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2020 - 2021 FCC Academic Catalog
B. Admission to Programs.
(1) A receiving public institution may require
additional program admission requirements
to some programs if the standards and
criteria for admission to the program:
(a) Are developed and published by the
receiving public institution; and
(b) Maintain fair and equal treatment
for native and transfer students.
(2) Courses taken at a public institution
as part of a recommended transfer
program leading toward a baccalaureate
degree shall be applicable to related
programs at a receiving public institution
granting the baccalaureate degree.
C. Receiving Institution Program Responsibility.
(1) The faculty of a receiving public institution
is responsible for development and
determination of the program requirements
in major fields of study for a baccalaureate
degree, including courses in the major
field of study taken in the lower division.
(2) A receiving public institution may set
program requirements in major fields
of study which simultaneously fulfill
general education requirements.
(3) A receiving public institution, in
developing lower division course work,
shall exchange information with other
public institutions to facilitate the
tranfer of credits into its programs.
(4) A receiving public institution shall ensure
that any changes to program standards
and criteria for admission and the transfer
of credits maintain the fair and equal
treatment of native and transfer students,
and are communicated in a timely manner.
.03 General Education Requirements
for Public Institutions.
A. While public institutions have the autonomy to
design their general education program to meet
their unique needs and mission, that program
shall conform to the definitions and common
standards in this chapter, and incorporate the
general education knowledge and skills required
by the Middle States Commission on Higher
Education Standards for Accreditation. No later
than August 1, 2017, a public institution shall
satisfy the general education requirement by:
(1) Requiring each program leading to the
A.A. or A.S. degree to include not less than
28 and not more than 36 semester hours,
and each baccalaureate degree program to
include not less than 38 and not more than
46 semester hours of required core courses,
with the core requiring, at a minimum, course
work in each of the following five areas:
(a) Arts and humanities,
(b) Social and behavioral sciences,
(c) Biological and physical sciences,
(d) Mathematics, and
(e) English composition; or
(2) Conforming with COMAR
13B.02.02.16D(2)(b)—(c).
B. Each core course used to satisfy the distribution
requirements of §A(1) of this regulation
shall carry at least 3 semester hours.
C. General education programs of public
institutions shall require at least:
(1) Two courses in arts and humanities;
(2) Two courses in social and behavioral sciences;
(3) Two science courses, at least one of
which shall be a laboratory course;
(4) One course in mathematics, having
performance expectations demonstrating
a level of mathematical maturity beyond
the Maryland College and Career Ready
Standards in Mathematics (including
problem-solving skills, and mathematical
concepts and techniques that can be applied
in the student’s program of study); and
(5) One course in English composition,
completed with a grade of C- or better.
D. Institution-Specific Requirements.
(1) In addition to the five required areas in §A
of this regulation, a public institution may
include up to 8 semester hours in course work
outside the five areas. These courses may
be integrated into other general education
courses or may be presented as separate
courses. Examples include, but are not limited
to, Health, Diversity, and Computer Literacy.
(2) Public institutions may not include
the courses in this section in a general
education program unless they provide
academic content and rigor equivalent
to the areas in §A(1) of this regulation.
E. General education programs leading to the
A.A.S. degree shall include at least 18 semester
hours from the same course list designated
by the sending institution for the A.A. and A.S.
degrees. The A.A.S. degree shall include at least
one 3-semester-hour course from each of the
five areas listed in §A(1) of this regulation.
F. A course in a discipline listed in more than
one of the areas of general education may be
applied only to one area of general education.
G. A public institution may allow a speech
communication or foreign language course to
be part of the arts and humanities category.
H. Composition and literature courses may be placed
in the arts and humanities area if literature is
included as part of the content of the course.
I. Public institutions may not include physical
education skills courses as part of the
general education requirements.
J. General education courses shall reflect current
scholarship in the discipline and provide reference
to theoretical frameworks and methods of
inquiry appropriate to academic disciplines.
K. Courses that are theoretical may include
applications, but all applications courses
shall include theoretical components
if they are to be included as meeting
general education requirements.
L. Notwithstanding §A(1) of this regulation,
a public 4-year institution may require 48
semester hours of required core courses
if courses upon which the institution's
curriculum is based carry 4 semester hours.
M. Public institutions shall develop systems to
ensure that courses approved for inclusion
on the list of general education courses
are designed and assessed to comply
with the requirements of this chapter.
.04 Transfer of Education
Program Credit.
A. Transfer of Credit to Another Public Institution.
(1) Credit earned at any public institution
in the State is transferable to any
other public institution if the:
(a) Credit is from a college or university
parallel course or program;
(b) Grades in the block of courses
transferred average 2.0 or higher; and
(c) Acceptance of the credit is consistent
with the policies of the receiving
institution governing native students
following the same program.
(2) If a native student’s “D” grade in a specific
course is acceptable in a program, then
a “D” earned by a transfer student in the
same course at a sending institution is also
acceptable in the program. Conversely, if a
native student is required to earn a grade of
“C” or better in a required course, the transfer
student shall also be required to earn a grade
of “C” or better to meet the same requirement.
B. Credit Earned in or Transferred
From a Community College.
(1) Except as provided in §B(5) of this regulation,
at least 60 credits but not more than 70
credits of general education, elective,
and major courses that a student earns
at any community college in the State
toward a degree at a community college
shall be transferrable to any public senior
higher education institution in the State
for credit toward a bachelor’s degree.
(2) To be transferrable, a credit shall
have been earned in accordance
with the student’s degree plan.