1) This document provides a template and guidelines for academic units at the university to propose new degree programs or certificates. It outlines a multi-step review process involving deans, the provost's office, and other stakeholders.
2) The template requires units to provide details about the proposed program, including learning outcomes, curriculum map, faculty capacity, costs, and enrollment projections. It prompts justification of the program's need, impact on other programs, and resource requirements.
3) Review and approval is meant to ensure new programs align with the university's mission, make efficient use of resources, and consider impacts on other academic units and programs. Market analysis and consultation with various offices occurs after preliminary approval.
1) This document provides a template and guidelines for academic units at the university to propose new degree programs or certificates. It outlines a multi-step review process involving deans, the provost's office, and other stakeholders.
2) The template requires units to provide details about the proposed program, including learning outcomes, curriculum map, faculty capacity, costs, and enrollment projections. It prompts justification of the program's need, impact on other programs, and resource requirements.
3) Review and approval is meant to ensure new programs align with the university's mission, make efficient use of resources, and consider impacts on other academic units and programs. Market analysis and consultation with various offices occurs after preliminary approval.
1) This document provides a template and guidelines for academic units at the university to propose new degree programs or certificates. It outlines a multi-step review process involving deans, the provost's office, and other stakeholders.
2) The template requires units to provide details about the proposed program, including learning outcomes, curriculum map, faculty capacity, costs, and enrollment projections. It prompts justification of the program's need, impact on other programs, and resource requirements.
3) Review and approval is meant to ensure new programs align with the university's mission, make efficient use of resources, and consider impacts on other academic units and programs. Market analysis and consultation with various offices occurs after preliminary approval.
1) This document provides a template and guidelines for academic units at the university to propose new degree programs or certificates. It outlines a multi-step review process involving deans, the provost's office, and other stakeholders.
2) The template requires units to provide details about the proposed program, including learning outcomes, curriculum map, faculty capacity, costs, and enrollment projections. It prompts justification of the program's need, impact on other programs, and resource requirements.
3) Review and approval is meant to ensure new programs align with the university's mission, make efficient use of resources, and consider impacts on other academic units and programs. Market analysis and consultation with various offices occurs after preliminary approval.
• Units should develop new and substantially revised curriculum proposals outside of the catalog workflow and in conversation with their college deans. Proposals supported by the dean should address all relevant items from the numbered list below but may otherwise be submitted in any format. Sponsoring deans will send to the provost office when ready for full AALT review and are encouraged to consult informally with other AALT members at any time during process as needed to provide faculty in proposing units with clear guidance as to the likelihood of success. • Proposing units considering new degree programs or certificate programs are encouraged to reach out to UNC’s HLC Accreditation Liaison Officer (Kim Black), early in the process to determine whether HLC approval will be necessary (if required, HLC approval can take up to 9 months). Information required for the HLC screening is included in questions (1), (4), (6) and (7) of this template, but a shorter HLC screening form can be obtained from Kim.Black@unco.edu. • Extended Campus will only conduct market analyses after preliminary approval has been granted by the provost (with support from the Academic Affairs Leadership Team). Provost office will forward request for market analysis to Extended Campus when recommended by the AALT. • Access to new program forms in the curriculum workflow will be granted after the proposal review and market analysis have been conducted (and any follow up questions raised from those steps have been answered); provost office staff will notify the Curriculum Liaison Specialist (Meagan Crews) in the registrar’s office to provide links when appropriate, and the proposal can be uploaded to document rationale and resource impact. • Note on revised programs: Units making significant revisions to existing programs should review questions (2), (5) and (6) when developing the rationale and resource impact statements required on the revised program form. Units are encouraged to consult with their dean’s office to determine whether completing the entire template will be needed to secure approval.
Elements to Address 1) Program information a. Type of program i. For undergraduate majors, indicate whether BA, BS, BFA etc.; also indicate whether this is a new major degree offering, or an additional emphasis within an existing major degree offering. Note: for emphasis degrees, the emphasis name is included on student transcripts as follows, and students may complete multiple emphases. BA/BS in [degree name] Concentration in [emphasis name] ii. For graduate programs, indicate whether MA, MS, PhD, EdD, or other professional degree. iii. For certificates, indicate whether embedded or standalone b. Proposed program name: c. Proposing unit/college: d. Unit level contact person for proposal (in addition to sponsoring college dean) e. Proposed six-digit CIP code f. Expected delivery modality (e.g., fully online, primarily in-person, etc.) g. Expected campus (e.g., extended campus online, Lowry, Greeley campus) h. Expected funding source (state or cash).
