Mandatory Disclosures

The state of Georgia prides itself in the high quality of its licensed and certified professionals. For the protection of its citizens, each license and certificate has requirements that individuals must meet in order to be licensed or certified in the State of Georgia. Georgia State University’s academic programs leading to licensure or certification are carefully designed to meet and exceed these State requirements–this is the role the University plays in protecting the public. Other states frequently have their own requirements, so if your goal is to practice in another state, these disclosures and the information on our professional licensure page will help you navigate that process. If you have general questions or require further assistance, please contact Mary McLaughlin, Sr. Director of Accreditation and Policy.

 

LICENSING DISCLOSURES

• 668.50(b)(7)Professional Licensure/Certification (PLC) pre-education requirements
  The curriculum for programs customarily leading to licensure at Georgia State University have been designed to meet the licensure/certification requirements in Georgia as well as preparing students to apply for licensure exams in the State of Georgia.  The licensure boards in each state are responsible for establishing the requirements for licensure/certification for their state. Students who intend to return or move to any state other than Georgia need to review the professional licensure disclosures pertaining to their program and consult with the state professional licensing board.  The state professional licensing boards make the ultimate decision as to whether or not an individual will be eligible to sit for licensure based on the rules and regulations in place at the time the individual submits their application for licensure.

TYPE OF LICENSURE DISCLOSURES

General Disclosures 

34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v)

Per 34 CFR 668.43(a)(5)(v), an institution must provide disclosures if:

a program is “designed” to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification required for an occupation; or

advertised as being a program that meets professional licensure educational requirements in a state for that specific occupation.

Direct Disclosures

34 CFR 668.43(c) 

Prior to enrollment, direct disclosure is made if the program (whether hybrid, face-to-face or online) does not meet OR the institution has not made a determination whether the program meets education requirements. The regulations state that “regarding the timing of these disclosures, the Department expects that the institution will provide this disclosure before a student signs an enrollment agreement, or in the event that an institution does not provide an enrollment agreement, before the student makes a financial commitment to the institution.

If the student is enrolled in a program and the institution makes a determination that the program does not meet educational requirements in the state where the student is located, the institution has 14 calendar days to notify the student.

(3)(i) Disclosures under paragraphs, (c)(1) and (2) … must be made directly to the student in writing, which may include through email or other electronic communications.

34 CFR 600.9(c) Direct Disclosures- College Processes

Upon request, the institution must document to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) the disclosure process used by the institution to determine the licensure and certification programs and the process for identifying student location.  This requires an institution to develop a process for creating, maintaining and reporting on the disclosure of licensure and certification. This requires regular review of licensure and certification information as well as updating information on the website.

NC-SARA Regulations Regarding Professional Licensure Disclosures

Rule 5.2- Programs Leading to Professional Licensure

SARA has no effect on state professional licensing requirements. Any institution operating under SARA that offers courses or programs potentially leading to professional licensure must keep all students, applicants and potential students who have contacted the institution about the course or program informed as to whether such offerings actually meet state licensing requirements. For purposes of SARA, this must be done in one of two ways:

1. The institution may determine whether the course or program meets the requirements for professional licensure in the state where the applicant or student resides and provide that information in writing to the student, or
2. After making all reasonable efforts to make such a determination, if unsuccessful, the institution may notify the applicant or student in writing that the institution cannot confirm whether the course or program meets requirements for professional licensure in the student’s state, provide the student with current contact information for any applicable licensing boards, and advise the student to determine whether the program meets requirements for licensure in the state where the student is located.

Rule 10 of the NC-SARA Institutional Application

Agree to notify in writing all students in a course or program that customarily leads to professional licensure, or which a student could reasonably believe leads to such licensure, whether or not the course or the program meets requirements for licensure in the state where the student is located.  After making all reasonable efforts to make such a determination, the institution may notify the applicant or student in writing that the Institution cannot confirm whether the course or program meets educational requirements for professional licensure in the student’s State, provide the student with current contact information for any applicable licensing boards, and advise the student to determine whether the program meets educational requirements for licensure in the State where the student lives.  An email dedicated solely to this purpose and sent to the student’s best known email address meets this requirement. The Institution should use other additional means to notify the student, if needed.

SARA Manual, Section 5.1(a)

“SARA applies solely to postsecondary Distance Education activity conducted across state lines. It does not apply to Distance Education activity inside the SARA-participating Institution’s Home State or to on-ground campuses. For purposes of SARA, “distance education” includes limited activities conducted for short periods on the ground (see sub-sections 5.3, 5.4 and 5.6). SARA does not affect the applicability of general-purpose State laws such as business registries, general-purpose consumer protection laws, worker’s compensation laws, criminal statues and the like.  Institutional participation in SARA does not excuse or exempt Institutions that participate in federally funded programs from compliance with the federal rules applicable to such programs. Such programs include, but are not limited to, federal Title IV student assistance programs and military tuition assistance programs.