Guidelines for Student Transfer and Articulation Among Missouri Higher Education Institutions

PURPOSE: The purpose of this rule is to establish guidelines to promote and facilitate the transfer of students between institutions of higher education within the state. (1) Introduction. The Coordinating Board for Higher Education is required by statute to “establish guidelines to promote and facilitate the transfer of students between institutions of higher education within the state.” This rule sets forth those guidelines and is intended to assure that a student with a clear educational objective may complete a degree program in the shortest possible time, whether the student remains in one (1) institution or transfers to another. The coordinating board recognizes that each Missouri college and university has a responsibility for establishing and maintaining standards of expectations for students completing courses, programs, certificates, or degrees. It also recognizes that for effective and efficient transfer of credits between and among these colleges and universities, it is necessary to exercise this responsibility within the context of a statewide system of postsecondary education. Effective articulation is based upon interinstitutional communication, a mutual respect for institutional integrity, a high degree of flexibility, procedures for identifying problems, and a mechanism for implementing appropriate solutions. Harmonious and equitable consideration of any problem which a student may encounter in moving from one (1) college to another is an ultimate objective of these transfer guidelines. and Workforce Development (2) Definitions. (A) Baccalaureate degree program means the major required for the awarding of a bachelor’s degree. (B) Bachelor’s degree or baccalaureate degree means an award that normally requires no more than one hundred twenty (120) semester credit hours except as may be necessary for accreditation or licensure. (C) Commissioner means the Commissioner of Higher Education as appointed by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. (D) Committee on Transfer and Articulation, (COTA) refers to an advisory committee established by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education with responsibility to oversee the implementation of the transfer guidelines and appeals process as set forth in this rule. (E) Common Course Number Equivalency Matrix (Missouri Transfer Number or “MOTR” Number) refers to the statewide number assigned to the core transfer curriculum courses to promote consistency in course designation and course identification across individual institutions. This designation is to be used only for courses originating at a Missouri institution and reviewed by a faculty discipline group comprised of faculty from Missouri public and/or participating independent higher education institutions. (F) Coordinating Board means the Coordinating Board for Higher Education created by article IV, section 52 of the Missouri Constitution. (G) Core Curriculum Advisory Committee, (CCAC) refers to an advisory committee established by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education with primary responsibility for assuring course equivalencies and maintaining the core transfer curriculum (CORE 42) and corresponding courses, and shall be comprised of faculty members from Missouri public institutions and participating independent institutions of higher education, and one (1) two- (2-) year representative and one (1) four- (4-) year representative from the Missouri Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. (H) Core Curriculum means the basic competencies to be met, which shall include communicating, higher-order thinking, managing information, valuing, and includes the knowledge areas of social and behavioral sciences, humanities and fine arts, mathematics, life and physical sciences, and communications. (I) Degree or certificate means an award or title conferred upon an individual by a college, university, or other postsecondary education institution as official recognition for the successful completion of a program or course of study. (J) Faculty Member refers to a person who is employed full time by a community college or other public or participating independent institution of higher education as a member of the faculty whose primary duties include teaching, research, academic service, or administration. (K) Faculty Discipline Group refers to review panels comprised of faculty from Missouri’s public and independent institutions and established to review courses submitted by Missouri institutions for inclusion in the Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42). (L) General education program means a prescribed course of study as defined by institutional faculty and validated by the institution’s administration or governing board, distinct from a program major, required of all graduates, and intended to ensure that all graduates possess a common core of collegelevel skills and knowledge. (M) Guidelines as used in this rule means the expected course of action or set of circumstances that apply to decision making in which transfer of credit is involved. (N) Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42) refers to a standard core curriculum and common course numbering equivalency matrix for lower-division courses to be used at community colleges and other public and participating independent institutions of higher education to facilitate student