HB 0709 2004
1	A bill to be entitled
2	An act relating to course requirements for students in
3	community colleges; amending s. 1001.02, F.S.; providing
4	that the required credit hours in general education
5	courses must include civics instruction that focuses on
6	North American national government; providing an effective
7	date.
8
9	Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
10
11	Section 1. Paragraph (d) of subsection (9) of section
12	1001.02, Florida Statutes, is amended to read:
13	1001.02 General powers of State Board of Education.--
14	(9) The State Board of Education shall prescribe minimum
15	standards, definitions, and guidelines for community colleges
16	and state universities that will ensure the quality of
17	education, coordination among the community colleges and state
18	universities, and efficient progress toward accomplishing the
19	community college and state university mission. At a minimum,
20	these rules must address:
21	(d) Provisions for curriculum development, graduation
22	requirements, college calendars, and program service areas.
23	These provisions must include rules that:
24	1. Provide for the award of an associate in arts degree to
25	a student who successfully completes 60 semester credit hours at
26	the community college.
27	2. Require all of the credits accepted for the associate
28	in arts degree to be in the statewide course numbering system as
29	credits toward a baccalaureate degree offered by a state
30	university.
31	3. Require no more than 36 semester credit hours in
32	general education courses in the subject areas of communication,
33	mathematics, social sciences, humanities, and natural sciences.
34	At least one of the courses a student must take to satisfy the
35	social sciences requirement must include civics instruction that
36	focuses on North American national government. The required
37	civics instruction applies to each student who enrolls in a
38	community college for the first time in the fall semester of
39	2004 or thereafter.
40
41	The rules should encourage community colleges to enter into
42	agreements with state universities that allow community college
43	students to complete upper-division-level courses at a community
44	college. An agreement may provide for concurrent enrollment at
45	the community college and the state university and may authorize
46	the community college to offer an upper-division-level course or
47	distance learning.
48	Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2004.