Policy 2:34 - Professional Licensure or Certification Programs

Policy Contact: Office of Academic Affairs

  1. Purpose

    This policy and its procedures set forth the standards applicable to academic programs that are designed and/or advertised to lead to professional licensure or certification and to ensure compliance with state and federal laws and regulations; as well as SARA, SDBOR, and University policies.

  2. Definitions
    1. Attestation: a written communication completed by a student indicating that upon graduation, they will move to and become employed/licensed in a state where the professional licensure program meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification.
    2. Direct Disclosure: a written communication sent directly to a prospective or enrolled student in a program that leads to licensure (or certification), if the curriculum of the professional licensure program either does not meet the state educational requirements or the institution has not yet determined for the state, district, or territory in which the student is located.
    3. General Admission Program: a program classification used to track undergraduate students interested in pursuing admission to a professional licensure program prior to their admission to the professional licensure program.
    4. General Disclosure: a written communication on a document or webpage that may be viewed by all prospective students, enrolled students, faculty, and staff that lists all professional licensure programs and the status of its curriculum meeting, not meeting, or not yet determined to meet the educational requirements in all states, districts, and territories.
    5. Professional Licensure (PL) Location: the state where a student will be physically located at the time of initial enrollment in a professional licensure program. The PL Location is indicated by a student at the time they are applying to the professional licensure program.
    6. Professional Licensure (or Certification) Program: an academic program that is designed and/or advertised to lead to professional licensure or certification that is required for employment in an occupation.
    7. State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA): a voluntary agreement designed to establish comparable standards for U.S. states, districts, and territories regulating postsecondary distance education. For purposes of SARA, 鈥渄istance education鈥 includes limited activities conducted for short periods on the ground.
    8. State Authorization Team: staff members within the Office of Continuing and Distance Education responsible for seeking, communicating, and maintaining institutional compliance with state, federal, and international laws and regulations related to the offering of educational and physical presence activities.
    9. Student Location: for the purposes of state authorization, where the student is physically located while enrolled with the University, and not necessarily the student's legal state of residence.
    10. Time of Initial Enrollment: the first day of the first semester that a student will enroll in a professional licensure program.
    11. Unit: a college, department, school, division, institute/center, or office.
  3. Policy
    1. Professional Licensure (or Certification) Programs
      1. The University must maintain a list of professional licensure programs and determinations on whether the program meets the educational requirements in all states, districts, and territories. The list must include states in which the University has determined the curriculum:
        1. Meets educational requirements for licensure/certification;
        2. Does not meet the state educational requirements for licensure/certification; or
        3. Has not yet made a determination that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure/certification.
    2. Professional Licensure (PL) Location
      1. Students seeking admission to a professional licensure program must complete the Student Location for Professional Licensure Programs (PL Location) indicating their physical location at the time of initial enrollment.
        1. Undergraduate students will complete the electronic PL Location form provided by the SDBOR.
        2. Graduate students and undergraduate students admitting directly to the professional licensure program will complete the PL Location through the University admission application.
    3. Professional Licensure (or Certification) Program Admission
      1. Undergraduate students who indicate a professional licensure program via the admission application will be admitted to a general admission program until they meet the established program milestones and requirements to enroll in the professional licensure program.
        1. Professional licensure programs that are completed in two (2) or fewer years may direct admit into the professional licensure program and PL Location will be captured on the admission application.
      2. Units cannot admit and enroll prospective students who will be physically located in a state, district, or territory at the time of initial enrollment into a professional licensure program if the program鈥檚 curriculum does not meet the state educational requirements for licensure/certification or has not yet made a determination that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure/certification.
      3. Units must provide direct disclosures to prospective students if the program鈥檚 curriculum does not meet the state educational requirements for licensure/ certification or has not yet made a determination that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure/certification.
      4. Students may be admitted and enrolled only, if after consultation with the program advisor or coordinator, they complete an attestation indicating that upon graduation they plan to seek licensure/certification and employment in a state where the University has determined the professional licensure program meets the educational requirements for licensure/certification.
        1. Students will complete the electronic Attestation form provided by the SDBOR.
    4. Professional Licensure Disclosures
      1. The University must provide general disclosures related to professional licensure programs and determinations of meeting state, district, and territory educational requirements for licensure/certification for both prospective and current students.
      2. The University must provide direct disclosures to prospective and current students if the program鈥檚 curriculum does not meet the state educational requirements for licensure/certification or has not yet made a determination that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure/certification.
