https://reportcenter.highered.texas.gov/agency-publication/miscellaneous/standards-for-academic-associate-degree-programs/

Standards for Academic Associate Degree Programs

A community college, technical school, or state college (“institution”) shall adhere to the following standards and to Coordinating Board rules, Section 9.184, “Criteria for New Academic Associate Degree Programs and Steps for Implementation,” in developing new academic associate degree
programs. An institution is expected to incorporate these standards into its new and existing programs unless it provides information that justifies deviation from the standards. (For criteria applicable to Applied Associate Degree programs, see the Guidelines for Instructional Programs in Workforce
Education.)

I. Need

Academic Need
The institution has identified specific baccalaureate degree programs that the associate degree would lead into. Institutions should rely on data from four-year schools showing demand for particular programs and/or information demonstrating the emergence of a new discipline to support the transfer of programs.

Potential Student Demand
The institution has researched and documented recent and reliable data reflecting short- and long- term evidence of student interest. (Types of data to be used are: (a) increased enrollments in related programs at the institution, (b) high enrollment in similar programs at other institutions, and (c) student surveys.)

Enrollment Projections
The institution has calculated enrollment projections that reflect student demand estimates sufficient to ensure financial stability of the program by the end of the program’s fifth year. In calculating yearly FTSE, 30 SCH equals one FTSE for associate degree programs. New programs will be developed in accordance with the institution’s Uniform Recruitment and Retention Strategy.

II. Quality

Types of Degrees

An academic associate degree is an Associate of Arts (AA) degree, an Associate of Science (AS) degree, or an Associate of Arts in Teaching (AAT) degree. The academic associate degree forms the foundation of and prerequisites for transfer into a baccalaureate program and, to the extent possible, is aligned with the upper-division requirements of the baccalaureate program at specific four-year institutions to facilitate a seamless transition with minimal loss of credit earned.

Number of Semester Credit Hours in a Degree Program
The institution shall take into account Texas Education Code § 61.0515 regarding limitations on the number of semester credit hours (SCH) required for a baccalaureate degree and shall not require an excessive number of lower-division SCH for the completion of an associate’s degree. Currently the limit for baccalaureate degrees is a maximum of 120 SCH unless the institution of higher education approved to offer the degree program has determined that there is a compelling
academic need to require a larger number of SCH for completion of the degree requirements. An academic associate degree program is limited to 60 SCH. If the number of SCH required to
complete a proposed associate degree program exceeds 60, the institution must provide
detailed written documentation describing the compelling academic reason(s) for exceeding
the 60 SCH limit. Acceptable reasons may include, but are not limited to, programmatic
accreditation requirements, statutory requirements, or licensure/certification requirements.
The number of SCH for the degree shall be comparable to the number of SCH required for
similar degrees in the state


Curriculum
Required Courses
Required courses are those taken by all students in the program. These courses shall reflect the
lower-division prerequisite courses required for a student to enroll in upper-division courses
upon transfer to a baccalaureate program, if the student has completed the appropriate
associate degree. Required prerequisite courses should provide the framework for an academic
associate degree and should align precisely with lower-division requirements within a specific bachelor’s degree program. Required courses should meet all lower-division requirements for accreditation, licensure, or certification and shall be consistent with similar programs in the state
and nation.

Standards of Academic Associate Degrees

Core curriculum
Academic associate degrees shall include the institution’s approved core curriculum. Exceptions will
be made where a portion of the college's approved core curriculum may be included if the coursework for both the completed core curriculum and a Board-approved field of study curriculum, a statewide
voluntary transfer compact, or an institution-to-institution articulation agreement would cause the
total requirements for the associate degree to exceed 60 SCH.
Prescribed and/or Free Electives Electives, if available, are consistent with those of similar programs and are selected by the student, subject to advisor approval.
Music department gets NASM accreditation — Richland Student Media

Ultimately, Logozzo said that Richland College “will have a bigger voice at the state level with our degree plans and going down to Austin and talking with any kind of congressional representatives because we have an accreditation that backs up what we are doing here on a daily basis.”
Derrick Logozzo is completely delusional. He never had and never will have any voice in degree plans while at a 2 year college that offers only a transfer preparatory program. The music degree from Richland (now Dallas College) is only a means of acquiring credits to transfer for students that are seeking a Bachelor's Degree in Education or Music Performance. The only thing to be considered is the degree requirements of schools that accept Richland students in transfer. The universities set the degree plans period.

The Dallas College FOS (Field of Study) in music degree is 60 credit hours and should be followed to the letter. The four credits of recital should be 0 credit and required as part of full-time study. 4 credits of piano class as advisable. Everything else that is not on the degree plan is excess hours that eat up financial aid and exhaust the 150 hours of in state tuition (a degree 120 hours + 30 credit hours = students being charged out of state tuition at Texas Universities which financial aid doesn't cover.)

Cedar Valley is the only campus with terminating degrees that lead directly to employment.
Recording Technology Commercial Music NOT Available at Richland College 1.JPG


Melissa Logan is retiring. Derrick Logozzo should have been terminated years ago. His 100-161 credit hour chair filling bonanza where everyone who walks in the door gets pushed into majoring in music has been disastrous. Armies of students have exhausted their financial aid with music nonsense and are years later stuck in the entry-level, dead end jobs they started in high school.

And, I have it on good authority that despite what the incompetent Richland Media (that writes little more than lie-filled fluff stories to advertise for the college) says, the Richland Campus has not gone through the process again to be NASM accredited again. That is pure fantasy. Time to disband the media at this campus as well. And, the administration told me they did not plan seek NASM accreditation again. Why isn't Richland Student Media covering the advising scandal and loss of accreditation?
Feb 5, 2021, 9:56 AM



Richland Student Media sent February 5

Not true. They had to go through the process again due to the Dallas College transition. All is well.
Seeing approximately 5 students per year that transferred from Richland go on to complete a Bachelor's while hundreds walk away with no degree of any kind tells the whole story. The program is not getting students marketable job skills either.

The Richland Campus has the most incredible professors with the credentials and experience to equal that of those teaching at the most prestigious universities in the state, but the predatory advising and gross mismanagement has sunk this program like the Titanic and harmed the students who have been lured in.