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Committee approves bill to create 15-hour requisite core for college degrees; higher ed officials say institutions retain flexibility
Summary
House Bill 1696 would replace the 35-hour general-education floor with a 15-hour requisite core (including American history and government) and give institutions flexibility for the remaining general-education curriculum. The committee approved the measure after agency testimony that the change aligns with higher-education goals.
Representative Macklinden presented House Bill 1696 as a package developed with the Division of Higher Education and public colleges and universities to reduce barriers to degree completion and modernize the general-education core.
"We establish a 15 hour requisite core" that would apply to associate and bachelor degrees, Macklinden said. She described the requisite core as including "two English or English-equivalent courses, one math or math-equivalent, one 3-hour American history course, and one 3-hour American government course." Macklinden said the change is intended to help students potentially graduate faster and reduce excess credit hours that extend time to degree.
Mason Campbell, assistant commissioner for academic affairs at the Division of Higher Education, told the committee the agency and institutions were comfortable with the bill. Campbell said the measure still allows institutions latitude to set the remaining general-education requirements and that the change "reinforces what we already allow within the core." He added that the agency had worked with two-year and four-year institutions to reach the current language.
Committee members raised concerns about mandating specific curriculum components at institutions and asked whether the change might be a precedent for further curricular mandates. Macklinden and higher-education witnesses said the bill in practice grants institutions flexibility while ensuring a common baseline of civic and foundational coursework.
Outcome: The committee approved House Bill 1696 by voice vote. Sponsors and higher-education officials said implementation details would be worked out through the Division of Higher Education and institutional policies.
What it would require: A 15-hour requisite core for associate and bachelor degrees composed of: two English (or equivalent) courses; one math (or equivalent) course; one 3-hour American history course; and one 3-hour American government course. Institutions retain discretion to craft other general-education requirements.
