Community college course offerings shall generally lead to the granting of certificates, diplomas, or associate degrees, and may include baccalaureate degrees only when authorized by the coordinating board for higher education in circumstances where the level of education required in a field for accreditation or licensure increases to the baccalaureate degree level or, in the case of applied bachelor's degrees, the level of education required for employment in a field increases to that level, and when doing so would not unnecessarily duplicate an existing program, collaboration with a university is not feasible or the approach is not a viable means of meeting the needs of students and employers, and the institution has the academic and financial capacity to offer the program in a high-quality manner. Quality for such baccalaureate degree programs shall be evaluated at least in part by the delivery of upper-level coursework or competencies, and defined by accreditation or compliance with the Higher Learning Commission standards for bachelor's degrees;
§ 163.191, RSMo