A. Notwithstanding any other law, a career technical education district may offer associate degrees that are accredited by a regional or national accreditation agency approved by the United States department of education. Beginning on September 24, 2022, any career technical education district seeking to offer an associate degree program pursuant to this section shall apply for accreditation from a regional accreditation agency.
B. Each career technical education district that offers an associate degree program pursuant to this section must meet both of the following:
1. All applicable regional or national accreditation requirements.
2. All applicable state licensure requirements.
C. A career technical education district may offer associate degrees only for career technical education district programs that are on the in-demand regional education list compiled pursuant to section 15-393. When determining whether to offer an associate degree program, the career technical education board shall make its determination based on all of the following criteria:
1. Whether the career technical education district is able to demonstrate industry demand for the associate degree program.
2. A financial analysis that shows the short-term and long-term impacts to initiate and sustain the associate degree program, including all of the following:
(a) The source of monies.
(b) Facilities requirements.
(c) Faculty.
(d) Personnel.
(e) Administrative costs.
3. Whether the associate degree program would unnecessarily duplicate the degree programs offered by other institutions of higher education in this state.
4. The ability of the career technical education district to support the associate degree program with and the adequacy of the facilities, faculty, administration, libraries and other resources.
D. A career technical education district that is located in the same county as the main campus of any public university or community college district and that is developing an associate degree program shall notify the public university or community college at least sixty days before submitting the report prescribed in subsection E of this section. Within thirty days after the date the career technical education district submits the notice, the public university or community college may provide a written response to the career technical education board for its review. This subsection does not allow a public university or community college to prevent a career technical education district from offering an associate degree program.
E. Before the career technical education board authorizes an associate degree program, the career technical education district must submit a report to the career technical education board that includes all of the following information:
1. The name of the proposed academic degree program.
2. The academic department that will offer the proposed degree program.
3. Whether the instructional modality would be immersion or online, or both.
4. The total credit hours necessary to complete the proposed degree program.
5. The proposed inception term.
6. A brief description of the proposed degree program.
7. A learning outcomes and assessment plan, including:
(a) Concepts.
(b) Competencies.
(c) Assessment methods and measures.
8. The projected enrollment by year for the first three years the degree program is offered.
9. Evidence of market demand for the proposed degree program.
10. Similar degree programs offered at other institutions of higher education in this state.
11. The new resources required, including a long-term plan for faculty recruitment that indicates the ability to pay the salaries of faculty and identifies recruitment strategies for new faculty.
12. Any written responses provided by a public university or community college pursuant to subsection D of this section.
13. Proof of transferability of credits earned in the proposed degree program to another accredited institution for each program offered.
F. Each career technical education district that offers an associate degree program pursuant to this section shall submit a report to the joint legislative audit committee on or before October 1 of the fifth year after initially offering that associate degree program. The report shall review the first five years of the associate degree program at the career technical education district and shall include all of the following:
1. The number of:
(a) Associate degree programs implemented at the career technical education district.
(b) Applicants to each associate degree program.
(c) Applicants who are admitted into each associate degree program.
(d) Applicants who are enrolled in each associate degree program.
(e) Applicants who received degrees from each associate degree program.
2. The costs of each associate degree program, including cost per degree and the funding sources that are used to finance each degree program.
3. Current trends in workforce demands that require associate degrees in each specific associate degree program offered.
4. Current completion and continuation rates, if available, for each cohort of students participating in each associate degree program.
5. The extent to which each associate degree program fulfills identified workforce needs for new associate degree programs.
6. Information on the job placement of graduates of each associate degree program.
7. For each associate degree program, the costs to students, the amount of financial aid offered and the student debt levels of graduates.
8. Time-to-degree rates and completion rates for each associate degree program.
G. On or before December 1 of each year, each career technical education district that offers an associate degree program shall report to the governor, the president of the senate, the speaker of the house of representatives and the joint legislative budget committee all of the following information for the immediately preceding school year:
1. The total number of students pursuing an associate degree at the career technical education district pursuant to this section.
2. The total number of associate degrees completed at the career technical education district.
3. Workforce data showing demand for each associate degree program offered at the career technical education district.
4. The average cost of tuition per credit hour for each associate degree program offered at the career technical education district.
H. Each career technical education district that offers an associate degree program pursuant to this section shall provide the student, at the time of enrollment in a program, with a list of institutions to which the student's associate degree is transferable.
I. For the purposes of this section:
1. "Community college" has the same meaning prescribed in section 15-1401.
2. "Community college district" means a district as defined in section 15-1401.
3. "Main campus" means the central location of a public university's or community college district's library system and computer center.
4. "Public university" means a university under the jurisdiction of the Arizona board of regents.