transfers as provided under sections 178.785 to 178.789, RSMo, effective August 1, 2018. (O) Independent Institution refers to an approved private institution of higher education meeting the requirements of section 173.1102(2) RSMo, provided it is also either accredited or a candidate for accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission and provided it offers a postsecondary course of instruction at least two (2) years in length leading to the conferral of a degree. Participating independent institutions are those who have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to participate in the CORE 42. (P) Institution of higher education as used in the context of this rule means an educational institution under either public or private control which provides a postsecondary course of instruction at least six (6) months in length leading to or directly creditable toward a degree or certificate and which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. (Q) Junior standing means the student level attained upon satisfactory completion of at least half of the credit hour requirements for completion of a bachelor’s degree, usually at least sixty (60) but less than ninety (90) student credit hours. (R) Lower division means courses at a level of comprehension usually associated with freshman and sophomore students and offered during the first two (2) years of a four- (4-) year baccalaureate degree program. (S) Major means a prescribed course of study which constitutes an area of specialization leading to a recognized certificate or degree. (T) Native student means a degree-seeking student who, after graduating from high school, and excluding the summer immediately preceding fall enrollment, begins postsecondary education for the first time at that institution, has not transferred to another institution, and has not earned more than eleven (11) credits at another institution. (U) Receiving institution means the institution of higher education at which a transfer student currently desires to enroll and to have previously earned credit applied toward a degree program. (V) Semester credit hour refers to a metric derived from the Carnegie Unit and based on the number of contact hours students spend in class per week in a given semester. (W) Sending institution means the institution of higher education of most recent previous enrollment by a transfer student at which transferable academic credit was earned. (X) Transfer student means a student entering an institution for the first time with academic credit earned at another institution which is applicable for credit at the institution the student is entering. (Y) Upper division means courses at a level of comprehension usually associated with junior and senior students and offered during the last two (2) years of a four- (4-) year baccalaureate degree program. (3) Applicability of Guidelines. These transfer guidelines are applicable to course credits and related matters for undergraduate students who wish to transfer between Missouri public colleges and universities. The coordinating board also recommends these guidelines to Missouri independent institutions. All Missouri independent institutions choosing to participate in the CORE 42 will be required to follow the same guidelines required of Missouri public institutions, as a condition of their participation. (4) Transfer Policy. (A) Baccalaureate Degree Program. 1. Determination of the course requirements of the major for a baccalaureate degree, including introductory and related courses, is the prerogative of the four- (4-) year institution. The catalog of each four- (4-) year institution will state clearly the requirements for each degree program. When required, specific prerequisites will be designated and will be noted in conjunction with the course description. Transfer students who have completed prerequisites will not be required to duplicate study in the area. Courses taken as part of the Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42) shall transfer to all public two- (2-) year and four- (4-) year institutions and participating independent institutions and will count toward completion of general education. And, if a specific course designated as part of the CORE 42 serves as a prerequisite to another course, or fulfills major or graduation requirements for native students, it shall serve that same role for the purpose of transfer. The catalog will specify any restrictions or limitations for additional major requirements. 2. A baccalaureate degree program or major consists of a coherent grouping of courses or subject area requirements in a specific discipline or program field. Generally, the number of credit hours required for a major extends from thirty to forty-eight (30– 48)-semester credit hours but there may be exceptions to this in the case of highly specialized professions or disciplines, interdisciplinary studies, or majors in general liberal arts studies. (B) General Education. 1. A student’s first two (2) years in college may include introductory courses and other courses which permit the student to explore areas of specialization that can be pursued at a later time at the baccalaureate level. In a two- (2-) year college transfer program, the courses should be adequate in content to be counted fully toward the baccalaureate degree for transfer students continuing in a particular field. 