      3. The University must provide direct disclosures to current students if the status within a state changes from meeting the educational requirements for licensure to does not meet or not yet determined to meet within 14 calendar days of making such determination.
  4. Procedures
    1. Units shall:
      1. Identify all academic programs which are designed to meet educational requirements or advertised as meeting such requirements for a specific professional licensure or certification as outlined above.
      2. Conduct research regarding professional licensure and certification educational requirements in each relevant state, district, or territory.
      3. Seek state licensing board approvals or exemptions, where applicable, in accordance with state professional licensing board administrative rules or policies prior to admitting and enrolling students.
        1. Supply any professional licensing board approval or exemption letters or emails to the State Authorization Team upon receipt.
      4. Determine if the professional licensure program curriculum meets the educational requirements for licensure or certification in each relevant state, district, or territory.
        1. Provide the State Authorization Team with the program status (meets state licensure/certification educational requirements, does not meet educational requirements for licensure/certification, not yet determined to meet educational requirements for licensure/ certification, or licensure/certification is not required) by state as well as disclosure notes, applicable state, or territory agency, agency website, program contact, and date of last review.
        2. Determinations should be reviewed at a minimum annually, with updates provided to the State Authorization Team by June 1.
      5. For undergraduate professional licensure programs, establish milestones and requirements for enrollment into the full professional licensure program to include collecting the PL Location from prospective students.
        1. Review student PL Location as part of the full admission into the professional licensure program.
        2. For prospective students who meet the established milestones and requirements for the professional licensure program and will be located in a state in which the program does meet the educational requirements for licensure, the identified advisor, staff, or faculty will complete the PLC Program Change Form.
        3. For prospective students who indicate they will be physically located in a state, district, or territory in which the program does not meet or has not yet made a determination that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure/certification must provide the student with advising, discuss attestation if appropriate, and determine enrollment per regulations which may include denial of program enrollment.
      6. For graduate professional licensure programs, establish admission requirements for enrollment to include collecting the PL Location from prospective students.
        1. The PL Location may be captured through the University graduate application or through the PL Location Form provided by the SDBOR.
        2. Review student PL Location as part of the full admission into the professional licensure program.
        3. For prospective students who meet the admission requirements for the professional licensure program and will be located in a state in which the program does meet the educational requirements for licensure, the unit may admit the student to the graduate program.
        4. For prospective students who indicate they will be physically located in a state, district, or territory in which the program does not meet or has not yet made a determination that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure/certification must provide the student with advising, discuss attestation if appropriate, and determine admission per regulations which may include denial of program enrollment.
    2. The Registrar's Office shall:
      1. Process the undergraduate program change requests to the full professional licensure program upon receipt of the PLC Program Change Form submitted by the unit.
    3. Students shall:
      1. Prior to enrolling in any program that leads to licensure or certification, the student should access the University鈥檚 Professional Licensure and Certification webpage and consult with their advisor, appropriate faculty member, program administrator, or the Office of Continuing and Distance Education to ensure understanding of the program requirements and if they do or do not meet the educational requirements for licensure or certification in the state or country in which the student is physically located.
      2. Indicate via registration self-service where they will be physically located each semester while enrolled in a University professional licensure program.
    4. State Authorization Team shall:
      1. Provide guidance to units regarding state, federal, and international laws and regulations as it pertains to the offering of professional licensure programs.
      2. Inform units of changes to related state, federal, and international regulations.
      3. Process PL Location Forms in Banner and ImageNow/Perceptive Content.
      4. Disclosures:
        1. Maintain the Student Information System Table that feeds general disclosures (through the professional licensure and certification webpage) and direct disclosures based on the unit鈥檚 research noted above.
        2. Publicly disclose educational programs that are designed or advertised to meet educational requirements for a specific license or certification to include states in which the University has determined the curriculum meets educational requirements for licensure or certification; states for which the University has determined its curriculum does not meet the state educational requirements for licensure or certification; and states for which the University has not made a determination that its curriculum meets the state educational requirements for licensure.
        3. Direct disclosures to new students via Banner if the educational program does not meet, or it has not yet been determined to meet, the educational requirements for licensure or certification in the state where the student is located prior to enrollment.
        4. Direct disclosure to current students via Banner if it is determined that the educational program does not meet the educational requirements for licensure or certification in the state where the student is located within 14 days of this determination.

  5. Responsible Administrator

    The Director of Continuing and Distance Education, successor, or designee, is responsible for annual and ad hoc review of this policy and procedures. The University President is responsible for approval of this policy.

Approved by President on 12/08/2025.

Sources: State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (SARA) Manual