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Handbook of Operating Procedures
  • Policy Process

    • Handbook of Operating Procedures
    Chapter 5 - Students
    Previous Publication Date: July 7, 2011
    Publication Date: October 26, 2020
    Policy Reviewed Date: November 29, 2023
    Policy Owner: VP for Academic Affairs


    5.17 Student Fitness for Professional Practice

    POLICY STATEMENT

    The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) is committed to admitting and retaining students who meet the highest professional expectations of the professions they wish to enter. Each student is responsible for knowing and complying with the provisions of the Regents' Rules and Regulations, Rule 50101, the policies of UTSA, and the requirements and rules of the College and the academic program (program) in which the student is enrolled. This may include meeting fitness to practice requirements of the profession in which the program is focused. Information regarding fitness to practice requirements is made available on UTSA college and program websites and is made available to students as part of the advising process; however, the student is responsible for informing himself/herself and staying abreast of the fitness to practice requirements applicable to the profession he/she is pursuing. If professional fitness to practice requirements exist, and the student believes he/she may not meet those requirements, the student should seek counseling regarding his/her career choices.

    RATIONALE

    Because of the public trust placed in professionals, admission to professions frequently requires the meeting of academic requirements in addition to scholastic achievement in order to practice.  Students in some programs must meet these requirements to be placed with a sponsor for an internship, practicum or student teaching experience.

    SCOPE

    All students with aspirations for a career in a profession, in which entrance into that profession requires a fitness to practice determination including, but not limited to an acknowledgment, certification, and/or recommendation, may be screened to determine if those criteria are met.

    WEBSITE ADDRESS FOR THIS POLICY

    http://www.utsa.edu/hop/chapter5/5-17.html

    RELATED STATUTES, POLICIES, REQUIREMENTS OR STANDARDS

    UTSA or UT System Policies or the Board of Regents' Rules & Regulations

    Other Policies & Standards

    CONTACTS

    If you have questions about HOP policy 5.17, Student Fitness for Professional Practice, please contact the appropriate college dean’s office.

    DEFINITIONS

    Criminal Background Check (CBC)
     Information collected about a person’s criminal record(s).

    Fitness to Practice    
    A student’s compliance with and adherence to all criteria of the profession for which he/she is in training.

    Profession
    A career field, which, in addition to academic training, requires other qualifications, standards of achievement and/or conduct in order to meet its obligations to and the expectations of the public.

    Sponsor
    An employer that, in coordination with a college or program, provides an on-the-job experience for the student, through a temporary position in the professional field for which the student is studying. Examples include experiences involving an internship, practicum, or student teaching.

    Student          
    A person currently enrolled at UTSA; accepted for admission or readmission at UTSA; previously enrolled and eligible to continue enrollment at UTSA.

    RESPONSIBILITIES

    Student
    • Notifies the college or program of intent to pursue a degree or training in specific profession.
    • Adheres to fitness to practice standards of the chosen profession.
    • Informs the college or program of breaches of fitness to practice standards.
    • Consents to a criminal background check by the sponsor, if required.
    The College or Program Advisor or Other Career Counselors in the College or Program
    • Provides information to the student of the fitness to practice standards of the profession the student intends to enter (including those applied retroactively).
    • Provides guidance about career alternatives.
    College or Academic Program
    • Obtains appropriate UTSA reviews of fitness to practice standards, criteria, including UTSA Office of Legal Affairs review.
    • Posts the standards, criteria, and process, once reviewed, on the program web site.

    PROCEDURES

    1. Fitness for Professional Practice Applicants
      1. Each college or program will follow its own established admission procedure to determine whether the applicant meets the qualifications including the fitness to practice standards of the profession, which will be located on the college or program web site and provided to the student with the admissions requirements. 
      2. Admission decisions based on failure to meet professional fitness to practice standards are final.
    2. Fitness for Professional Practice for Admitted and Continuing Students
      1. Students shall conform to the policies of the college or program into which they have been accepted. 
      2. Students are expected to conduct themselves in an ethical, responsible and professional manner in interaction with peers, faculty, staff and the community in general.
      3. In addition to conventional academic tests and measurement criteria for assessment, depending on the program, students may be evaluated on issues relating to their professional conduct/judgment according to the previously identified standards of the college, program and profession for which they are in training.
        1. The student must inform the college or program of any instance of failure to adhere to professional fitness to practice standards.
        2. For some programs, failure of students to adhere to professional fitness to practice standards after admission may result in dismissal from the program 
        3. The college or program may provide career counseling to admitted students who have breached professional fitness to practice standards.
      4. Students may be required to consent to a CBC or, in some cases, more than one CBC, as required by sponsor(s) offering internship, practica, or student teaching experiences.

    APPENDIX

    UTSA Information Bulletin

    UTSA Undergraduate Catalog

    UTSA Graduate Catalog