< Return To Reporting & Compliance
By reporting accurate and timely data to the Office of Digital Learning, you help FSU comply with federal regulations and provide a valuable service to students. A key part of providing those data is conducting thorough research. Below you’ll find tips that have been adapted from WCET/State Authorization Network’s Professional Licensure Disclosures: Implementation Handbook to help you research and determine if your programs meet educational requirements in each state.1
Step 1.
Research the requirements for an individual student to be licensed in each US state and territory. Highlight any gaps.
Use the FSU Licensure Template to help you research and record each educational requirement that a candidate for licensure must possess to be eligible for the license(s) associated with your program.
Consult Professional Board Websites | Visit webpages and read relevant state regulations such as practice acts and professional board meeting minutes to determine if the program meets educational requirements.
Compare Requirements to Program Curriculum | Compare the state requirements to your institution’s curriculum, item by item. Highlight gaps, such as lack of required state licensure, for follow-up with the department.
Make Note of Noneducational Requirements | Although it’s not required, providing information on noneducational requirements like criminal background checks, age, or residency benefits students. You can add these in the Notes field when you report your data in the My Licenses application.
Get Clarification When Needed | Contact the state professional board via email for confirmation of your opinion and for additional guidance and clarification.
Communicate via Email | Communicate via email to ensure a paper trail. If you need to communicate by phone, follow up with an email confirming the content of the call so you have proof of the contact and guidance provided.
Document Your Research | Save your research and email communications with state professional boards. Organize your emails so they can be retrieved easily upon request.
Step 2.
Determine if program approval is required.
Some state boards may require approval of the program curriculum and content before a graduate of that program is considered eligible for licensing in that state. Institutions that fail to seek approval of their educational programs face penalties from the professional boards, which can be serious and costly.
Consult Professional Board Websites | A thorough review of the website is the best place to start to determine if the educational program content must be approved by the state licensure board. If this information is not readily available on the website, communication with the professional board may be necessary.
Seek Program Approval | If you determine that program approval is required, follow the state professional board requirements to obtain program approval.
Answer “No” to Meets Requirements | Until approval is obtained, the program does not meet educational requirements in a state that requires approval. If the proper disclosure is not made, institutions risk claims against them for misrepresentation and SARA noncompliance.
1Miller, S. (2020, February). Professional Licensure Disclosures: Implementation Handbook for Institutional Compliance with the 2019 Federal Regulations. State Authorization Network. https://wcetsan.wiche.edu/resources/professional-licensure-disclosures-implementation-handbook.