(Page 1 of 4) 2) Rationale (evidence of need/demand) for the proposed program. Please provide any/all relevant considerations. Key questions to address include • Who is the target audience? In particular, what reasons or evidence do we have that it will (a) attract new students to UNC (students who might otherwise matriculate somewhere else), (b) retain or better serve existing students/students in our current demographic who might otherwise transfer, drop out, etc. • What distinctive contribution will the program make to UNC’s academic portfolio. In particular, how does the new program relate to the mission of UNC, the college, and the unit. What existing UNC programs will it supplement, complement, and/or compete with (including other programs offered by the same unit/college and programs in other units/colleges)? Will the proposed program replace a program currently offered at UNC? • What is the employment landscape for graduates from the new program? Any other evidence of need/demand should be included in this section.
3) Program Learning Outcomes and Curriculum Map
a. List all program level learning outcomes (these must be distinct from course level outcomes) b. Provide a curriculum map indicating how each required course in the proposed program contributes to (Introduces; Develops; or facilitates/assesses Mastery of) one or more of the Program Learning Outcomes). Example:
PLO #1 PLO#2 PLO#3 PLO#4 etc.
Course 1 I, D or M Course 2 Elective group 1 Etc.
4) Curriculum details Please note: every undergraduate degree program consists of three parts: (i) the 31/37 credit hour Liberal Arts Curriculum, (ii) the major curriculum, and (iii) university-wide electives to get to the minimum requirement of 120 credit hours. For undergraduate degree programs, including emphases within existing degrees, only information about required courses in the major curriculum needs to be included here (this includes courses required for the major that double count as LACs). For minors, certificates, graduate degrees, and professional development programs, provide all program requirements.
a. Complete the table below or provide the same information in another format. Course lists (including the # of credits for each course) should be provided in the table (left most column) unless they are provided elsewhere in the proposal (i.e., in the curriculum map above or as part of faculty capacity response below).
(Page 2 of 4) Category # of credit hours % of total Existing or repackaged curricula: *Provide a list all courses from the existing inventory of courses at UNC that will be required in the program. Revised or redesigned curricula: *Provide a list of courses for which content will be revised for the new program and address any impacts on other programs. New curricula: *Provide a list of new courses for the program that haven’t been offered at the institution. TOTAL: credit hours required for the program 100%
b. Provide any other information about admissions or satisfactory academic performance
requirements (if stricter than the university). This includes prerequisites for required courses. c. List any accreditation requirements and explain how they will be monitored and met.
Note: in completing this section, please make sure the program is consistent with all rules/requirements specified in the current undergraduate or graduate catalog (e.g., upper division credit hour minimums, double counting, etc.).
5) Faculty Capacity and other Unit-Level impacts
a. Indicate any other courses/programs you plan to deactivate in order to free up faculty resources to deliver the proposed curriculum. b. Explain how adding the proposed program will affect full-time faculty workloads (teaching, research, and service obligations) in the unit. For example, how many course sections must your unit offer right now in order for students to complete your existing degree programs on time? What is the actual course production by (a) full time and (b) adjunct faculty in your unit (including additional sections offered as service courses). How many additional course sections (if any) will be required for students to complete the proposed program on time? Will implementation of the program require teaching by adjuncts or overloads for full time faculty with specific expertise? Will course caps or faculty workload weights change in order to deliver the program? Why or why not? c. For any required courses outside the unit (including courses that may be used to fulfill required program elective categories), request and include an impact statement from the department/school/program who offers the course. Also provide impact statements from potentially affected units if you will need to significantly reduce service courses in order to offer courses that fulfill your program-specific requirements in the proposed program (and continuing programs housed in your units).
6) Other resource impacts
a. Explain any other costs to launch or deliver the program (laboratory space, specialized equipment, etc.) b. Request and include an impact statement from Michener Library regarding university collections.
(Page 3 of 4) 7) Target enrollment estimates: • Provide the information requested in the table below and explain how numbers were generated. What is your plan for unrolling the program if target enrollments are not achieved? • Identify the enrollment point at which additional faculty hires would be needed. • Identify the enrollment point at which other additional resources (space, equipment, specialized software, IDD or other staff support, etc.) would be needed.
Student enrollment Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
New resident New non- resident/international Continuing resident Continuing non- resident/international Total enrolled #Graduating after completing year
