Budget Amendment ID: FY2017-S4-236

EDU 236

Study Analyzing the Costs of College Courses

Messrs. Fattman, Tarr, Lesser and Ross moved that the proposed new text be amended by inserting, after section __, the following new section:-

SECTION __. The Department of Higher Education shall perform a study evaluating the cost differences and composition of public higher education online credit hours versus on-campus credit hour costs in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The study shall be conducted by the Commissioner, or their designee, who shall serve as chair, the president of the University of Massachusetts college system, or their designee, two members of the house of the representatives, of who shall be selected by the Speaker and Minority Leader respectively, two members of the Senate, of who shall be selected by the Senate President and Minority Leader respectively, and four members of the public representing the field of higher education and college students across the Commonwealth, appointed by the Governor from a list of candidates selected from the Commonwealth’s university systems, the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts, and  the Massachusetts Higher Education Consortium. The study shall also analyze the feasibility or lack thereof of lowering the cost of public higher education institution credit hours taken online.

The chair shall file a report with the clerk of the House of Representatives and the clerk of the Senate on or before May 1 2017.