The Legislature’s House Education Committee advanced Senate-passed legislation Wednesday that would cap at 120 the credit hours most of the state’s degree programs require for graduation.
Senate Bill 103 sponsored by state Sen. Ben Nevers, D-Bogalusa, would “do everything possible to remove the barriers of completion” imposed on degree-seeking students.
Nevers said the bill would require colleges and universities to look at degree programs, including architecture and engineering, which in some cases, require students to complete more than 120 credit hours.
Louisiana Board of Regents Chief of Staff Kim Hunter Reed, said SB103 “ensures students have improved opportunities in the state.”
The bill would “get students to and through (college) as quickly as possible,” she said.
Senate Bill 104, also sponsored by Nevers, was another bill advanced by the committee Wednesday morning.
The legislation spells out timelines for the state to implement a common course numbering system in postsecondary education.
Nevers said the system, expected to be phased in over the next several years, will make it easier for students to transfer between institutions.
Reed said SB104 will ensure that Louisiana has a system in place where students will know the time and money students spent to complete courses at one higher education institution, wasn’t done in vain if they transfer schools.
