Postsecondary education: course offerings.

Existing law establishes the California State University, under the administration of the Trustees of the California State University, as one of the segments of public postsecondary education in this state. Existing law requires that self-supporting sessions at the university, known as special sessions, not supplant regular course offerings available on a non-self-supporting basis during the regular academic year. This bill would define "supplant" for these purposes, and would require, to the extent possible, that each campus ensure that a course required as a condition of degree completion for a matriculated student be offered as a state-supported course. The bill would require that a matriculated student, who is required to enroll in a special session course in order to complete his or her undergraduate degree because the state-supported version of that course is unavailable in the academic year, pay the lesser of the state-supported and special session course fee. The bill would constrain the addition of self-supporting special session sections of courses and the timing of special session programs, except as specified. The bill would allow a campus to add self-supporting sections, add an undergraduate degree program, or increase self-supporting sections only if the campus receives approval from the Chancellor of the California State University and certain conditions are satisfied. The bill would require the chancellor to provide guidance to campuses regarding how to comply with this bill.