Title 34

SECTION 691.17

691.17 Determination of eligible majors.

§ 691.17 Determination of eligible majors.

(a) Eligible major. For each award year, the Secretary identifies the eligible majors in the physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, engineering, critical foreign languages as defined in section 103(3) of the HEA, or a qualifying liberal arts curriculum as an eligible major as determined under paragraph (b) of this section.

(b) Qualifying liberal arts curriculum as an eligible major. The Secretary may designate a baccalaureate-degree liberal arts curriculum as an eligible major if -

(1) The curriculum is the only curriculum at the institution of higher education and was offered prior to February 8, 2006;

(2) A student is not allowed to declare a major in a particular subject area; and

(3) The Secretary determines that the curriculum -

(i) Is at least equal to the requirements for an identified National SMART Grant-eligible major at an institution of higher education that offers a baccalaureate degree in that eligible major; or

(ii) Requires the student to undertake a rigorous course of study in mathematics, biology, chemistry, and physics that consists of at least four years of study in mathematics and three years of study in the sciences, with a laboratory component in each of those years.

(c) Designation of eligible majors. For each award year, the Secretary publishes a list of eligible majors identified by CIP code.

(d) Designation of an additional eligible major. (1) For each award year, the Secretary establishes a deadline for an institution to request designation of an additional eligible major.

(2) Requests for designation of an additional eligible major must include -

(i) The CIP code and program title of the additional major;

(ii) The reason or reasons the institution believes the additional major should be considered an eligible program under this part; and

(iii) Documentation showing that the institution has actually awarded or plans to award a bachelor's degree in the requested major.

(3) In addition to the information in paragraph (d)(2) of this section, requests for designation of a liberal arts curriculum as an eligible major must include the information demonstrating that the liberal arts curriculum complies with the requirements described in paragraph (b) of this section.

(4) For each award year, the Secretary will confirm the final list of eligible majors.

(e) Duration of eligible major. A major that ceases to be listed as an eligible major for an award year remains an eligible major in subsequent award years for a student who pursues that major and receives a National SMART Grant in the award year in which the major was an eligible major.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. 1070a-1) [71 FR 38004, July 3, 2006, as amended at 72 FR 61267, Oct. 29, 2007; 74 FR 20223, May 1, 2009]

---