2012 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 10a - State System of Higher Education
Chapter 185 - Board of Regents for Higher Education
Section 10a-34 - (Formerly Sec. 10-330). Authority to confer academic degrees.

(a) For the purposes of this section, “program of higher learning” means any course of instruction for which it is stated or implied that college or university-level credit may be given or may be received by transfer; “degree” means any letters or words, diploma, certificate or other symbol or document which signifies satisfactory completion of the requirements of a program of higher learning; “institution of higher learning” means any person, school, board, association, limited liability company or corporation which is licensed or accredited to offer one or more programs of higher learning leading to one or more degrees; “license” means the authorization by the State Board of Education to operate a program or institution of higher learning for a specified initial period; “accreditation” means the authorization by said board to continue operating a program or institution of higher learning for subsequent periods, and in such periods to confer specified degrees.

(b) The Office of Higher Education shall establish regulations concerning the requirements for licensure and accreditation, such regulations to concern administration, finance, faculty, curricula, library, student admission and graduation, plant and equipment, records, catalogs, program announcements and any other criteria pertinent thereto, as well as the periods for which licensure and accreditation may be granted, and the costs and procedures of evaluations as provided in subsections (c) and (d) of this section. Said office may establish an advisory council for accreditation composed of representatives of public and private institutions of higher learning and the public at large to advise the office regarding existing or proposed regulations.

(c) No person, school, board, association or corporation shall confer any degree unless authorized by act of the General Assembly. No application for authority to confer any such degree shall be approved by the General Assembly or any committee thereof, nor shall any such authority be included in any charter of incorporation until such application has been evaluated and approved by the State Board of Education in accordance with regulations established by the Office of Higher Education.

(d) No person, school, board, association or corporation shall operate a program or institution of higher learning unless it has been licensed or accredited by the State Board of Education, nor shall it confer any degree unless it has been accredited in accordance with this section. The board shall not grant any new license or accreditation until it has received a report of an evaluation of such program or institution by competent educators approved by the board. The board shall accept regional or, where appropriate, national accreditation, in satisfaction of the requirements of this subsection unless the board finds cause not to rely upon such accreditation.

(e) No person, school, board, association or corporation shall use in any way the term “junior college” or “college” or “university” or use any other name, title, literature, catalogs, pamphlets or descriptive matter tending to designate that it is an institution of higher learning, or that it may grant academic or professional degrees, unless the institution possesses a license from, or has been accredited by, the board, nor shall offer any program of higher learning without approval of the State Board of Education.

(f) Accreditation of any program or institution or authority to award degrees granted in accordance with law prior to July 1, 1965, shall continue in effect.

(g) If an existing institution, adversely affected by this section, applies to the board for licensure or accreditation, said board may grant licensure on a temporary basis to expire within one year and renewable from year to year, if, in the judgment of the board, reasonable progress is being made by such institution toward meeting the standards required by regulations of the board.

(February, 1965, P.A. 330, S. 13; 1967, P.A. 751, S. 12; 1969, P.A. 344; P.A. 73-408; P.A. 77-573, S. 24, 30; P.A. 82-218, S. 37, 46; P.A. 84-241, S. 2, 5; P.A. 92-126, S. 10, 48; P.A. 95-79, S. 20, 189; P.A. 07-90, S. 1; P.A. 11-48, S. 245; P.A. 12-156, S. 56.)

History: 1967 act amended Subsec. (d) to allow commission to accept regional or national accreditation; Sec. 10-6 transferred to Sec. 10-330 in 1969; 1969 act prohibited operation of program or institution of higher learning “unless it is operated on a nonprofit basis ...” in Subsec. (d); P.A. 73-408 deleted requirement that programs and institutions be operated on nonprofit basis; P.A. 77-573 replaced commission for higher education with board of higher education; P.A. 82-218 replaced board of higher education with board of governors pursuant to reorganization of higher education system, effective March 1, 1983; Sec. 10-330 transferred to Sec. 10a-34 in 1983; P.A. 84-241 added “of higher education” to board of governors’ title; P.A. 92-126 amended Subsec. (d) to require the board to accept national accreditation, where appropriate, unless the board finds cause not to rely upon such accreditation; P.A. 95-79 redefined “institution of higher learning” to include a limited liability company, effective May 31, 1995; P.A. 07-90 made a technical change in Subsec. (b), deleted former Subsec. (g) re fine for violation and redesignated existing Subsec. (h) as Subsec. (g), effective January 1, 2008; P.A. 11-48 amended Subsec. (a) to replace “Board of Governors of Higher Education” with “State Board of Education”, amended Subsec. (b) to replace “Board of Governors of Higher Education” with “Office of Financial and Academic Affairs”, amended Subsec. (c) to replace “Board of Governors of Higher Education” with “State Board of Education” and “the Office of Financial and Academic Affairs for Higher Education”, and amended Subsecs. (d) and (e) to replace “Board of Governors of Higher Education” with “State Board of Education”, effective July 1, 2011; pursuant to P.A. 12-156, “Office of Financial and Academic Affairs for Higher Education” was changed editorially by the Revisors to “Office of Higher Education” in Subsecs. (b) and (c), effective June 15, 2012.

Former statute: “Grandfather” clause held unconstitutional. 151 C. 631.