2. Each institution of higher education in Missouri fosters a program of general education. These general education programs typically follow one (1) of three (3) models, that is, competency-based programs; topical or thematic programs; or distributional programs. Among Missouri’s higher education institutions, especially in the public sector, virtually all general education programs are currently distributional in character and consist of a set of courses composed of a specific number of semester credit hours within a pattern of curricular areas of study. 3. Although the general education requirement may vary from institution to institution, it represents an institutional statement, developed by the faculty and given ultimate validation by the college’s administration or governing board, about the general body of knowledge and skills which should be possessed by the recipient of that college’s degree. 4. Consistent with its mission, each public higher education institution in Missouri shall develop and shall promulgate a program of general education. After a Missouri institution of higher education has developed and published its program of general education, the integrity of that program will be recognized by other institutions within the state. 5. For the purpose of facilitating transfer between institutions in the state, institutions shall accept in transfer the Missouri Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42), a general education program comprised of at least forty-two (42) semester credit hours which shall consist of, but not be limited to, the distribution of courses specified in subparagraphs (4)(B)5.A.–E. and which shall satisfy sections 178.785-178.789, RSMo. Such a distribution of courses shall be deemed as meeting the general education requirements of the receiving institution. The framework for Missouri’s CORE is designed for students to obtain the basic competencies of Valuing, Managing Information, Communicating, and Higher-Order Thinking through the completion of at least forty-two (42) semester credit hours and shall consist of college-level (nonremedial) course work or its equivalent distributed across each of the following knowledge areas: A. Communication skills, a minimum of nine (9) semester credit hours are required, with a minimum of six (6) semester credit hours in written communications and a minimum of three (3) semester credit hours in oral communications; B. Humanities and Fine Arts, a minimum of nine (9) semester credit hours are required, from at least two (2) disciplines and no more than three (3) credit hours of performance courses that can be applied to the Humanities and Fine Arts Knowledge Area and to the total CORE 42; C. Natural Sciences, a minimum of seven (7) semester credit hours are required, from at least two (2) disciplines, including at least one (1) with a laboratory component; D. Mathematical Sciences, a minimum of three (3) semester credit hours are required. Mathematical Sciences courses that use one of the pathway courses as a prerequisite will meet the general education credit for mathematical sciences. For example, Calculus meets the general education math requirement since Pre-Calculus Algebra is a prerequisite; and E. Social and Behavioral Sciences, a minimum of nine (9) semester credit hours are required, from at least two (2) disciplines, and including at least one (1) Civics course. 6. All institutions shall recognize the validity of other institutions’ general education requirements when the minimum requirements as specified in subparagraphs (4)(B)5.A.–E. are met. However, some foreign language and/or upper division general education courses or upper division graduation requirements may be required by the receiving institution whenever all native students are obligated to satisfy the same requirements. 7. Professional schools or programs, because of licensure and accreditation requirements, are exempt from formulating general education programs according to the distributional requirements established within this rule. However, institutions are encouraged to establish specialized articulation programs. In these instances, transferring students are not exempted from satisfying the specialized lower division requirements of departments or divisions of an institution into which a student wishes to transfer. 8. Students who have completed all of the requirements for completion of a general education program shall have their transcript notated as “General Education Complete” or “CORE 42 Complete.” (C) Associate Degrees. 1. Associate of Arts Degree. A. An associate of arts degree (AA) is a two- (2-) year degree which indicates the completion of a student’s lower division general education requirements. It is also a specific transfer degree for entry, at the junior level, into the general range of baccalaureate degree programs offered by a four- (4-) year college. B. The receiving institution is not obligated to accept transfer credit which exceeds the minimum number of credits the sending institution has established for awarding the associate level degree. This degree is not normally awarded in a program area. 2. Other associate degrees. All other associate degrees will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis. (D) Course-By-Course Transfer. After an institution of higher learning in Missouri has developed and published its program of general education, the integrity of the program will be recognized by the other institutions in Missouri. Once students have been certified, and the transcript notated, that the student has satisfactorily