Professional Licensure and State Authorization Process Guide

Introduction On July 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Education regulations 34 CFR 668.43(a) (5) (v) and 34 CFR 668.43(c) went into effect. The regulations require certain disclosures by an educational institution with respect to its programs that are designed to meet or advertised as meeting educational requirements for professional licensure or certification required for employment in a particular occupation . State Authorization expects institutions to obtain necessary federal approvals, if any, before offering programs within the state. The federal regulations are intended to prevent students from studying for years to enter professions such as counseling, nursing, and teaching, only to realize upon graduation they do not meet state-level requirements for employment. For every program designed to meet the requirements of a specific professional license, institutions are now required to determine whether their curriculum does or does not meet the educational requirements of other states. If the institution has not yet made a determination, it must share this information with its students. Compliance with these regulations ensures a degree from one of Mississippi’s community colleges will be recognized and a student will be eligible to sit for licensure in states other than Mississippi. However, the requirements for licensure vary from state to state. Each community college in Mississippi is a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA), which allows the community colleges to provide distance learning programs and coursework to residents of states other than Mississippi. NC-SARA membership, however, does not grant reciprocity or exempt the community colleges from state professional licensing requirements. As a result, licensing requirements in Mississippi may not be recognized as sufficient to obtain a license in any other state. The Final Federal Regulations for State Authorization were published in the Federal Register on November 1, 2019. These regulations became effective on July 1, 2020, and replaced the 2016 Federal Regulations for State Authorization. Staff members at each of the colleges should read the regulations in their entirety. • 34 CFR 600.2 - Definitions (State authorization reciprocity agreement) • 34 CFR 600.9(c) – State Authorization (for distance education) • 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v) – Institutional Information (public notifications for programs leading to professional licensure or certification for all modalities) • 34 CFR 668.43(c) – Institutional Information (individualized notifications for programs leading to professional licensure or certification for all modalities) On April 12, 2022, the Mississippi community colleges agreed to collaborate, where applicable, to reduce duplication of effort and to ensure system-wide compliance with federal laws, regulations, and the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement. The following is a result of this effort.

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Professional Licensure & State Authorization Process Guide