The Department of Education, in consultation with institutions, shall review periodically, as necessary, but no more than once a year, the provisions of the state articulation agreements and the prescribed curricula to ensure the continued effectiveness of the articulation between the A.S. and B.A./B.S. programs. Any recommendations for revisions to the state articulation agreements will be forwarded to the Articulation Coordinating Committee for review. The revisions may be approved after the Board of Governors and the State Board of Education make independent determinations that the recommended revisions are consistent with board policies.

(6) Applied Technology Diploma (A.T.D.). The A.T.D. consists of a course of study that is part of an associate in science (A.S.) or an associate in applied science degree (A.A.S.), is less than sixty (60) credit hours, is approximately fifty (50) percent of the technical component (non-general education), and leads to employment in a specific occupation. An A.T.D. program may consist of either clock hours or college credit.

(a) Students must have a high school diploma, a high school equivalency diploma, or a certificate of completion pursuant to Section 1003.433(2)(b), F.S.; to be admitted to an applied technology diploma program; home education students may be admitted pursuant to Section 1007.263, F.S. Within six (6) weeks of entry, students in applied technology diploma programs of 450 or more hours must be tested pursuant to Rule 6A-10.040, F.A.C., and, if below minimum standards for completion from the program as defined in the program standards document adopted in Rule 6A-6.0571, F.A.C., must receive remedial instruction. The minimum standards must be at least the equivalent of a score of ten (10) on all sections of any basic skills test approved in Rule 6A-10.040, F.A.C. Students must successfully complete all remedial instruction before completing the A.T.D.

(b) Florida College System institutions may offer either college credit or clock hours toward the applied technology diploma. Career centers may offer only clock hours.

(c) All faculty providing instruction must have at least a baccalaureate degree or an associate degree with demonstrated competencies in the specific instructional program area as defined by the institutional accrediting agency or association that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

(d) The information related to the guaranteed transfer of credit between an applied technology diploma program and associate in science or an associate in applied science degree must be documented and maintained by the Articulation Coordinating Committee. The documentation shall include the following:

1. The total number of clock or credit hours within the program.

2. The associate in science or associate in applied science degree into which the applied technology diploma is guaranteed to transfer.

3. The number of college credit hours guaranteed to transfer.

4. An effective date.

(e) The transfer of the applied technology diploma to an associate in science or associate in applied science degree is guaranteed for a period of five (5) years following the date of the award of the applied technology diploma.

(f) Applied technology diploma students entering an associate degree program shall meet the admissions standards stipulated in Section 1007.263, F.S. Additional admissions requirements for limited access programs may be established by the Florida College System institution board of trustees.

(7) Credit by examination.

(a) For examination programs listed in Section 1007.27, F.S., a list of examinations, minimum scores for guaranteed transfer credit, maximum credits guaranteed to transfer, and recommended course equivalents shall be maintained by the Articulation Coordinating Committee and reviewed annually. The list is incorporated in the document Articulation Coordinating Committee Credit-by-Examination Equivalencies, Effective August 2024, which is herein incorporated by reference and located at (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-16840). The list may be requested from the Office of Articulation, Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399.

(b) Transfer of credit by examination is guaranteed for up to forty-five (45) credits, provided that credit was awarded in accordance with the Articulation Coordinating Committee's recommended minimum scores and course equivalents.

(c) Transfer of examination credit over forty-five (45) credits is at the discretion of the receiving institution.

(d) Credit by examination may not duplicate credit from previous successfully completed postsecondary courses or examinations. Credit by examination shall be included in institution grade forgiveness policies.

(e) No grades or grade points shall be assigned for credit by examination.

(f) For all Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSST), Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and UExcel (Excelsior College) examinations, credit must be awarded at a minimum in accordance with the credit-by-examinations equivalencies determined by the Articulation Coordinating Committee referenced in paragraph (8)(a) of this rule. The postsecondary institution shall determine the credit awarded for examinations completed prior to November 1, 2001, or examinations not included in the Articulation Coordinating Committee Credit-by-Examination Equivalencies.

(g) All credit by examination that is initially awarded based on Articulation Coordinating Committee (ACC) recommended minimum scores and maximum amount of credit is guaranteed to transfer and must be accepted by all public postsecondary institutions.

(h) Institutions may award credit for examinations that are not listed in this rule or that do not have recommended course equivalents, minimum scores, and maximum credits. Acceptance of transfer credit so awarded is at the discretion of the receiving institution.

(8) Limited access programs. Florida College System institution and state university transfer students shall have the same opportunity to enroll in baccalaureate limited access programs as native students. Baccalaureate limited access program selection and enrollment criteria shall be established and published in catalogs, counseling manuals, and other appropriate publications.

