FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
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STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
John L. Winn
Commissioner of Education
T. WILLARD FAIR,
Chairman
F. PHILIP HANDY,
Vice Chairman
Members
DONNA G. CALLAWAY
ROBERTO MARTÍNEZ
PHOEBE RAULERSON
KATHLEEN SHANAHAN
LINDA K. TAYLOR
January 18, 2007
M E M O R A N D U M
TO:
State University Council of Academic Vice Presidents
Community College Council on Instructional Affairs
FROM:
Dr. Heather Sherry, Director, Office of Articulation
THRU:
Dr. R. E. LeMon, Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs,
State University System/Board of Governors
Dr. Judith Bilsky, Executive Vice Chancellor,
Division of Community Colleges and Workforce Education
SUBJECT:
Common
Prerequisites
In 1996, the Articulation Coordinating Committee directed an effort to establish a list of common
prerequisite courses for every university degree program. Specifically, s. 1007.25(5), Florida Statutes,
directs the Department of Education to “identify common prerequisite courses and course substitutions
for degree programs across all institutions.” These common degree program prerequisites must be
offered and accepted by all state universities and community colleges, except in cases approved by the
State Board of Education and the Board of Governors. The statute also directs the department to develop
a centralized database containing the list of approved courses and courses substitutions that meet the
prerequisite requirements for each baccalaureate degree program. Required completion of common
prerequisites is further addressed in State Board of Education Rule 6A-10.024 and Board of Governors
Articulation Regulation.
Given that a decade has passed since the initial legislation relating to common prerequisites, the purpose
of this communication is to reacquaint institutional personnel with the existing regulations and the
process for requesting changes to the Common Prerequisite Manual. The Common Prerequisites
Counseling Manual is a centralized compilation of program prerequisites that can be referenced by
counselors and students in their academic planning. You can access the Common Prerequisites
Counseling Manual at www.facts.org by clicking on the ‘Advising Manuals’ and the ‘Common
Prerequisite Manual’ tabs.
HEATHER R. SHERRY, PH.D.
Director, Office of Articulation
325 W. GAINES STREET • SUITE 1401 • TALLAHASSEE, FL 32399-0400 • (850) 245-0427 • www.fldoe.org
State University Council of Academic Vice Presidents
Community College Council on Instructional Affairs
January 18, 2007
Page Two
Discipline committees made up of faculty from a variety of public institutions across the state meet as
needed to develop and review the common prerequisites for their academic programs. Academic
departments in all Florida public higher education institutions are expected to abide by the program
prerequisites, as determined by those discipline committees and approved by the Articulation
Coordinating Committee for placement into the Common Prerequisites Counseling Manual. Institutions
and departments found not to be in compliance with these requirements, after notification from the Office
of Articulation and a reasonable time to adjust their curriculum, will be referred to the Articulation
Coordinating Committee as an agenda item and to either the State Board of Education or Board of
Governors for a final disposition of the matter.
The courses in the Common Prerequisites Counseling Manual are intended to be those that are required of
both native and transfer students prior to entrance to the major program, not simply lower-level courses
that are required prior to graduation. The common prerequisites and substitute courses listed for a degree
program are mandatory and must be approved by the Articulating Coordinating Committee. This
requirement includes those programs designated as “limited access.” Institutions may not require any
additional courses as a prerequisite for entrance to a program.
Additional lower-level institution-specific courses may be required for graduation, but must be
accommodated in the junior and senior years without exceeding the specified number of credit hours for
the degree. These courses may be specified in university counseling manuals, but may not be referred to
as “prerequisites” in any institutional publications. They may not be considered common prerequisites or
be required for admission. These courses do not require approval by the Articulation Coordinating
Committee and may vary from institution to institution.
Proposed changes to any common prerequisites established by the Articulation Coordinating Committee
should be submitted in writing to:
Dr. Heather Sherry
Office of Articulation
Florida Department of Education
325 West Gaines Street, Suite 1401
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0400
Heather.Sherry@fldoe.org
Proposed changes may include the addition or deletion of a course designated as a common prerequisite
and the addition or deletion of course substitutions. Proposed amendments should be submitted between
February 1 and September 10 to accommodate implementation for the following fall semester. All
recommendations are reviewed by the Oversight Committee with the Articulation Coordinating
Committee giving final approval.
Florida is recognized across the nation as a leader in articulation and common prerequisites have been an
important factor in the success of Florida’s 2+2 articulation system. In the spirit of preserving Florida’s
reputation for student-friendly transition policies, we are requesting that you please review your
State University Council of Academic Vice Presidents
Community College Council on Instructional Affairs
January 18, 2007
Page Three
institution’s policy regarding the acceptance of and adherence to these common prerequisite courses. In
addition, please forward this correspondence to your department chairs and ask each department to review
the appropriate common program prerequisites to ensure compliance with these requirements.
Should you have any questions regarding the Common Prerequisite Manual, please contact Heather
Sherry at the address listed above. Thank you for your attention to this matter.
HS/da
c:
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T. Willard Fair, Chair – Florida State Board of Education
Carolyn Roberts, Chair – Florida Board of Governors
Ed Massey, Chair – Articulation Coordinating Committee
Mark Rosenberg, Chancellor – State University System
David Armstrong, Chancellor – Community Colleges and Workforce Education
