J. MILLARD TAWES, GOVERNOR                            481

SUPPLEMENT), title "Public Education", to follow immediately
after Section 299 thereof and to be under the new sub-title "Chap-
ter 30. 31. Fraudulent or Sub-standard Degrees", imposing certain
restrictions upon degree granting institutions and upon degrees
obtained at such institutions and relating generally to certain
degree granting institutions and degrees beyond the secondary
school level in this State.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Maryland,
That new Sections 300 to 309, inclusive, be and they are hereby added
to Article 77 of the Annotated Code of Maryland (1957 Edition),
AND 1960 SUPPLEMENT), title "Public Education", to follow
immediately after Section 299 thereof and to be under the new sub-
title "Chapter 30. 31. Fraudulent or Sub-standard Degrees", all to
read as follows:

300.    Declaration of Policy. It is the policy of this State to pre-
vent deception of the public resulting from the conferring and use of
fraudulent or sub-standard degrees. Since degrees, diplomas and
similar measures of academic achievement are constantly used by
employers in judging the training of prospective employees; by public
and private professional groups in determining qualifications for
admission to and continuance of practice; and by the general public
in assessing the extent of competence of persons engaged in a wide
range of activities necessary to the general welfare, regulation by law
of such evidences of academic achievement is in the public interest.
To the same end, the protection of legitimate institutions and of those
holding degrees from them is also in the public interest.

301.    Definitions. As used in this sub-title:

(1)  "Degree granting institution" means a school, academy, in-
stitute, junior college, college, university, or person or entity of what-
ever kind which furnishes or offers to furnish instruction leading
toward or prerequisite to an academic or professional degree beyond
the secondary school level, and which requires that in order to obtain
a degree or diploma the recipient thereof satisfactorily complete an
appropriate course of class, laboratory or research study in person
under a faculty whose members hold appropriate academic degrees
at least one academic year of which instruction must be in residence;
or an educational organization or entity qualifying to grant degrees
under Section 304 of this sub-title.

(2)  "Degree" means any designation, mark, appellation, series of
letters or words, or other symbol which signifies, purports or is gen-
erally taken to signify satisfactory completion of the requirements
of an academic or professional program of study beyond the secondary
school level.

302.    Award of Degrees. A degree or any object in evidence
thereof may be awarded only by a degree granting institution. Any-
thing in this sub-title to the contrary notwithstanding, a degree
granting institution may award honorary degrees: provided that any
such degree be clearly represented to be honorary and that any
diploma, certificate or other tangible object issued or purporting to
be in evidence thereof be clearly and conspicuously marked in a
manner which will convey to the general public that the degree is
honorary.