A Guide for Arts & Sciences Chairs

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Proposing New Academic Programs

The procedure for proposing new degree programs (the Master of Arts in French Language and Literature is an example of a degree program) has some similarities to that for revising existing programs, but is more complex since all new programs must be approved by the Provost, University committees, and the Board of Trustees, as well as by the College or Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. New academic programs should be proposed only for compelling reasons, as they require significant University resources. For this reason, before you go ahead with submitting the proposal, you should discuss the concept with Senior Associate Dean Susan Jackson. Of course, you need the support of the faculty of your department and any other departments that are involved (if it is a joint proposal). Record the departmental vote and the date on which it was held, since you will need to enter these on the Stage II Cover Form (see below).

New degree proposals have two main stages before final approval by the Trustees. Stage I is the College-level and preliminary University-level review. There is a Stage I Abstract form on which you enter a brief summary of the focus of and need for the program, as well as its relationship to existing programs. This should be accompanied by a justification for and description of the program. The justification should be as thorough as possible and should include a discussion of and comparison with similar programs at other universities. A separate proposed budget should be submitted as well; this will be reviewed by the Dean but not by the College faculty. You need to solicit cognate letters indicating approval or criticism from all other departments that might be affected by the proposed program. When ready, send the form and supporting documents to Senior Associate Dean Susan Jackson. The relevant College curriculum committee and then the College Academic Policy Committee (APC) will consider the proposal and contact you if any changes or clarification are required or if any problems are identified. After approval by the APC, the proposal is brought up at the next College faculty meeting.

After approval by the College faculty and the Dean, the Stage I proposal is submitted by the Dean to the Provost’s Office for further review. If the Provost approves the proposal, then the Provost sends the proposal to the Faculty Council, members of the University Council Committee on Curriculum and Degrees (UC/CDC), and deans of other colleges that may be affected by the proposed program. Four weeks are allowed for comment on the proposal. If the Provost finds fault with the proposal or considers that criticism from one of the other parties listed above needs to be addressed, the Arts & Sciences deans will work with you to modify the proposal accordingly or, if the problems appear insurmountable, decide that you should withdraw the proposal.

Once the Provost approves the Stage I submission, the proposal is considered to be in Stage II. For this phase, you need to submit to the Dean all the Stage I materials, the Stage II Cover Form and Preliminary Budget Form, and your response to any comments on the Stage I submission. On the cover form you enter the votes (including dates) of the department and College faculty, plus a small amount of information about the program. The budget form corresponds to a projection of the income and expenses over the first three years of the degree program. This involves estimating the number of students expected to enroll in the program, the number of faculty who will participate in the program, the number and salaries of administrators and support staff, the number of courses to be taught, the income from tuition, fees, training grants, and other sources, and operating expenses.

After the Dean has approved the Stage II proposal, she sends it to the Provost’s Office for consideration by the Provost, Faculty Council Curriculum and Degrees Committee (FC/CDC) and the UC/CDC. After the UC/CDC recommends approval (which may require some iterations with the College and with the initiating department), the proposal is forwarded to the entire University Council. Upon approval from this body, the proposal is considered by the Board of Trustees.

If the program is approved and implemented, it is subject to a three-year initial review by the UC/CDC.

Although it can take quite some time to gain approval for a new academic program, degree proposals are often improved significantly by the above process. You should start the process at least a year before you intend to implement a new undergraduate program. Allow two years for a new graduate program, since, after approval, you will need to recruit new students into the program.