completed the prescribed general education program or CORE 42, as specified in this document, no other public or participating institution of higher learning in Missouri will require further lower division courses in their general education program and Workforce Development except as provided in subsections (4)(B) and (E). However, students transferring without completing the prescribed general education program shall be subject to the general education requirements of the receiving institution at the time of their admission to that institution. For students transferring with courses that have been assigned a Missouri statewide transfer number (MOTR number), the following rules apply pursuant to sections 178.785-178.789, RSMo: 1. MOTR courses taken as part of CORE 42 will transfer as equivalent to all Missouri public two- (2-) year and four- (4-) year institutions and participating independent institutions of higher education and will count toward completion of general education; 2. If a specific institution’s course designated as a MOTR course serves as a prerequisite to another course, or fulfills major or graduation requirements for native students, it shall also serve in that same role for the purpose of transfer; and 3. Transfer students must meet the same institutional requirements as native students in regard to institutional admission, program admission, transferability of credit, and transferability of course grades in accordance with subsections (4)(E), (F), (I), and (J) of this rule. (E) Institutional Admission. 1. The core of any orderly transfer process is the mutual acceptance of the nature and purpose of the associate of arts degree. This degree shall be transferable upon— A. Completion of a minimum of sixty (60) semester hours of college-level work oriented toward a baccalaureate degree; B. Completion of an institutionally approved general education program of not fewer than forty-two (42) semester hours or the CORE 42 general education program, as defined in subsection (4)(B); and C. Achievement of a cumulative grade point average of not less than 2.0 (A = 4.0, B = 3.0, C = 2.0, D = 1.0, F = 0.0) provided that only the final grade received in courses repeated by the student shall be used in computing this average. 2. Students holding associate of arts degrees oriented toward the baccalaureate degree with a grade point average of 2.0 or above, as validated by a regionally accredited associate degree granting institution, are admitted to a baccalaureate degree granting institution, but not necessarily to a program (see subsection (4)(F)), as— A. Having junior standing; and B. Having fulfilled lower division general education requirements. However, this does not exempt the student from meeting the specialized lower division requirements of departments or divisions of the school to which a student transfers provided such exceptions to the basic general education and CORE 42 requirements have been promulgated in accordance with subsections (4)(B) and (C). 3. Students transferring without the associate of arts degree must meet the admission requirements of the receiving institution. 4. If any institution of higher education finds it necessary to select from among qualified transfer students, its criteria for admission will be stated in its official publications. These publications will be on file with the Coordinating Board for Higher Education. (F) Program Admission. Transfer students will be admitted to programs based on the same criteria established for the native students of the receiving institution. Admission to a specific baccalaureate degree program may result in a different computation of the grade point average (GPA). (G) Catalog. 1. Transfer students shall be subject to the same regulations regarding applicability of catalog requirements as native students. 2. Pursuant to section 178.786.2, RSMo, each Missouri public two- (2-) year and four- (4-) year and participating independent institutions will, in order to facilitate the seamless transfer of the Higher Education Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42) and associated courses, include in its catalog listings the applicable course numbers from the common course numbering equivalency matrix (MOTR number). (H) Change in Major. When students initiate changes in their stated major or degree objectives, those students assume full responsibility for meeting the specified new degree and/or major requirements. Students contemplating transfer from a two- (2-) year vocational/technical program into a baccalaureate program in the same field of study should expect additional major and degree requirements and should not expect automatic junior standing in the major. Students planning to transfer into a different field of study should seek pretransfer counsel from the sending or receiving institution regarding required courses in the program which they plan to pursue and the evaluation of credits already earned, as they apply to the particular baccalaureate program to be pursued. (I) Transfer of Credit. Credit earned in or transferred from a community college shall normally be limited to approximately half the baccalaureate degree program requirement, and to the first two (2) years of the undergraduate educational experience. (J) Transfer of Grades. The academic record at a given institution will include all courses attempted. Grades of “D” or better earned in college-level work at an accredited or approved institution of higher education should receive full credit when transferred to another college or university. However, the receiving institution will treat all grades on courses attempted on the same basis as that of the native student. For example, if the native student is required to repeat a “D” grade in a specified course, a transfer student will also be required to repeat the “D” grade in the same course. (K) Credit by Examination, Experiential Learning and Pass/fail Credit. 