(9) A state university may accept non-associate in arts degree credit in transfer based on its evaluation of the applicability of the courses to the student's program at the university.

(10) State universities and Florida College System institutions shall publish with precision and clarity in their official catalogs the admission, course, and prerequisite requirements of the institution, each unit of the institution, each program, and each specialization. Any applicable duration of requirements shall be specified. The university or college catalog in effect at the time of a student's initial collegiate enrollment shall govern upper division prerequisites in the same manner as for native students at the same institution, provided the student maintains continuous enrollment as defined in that catalog unless otherwise specified.

(11) The Department and all public universities, Florida College System institutions, and school districts shall maintain the electronic exchange of student transcripts and associated educational records, including acquisition of and access to test scores of students in the standard format established by the ACC.

(12) All postsecondary courses offered for college credit, clock hours, or developmental education credit as they are defined in Rule 6A-14.030, F.A.C. (The rule may be obtained from the Office of Articulation, Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399), which definitions are incorporated by reference herein, shall be entered in the statewide course numbering system. Each course shall be assigned a single prefix and a single identifying number in the course numbering system.

(13) When a student transfers among postsecondary institutions that are fully accredited by a regional or national accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education and that participate in the statewide course numbering system, the receiving institution shall award credit for courses satisfactorily completed at the previous participating institutions when the courses are judged by the appropriate common course designation and numbering system faculty task forces to be academically equivalent to courses offered at the receiving institution including equivalency of faculty credentials regardless of the public or nonpublic control of the previous institution. The award of credit may be limited to courses that are entered in the statewide course numbering system. Credit so awarded shall satisfy institutional requirements on the same basis as credits awarded to native students.

(14) Statewide Award of Uniform Postsecondary Credit for Specified Training and Experience. Florida College System institutions must award credit to students with prior training or experience in service to the community, state, or nation, as required in Rule 6A-10.0244, F.A.C.

(15) Statewide Mathematics Pathways. To facilitate seamless transfer of credits, reduce excess credit hours, and ensure students take the courses needed for their future careers, students entering the Florida College System in the 2024-2025 academic year and thereafter shall be advised of the mathematics pathway that aligns to the mathematics skills needed for success in the corresponding academic programs aligned to their career goals. The Mathematics Pathways List contains the three mathematics pathways and associated gateway courses. Florida College System institutions shall align associate and baccalaureate degree program requirements to the appropriate mathematics pathway as identified on the Mathematics Pathways List. The Mathematics Pathways List, Effective February 2023, is herein incorporated by reference and located at (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-15154). The list may be requested from the Office of Articulation, Florida Department of Education, 325 West Gaines Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32399.

Fla. Admin. Code Ann. R. 6A-10.024

Rulemaking Authority 1001.02(1), (2)(n), 1007.23(1), 1007.25, 1007.27, 1004.096(1), 1004.0981 FS. Law Implemented 1007.01(2), 1001.64(8)(a), 1007.23, 1007.25, 1007.27, 1004.096, 1004.0981 FS.

New 5-5-75, Amended 10-7-75, 6-8-76, 8-22-77, 12-26-77, 3-28-78, 5-10-78, 7-2-79, 2-27-80, 5-27-81, 1-6-83, 4-5-83, 6-28-83, 1-9-85, Formerly 6A-10.24, Amended 8-4-86, 5-18-88, 5-29-90, 7-30-91, 10-4-93, 5-3-94, 1-2-95, 9-30-96, 6-15-98, 12-13-99, 8-14-00, 10-15-01, 9-22-03, 12-18-05, Amended by Florida Register Volume 40, Number 237, December 9, 2014 effective 12/23/2014, Amended by Florida Register Volume 42, Number 046, March 8, 2016 effective 3/23/2016, Amended by Florida Register Volume 43, Number 153, August 8, 2017 effective 8/23/2017, Amended by Florida Register Volume 44, Number 109, June 5, 2018 effective 6/19/2018, Amended by Florida Register Volume 45, Number 113, June 11, 2019 effective 6/25/2019, Amended by Florida Register Volume 46, Number 200, October 13, 2020 effective 10/27/2020, Amended by Florida Register Volume 47, Number 154, August 10, 2021 effective 8/23/2021, Amended by Florida Register Volume 48, Number 174, September 7, 2022 effective 9/20/2022, Amended by Florida Register Volume 49, Number 025, February 7, 2023 effective 2/21/2023, Amended by Florida Register Volume 49, Number 177, September 12, 2023 effective 9/26/2023, Amended by Florida Register Volume 50, Number 158, August 13, 2024 effective 8/27/2024.