Colleges and universities receiving state support may not award certain degrees or certificates unless the student has six semester hours of American History, with limited Texas History credit and other exceptions.
Sec. 51.302. AMERICAN OR TEXAS HISTORY. (a) In this section, "general academic teaching institution" has the meaning assigned by Section 61.003. (b) Except as provided by Subsection (c), a college or university receiving state support or state aid from public funds may not grant a baccalaureate degree or a lesser degree or academic certificate to any person unless the person has credit for six semester hours or its equivalent in American History. A student is entitled to submit as much as three semester hours of credit or its equivalent in Texas History in partial satisfaction of this requirement. The college or university may determine that a student has satisfied this requirement in whole or part on the basis of credit granted to the student by the college or university for a substantially equivalent course completed at another accredited college or university, or on the basis of the student's successful completion of an advanced standing examination administered on the conditions and under the circumstances common for the college or university's advanced standing examinations. The college or university may grant as much as three semester hours of credit or its equivalent toward satisfaction of this requirement for substantially equivalent work completed by a student in the program of an approved senior R.O.T.C. unit. (c) The governing board of a general academic teaching institution that offers a joint baccalaureate degree program under a contract with a foreign college or university may exempt a student enrolled in the joint degree program from the course requirement prescribed by Subsection (b) if the student: (1) enrolled in the foreign college or university before enrolling in the joint degree program or is otherwise considered to be primarily a student of the foreign college or university; and (2) successfully completes the American Way course described by Section 51.301(d) at the institution the student attends or, with the approval of that institution, at another general academic teaching institution that offers the course. (d) A college or university receiving state support or state aid from public funds that does not offer at least three semester credit hours or the equivalent in Texas History to undergraduate students shall enter into an agreement with another postsecondary educational institution to offer to the college or university's undergraduate students at least three semester credit hours or the equivalent in Texas History. Acts 1971, 62nd Leg., p. 3072, ch. 1024, art. 1, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1971. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 5, Sec. 1, eff. March 23, 1995. Amended by: Acts 2007, 80th Leg., R.S., Ch. 539 (S.B. 1051), Sec. 2, eff. June 16, 2007. Acts 2023, 88th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1062 (S.B. 427), Sec. 1, eff. June 18, 2023.