1. Pass/fail credit will be transferred and treated by the receiving institution in the same way pass/fail credit is treated for native students. 2. Advanced placement, credit by examination and credit for experiential learning will be transcripted and clearly defined. Course equivalency for credit by examination may be listed as desired. The receiving institution shall transfer and treat credit earned through advanced placement, credit by examination and credit for experiential learning in the same manner as it would for native students except that the integrity of the associate degree will not be invalidated. 3. The policies for awarding credit by examination and nontraditional learning vary from one (1) institution to another. Each institution will publish information about its policies for awarding credit by nontraditional modes, including name of tests which are used to assess credit, cut-off scores, deadline dates for submission of scores to the receiving institution and restrictions on the time interval permitted to receive current credit for a course taken some years previously. (L) State Certification or Statutory Requirements. In the process of earning a degree, students must complete requirements for that degree and sometimes, as in the case of teacher education programs, must also meet state certification requirements. If certification or statutory requirements change and additional requirements become effective during the time a student is enrolled in a program, the new requirements take precedence over previously existing degree or certification standards. (5) General Transfer. (A) Each receiving institution of higher education shall have an internal process of appeal available to transfer students for purposes of challenging institutional decisions on the acceptance of the students’ credits in transfer. The process shall include no more than three (3) levels of appeal. The receiving and Workforce Development institution shall publish in its catalog or otherwise provide to each transfer student a statement of appeal rights and procedures internal to the institution. A copy of that formal statement shall be furnished to the committee on transfer/articulation. If a transfer student’s appeal challenge is denied by the institution after all appeal steps internal to the institution have been exhausted, the institution shall advise the student in writing of the availability and process of appeal to the committee on transfer/articulation. (B) Appeal to the committee on transfer/articulation shall be by the following procedures: 1. Appeal to the committee on transfer/articulation is to be initiated by the affected student only after all other remedies have been exhausted without resolution of the issue at the receiving institution. The appeal process is initiated when the student informs the committee on transfer/articulation in writing of the reason for the appeal; 2. The committee shall promptly notify the chief executive officer of the relevant institution(s) of higher education of the appeal and invite the institution(s) to submit documentation for the decision being appealed by the student. Documentation shall be submitted by the relevant institution(s) within fifteen (15) days of notification by the committee; 3. The chairperson of the committee shall convene the appeals committee within thirty (30) days, if possible, but in no event later than ninety (90) days, of the receipt of an appeal for the purpose of considering the information presented by the student and the institution(s). Both the student and the institution(s) shall be notified of the committee’s meeting time and location. The student and the institution(s) will have the opportunity to make an oral presentation to the appeals committee if either desires to do so; 4. In the event an appeal is filed involving a campus represented on the committee on transfer/articulation, the commissioner shall, for the purpose of considering the appeal, appoint an interim member of the committee from the same sector; 5. The committee’s consideration of the appeal shall include, but not be limited to, the institution(s)’s compliance with the guidelines set forth in this rule, the student’s compliance with the guidelines set forth in this rule and the student rights and responsibilities statement; 6. The committee chairperson shall inform the chief executive officer of the relevant institution(s) and the student of the committee’s determination and recommend that the institution(s)’s chief executive officer implement the committee’s recommendation; 7. The institution(s)’s chief executive officer shall inform the chairperson of the appeals committee within thirty (30) days of the action taken in regard to the committee’s recommendation; and 8. The committee’s recommendation and the action taken by the institution(s) shall be reported to the coordinating board by the commissioner on higher education. (C) Core Transfer Curriculum (CORE 42) and MOTR Courses. 