ASSEMBLY, No. 243

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Assemblyman GARCIA

An Act concerning the recognition of certain academic degrees and amending P.L.1986, c.87.

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

    1. Section 3 of P.L.1986, c.87 (C.18A:3-15.3) is amended to read as follows:

    3. A person shall not append to his name any letters in the same form designated by the Board of Higher Education as entitled to the protection accorded to an academic degree unless the person has received from a duly authorized institution of higher education the degree or certificate for which the letters are registered. For the purposes of this section, a duly authorized institution of higher education means an in-State institution licensed by the Board of Higher Education or an out-of-State institution licensed by the appropriate state agency and regionally accredited or seeking accreditation by the appropriate accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Education or the United States Department of Education. For the purposes of this section, seeking accreditation means that the institution has applied for candidacy status or the equivalent standing from the appropriate accrediting body.

(cf: P.L.1986, c.87, s.3)

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill provides that an academic degree awarded by an out-of-State institution of higher education shall be recognized in New Jersey if the institution was seeking candidacy status or its equivalent from the appropriate accrediting body recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Education or the United States Department of Education at the time the degree was awarded. Current regulations of the State Board of Higher Education require that such an institution must have achieved candidacy status at the time the degree was awarded in order for the degree to be recognized in this State.

Provides State recognition of academic degrees awarded by out-of-State institutions of higher education seeking candidacy status from the appropriate accrediting body.