Course & Program Approval

• Online Program Approval — Information on the program development and approval process.
• Off-site Program Approval —The approval of off-campus instructional locations is facilitated by the Office for University Accreditation.
• State Authorization — Information about the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).

The State of Texas requires that all public institutions of higher education implement approval processes for courses and programs to be delivered electronically (i.e., online through digital transmission) or offsite (i.e., away from campus). A course or program is considered to be electronically-delivered or off-site if more than 50% of the course or program is conducted via that delivery method (i.e., digital transmission or off-site).

State rules governing the delivery of distance education (electronically-delivered) and off-site courses and programs can be found here:

• 19 TEX. ADMIN. CODE Chapter 4 Subchapter P: Approval of Distance Education Courses and Programs for Public Institutions
• 19 TEX. ADMIN. CODE Chapter 4 Subchapter Q: Approval of Off-Campus and Self-Supporting Courses and Programs for Public Institutions