1. Pursuant to section 178.788, RSMo, if a Missouri public institution of higher education or participating independent institution does not accept MOTR course credit earned by a student at another Missouri public or participating independent institution of higher education, that institution shall give written notice to the student and the sending institution that the transfer of the course credit is denied within ten (10) business days of the denial of credit. When sending notification of denial of credit, institutions must include standard information which is available on the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development’s website. The standard information requires at a minimum: student identification information, course identification information, the reason why the course did not transfer, and the institutional internal appeal process. 2. Each public institution of higher education shall have an internal process of appeal available to transfer students for purposes of challenging institutional decisions on the acceptance of the students’ credits in transfer. The process shall include a minimum of two (2) levels of appeal but not to exceed more than three (3) levels of appeal. The process of internal appeal shall be decided upon by the institution. The institution shall publish in its catalog and place in a student accessible area on the institution’s website the statement of appeals rights and procedures internal to the institution. A copy of that formal statement shall be furnished to the committee on transfer/articulation. The institution’s internal appeals policy shall include the process for transfer appeal. 3. The two (2) institutions and the student shall attempt to resolve the transfer of the course credit dispute in accordance with these rules. A. If the transfer dispute is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student or the institution at which the credit was earned within forty-five (45) business days after the date the student received written notice of the denial, the institution that denies the transfer of the course credit shall notify the commissioner of higher education of its denial and the reasons for the denial. The student and sending institution shall also be copied on the notification sent to the commissioner of higher education. 4. Review by the commissioner of higher education or his or her designee shall be by the following procedures: A. Review by the commissioner of higher education is initiated by the institution that denies the transfer of the course credit after all other remedies have been exhausted without resolution of the issue at the receiving institution. This must be done by the institution that denied the transfer of credit within forty-five (45) business days after the date the student received written notice of denial. The institution shall submit any documentation for the reason of the denial of course credit with the appeal; B. The commissioner of higher education or his or her designee shall promptly notify the chief academic officer of the relevant institution(s) of higher education of the appeal and the involved student and invite the institution(s) and student to submit documentation for the decision being appealed. Documentation shall be submitted by the relevant institution(s) and student within fifteen (15) business days of notification by the commissioner of higher education or his or her designee; C. The commissioner of higher education or his or her designee shall make the final determination about a dispute concerning the transfer of course credit and give written notice of the determination as to the involved student and institutions within thirty (30) business days of the documentation deadline; D. The commissioner’s or his or her designee’s consideration of the appeal shall include, but not be limited to, the institution(s)’s compliance with the guidelines set forth in this rule and the student rights and responsibilities statement and the receiving institution’s compliance with its own transfer policies; E. The commissioner of higher education or his or her designee shall inform the chief academic officer of the relevant institution(s) and the involved student of the commissioner’s determination and recommend that the institution(s)’s chief academic officer implement the commissioner’s recommendation; F. The receiving institution(s)’s chief academic officer shall inform the commissioner within thirty (30) business days of the action taken in regard to the commissioner of higher education’s recommendation; G. The coordinating board shall collect data on the types of transfer disputes that are reported and the disposition of each case that is considered by the commissioner of higher education or the commissioner’s designee; and H. The coordinating board for higher education, in consultation with the advisory board, shall develop criteria to evaluate the transfer practices of each public institution of higher education in this state and shall evaluate the transfer practices of each institution based on this criteria. (6) Data Collection. In accordance with section 178.788.1, RSMo, the coordinating board for higher education, in consultation with Core Curriculum Advisory Committee, shall develop criteria to evaluate the transfer practices of each public institution of higher education (and participating independent institutions) and shall evaluate the transfer practices of each institution based on the established criteria. (7) Committees. (A) Committee on Transfer and Articulation (COTA). The