Curriculum Process for Graduate Programs

The Graduate Council does not review/approve individual graduate courses. Those proposals are reviewed and approved by the UCCC only.

Curriculum Process:

1. Proposals are first approved by the department and then the college.
2. Once the proposals are approved by the college, they move to the Provost’s Office.
3. The Provost’s Office will distribute copies of any graduate proposal to the Graduate Council via the Associate Dean of the Graduate School.
4. Once the proposal is received by the Graduate Council it will be reviewed by the Graduate Council sub-committee on curriculum.
5. The sub-committee can take one of the following actions:

For those proposals that involve minimal changes:

• Approve.  Your proposal is approved as is and will be forwarded to the University Courses and Curricula Committee for their next meeting.
• Approve Pending.  Your proposal requires minor changes/clarifications before it can be approved.  You will be notified of the needed changes/clarifications by the Associate Dean of the Graduate School.  Upon receipt of those changes/clarifications (assuming they are appropriate), the proposal will be approved and forwarded to the University Courses and Curricula Committee for their next meeting.
• Tabled.  The proposal will be returned because major changes/clarifications are required.  These changes/clarifications will be provided to you by the Associate Dean of the Graduate School.  Upon submission of the changes/clarifications, the sub-committee will review the proposal again and if sufficient changes/modifications are made, the sub-committee will approve and move the proposal forward to the University Courses and Curricula Committee for its next meeting.

For those proposals that involve substantial changes, such as, a new degree program, a new graduate certificate program, or significant curriculum revision and subsequent, related course proposals, these items will go to the full Graduate Council for review and the council may take any of the following actions:

• Approve.  Your proposal is approved as is and will be forwarded to the University Courses and Curricula Committee for their next meeting.
• Approve Pending.  Your proposal requires minor changes/clarifications before it can be approved.  You will be notified of the needed changes/clarifications by the Associate Dean of the Graduate School.  Upon receipt of those changes/clarifications (assuming they are appropriate), the proposal will be approved and forwarded to the University Courses and Curricula Committee for their next meeting.
• Tabled.  The proposal will be returned because major changes/clarifications are required.  These changes/clarifications will be provided to you by the Associate Dean of the Graduate School.  Upon submission of the changes/clarifications, the sub-committee will review the proposal again and if sufficient changes/modifications are made, the sub-committee will approve and move the proposal forward to the University Courses and Curricula Committee for its next meeting.

NOTE:  The proposal changes only goes into effect after the University Courses and Curricula Committee gives it final approval.  For new degree programs and new majors, these changes require Board of Regent’s approval and this lengthens the time for implementation.

DEADLINES:  Materials will be reviewed by the sub-committee of the Graduate Council if received by Tuesday of the third week of each month.  If not received by this deadline, review will be postponed until the next month.  Items that require the full Graduate Council review will be reviewed at their monthly meeting which is the 4th Tuesday of each month that the Graduate Council meets. The Graduate Council meets during the fall and spring semesters, Aug-Nov and Jan-Apr.

SUBMITTING PROPOSALS:

There are two types of changes:  Curriculum changes and Course Changes.

• For curriculum changes (e.g. creating a new major or minor, creating a new degree program, deleting an existing major or minor, changing the requirements for a major or minor, etc.) your request should be in the form of a memo on departmental letterhead addressed to “Courses and Curricula Committee.”  For new degree programs, the forms for these are in the Provost’s office and should be completed appropriately.  Explain your request in detail and have the department chair sign off.  The proposals should then go through the college courses and curriculum procedures with appropriate signatures and be forwarded to the Provost’s Office.
• For course changes (adding a new course, deleting a course, changing the course title or description for an existing course, etc.) use the “New or Changed Course Proposal Form,” available on the Provost's webpage.  Please use the current form that is posted rather than any old forms that may be in the department. The Graduate Council does not review/approve individual course proposals. These proposals are reviewed and approved by the UCCC only.

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