Committee on Transfer and Articulation was established by the Coordinating Board for Higher Education in 1987. COTA consists of twelve (12) members, with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the guidelines as set forth in this rule. 1. COTA is comprised of twelve (12) members appointed by the commissioner of higher education, one (1) of which shall serve as chairperson of the committee. Membership shall consist of four (4) representatives from the public two- (2-) year colleges and four (4) representatives from the public four- (4-) year colleges and universities, one (1) of which must be from the University of Missouri and one (1) of which must be from the other public four- (4-) year institutions; one (1) representative from independent two- (2-) year colleges or proprietary institutions; two (2) representatives from independent four- (4-) year colleges and universities and one (1) at-large position. In addition, the commissioner or a designated representative will sit as an exofficio voting member of the committee. 2. COTA is encouraged to seek the counsel of faculty and other institutional representatives in the performance of its functions. Those functions shall include: A. Conducting a continuing review of the provisions of the college transfer guidelines and recommending such revisions as needed to promote the success and general well-being of the transfer student; B. Reviewing and making recommendations concerning transfer issues brought before it by institutions; C. Recommending modifications of institutional policies and procedures which, in the committee’s judgment, would enhance and facilitate the transfer of students; D. Studying nontraditional credits and developing transfer guidelines for them; E. Systematically solicit suggestions and data from administrators, faculty and students concerning matters of transfer; F. Maintaining a job description for the articulation officer’s position. The chief academic officer of each institution will appoint an articulation officer and inform the commissioner of higher education or his or her designee; G. Developing a statement of student transfer rights and responsibilities; H. Monitoring both the sending and receiving institutions to determine whether they are informing transfer students of their rights and responsibilities; I. Preparing and submitting to the Coordinating Board for Higher Education, for such action and distribution as the coordinating board deems appropriate, an annual report of committee meetings, actions and recommendations. The chairperson must convene the committee at least once a month; and J. Maintaining committee rules of procedure and meeting on call of the chairperson as is necessary to perform its functions. (B) Core Curriculum Advisory Committee (CCAC). The Core Curriculum Advisory Committee was established in 2016 in accordance with section 178.786, RSMo, with responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the guidelines as set forth in this rule. 1. In accordance with section 178.786, RSMo, the CCAC is to be composed of representatives from each Missouri public two- (2-) year and four- (4-) year institution of higher education. Membership also includes one (1) representative from each Missouri independent institution participating in the CORE 42 and one (1) two- (2-) year representative and one (1) four- (4-) year representative from the Missouri Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. 2. A majority of the membership of the CCAC shall be faculty members from Missouri public institutions of higher education, and participating independent institutions. 3. Committee Responsibilities include: A. Developing a recommended lower division core curriculum of at least forty-two (42) semester credit hours, including a statement of the content, component areas, and objectives of the core curriculum (CORE 42). B. Developing a common course numbering equivalency matrix for the fortytwo (42) semester credit hours (Missouri Transfer Number or “MOTR”) at all institutions of higher education in the state to facilitate the transfer of those courses among institutions of higher education by promoting consistency in course designation and course identification. C. Serve as the steering committee for oversight of the framework and review of courses. D. Develop MOTR courses and consider issues involved in the interpretation of the core curriculum framework. E. Establish MOTR course standards. Develop processes and procedures for the establishment of the initial set of MOTR courses, identification of additional MOTR courses, MOTR course updates, and MOTR course removals. Develop processes and procedures for mapping and removing mappings of institutional courses to MOTR courses. F. CCAC faculty members will serve as the chair of their respective faculty discipline group and the CCAC will provide general oversight over all faculty discipline groups. G. May assist in resolving equivalency issues and provide assistance to COTA and the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development (MDHEWD) as necessary to resolve transfer appeals. AUTHORITY: sections 178.785-178.789, RSMo 2016, and section 173.005.2(6), RSMo Supp. 2019.* Original rule filed July 15, 1987, effective Oct. 12, 1987. Amended: Filed July 19, 2019, effective Jan. 30, 2020. *Original authority: 173.005.2(6), RSMo 1973, amended 1983, 1985, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 2018 and 178.785-178.789, see Revised Statutes of Missouri.