OFFICIAL

 

Policy and Procedure Statement 2.05 Academic Programs: Additions,
Revised: 7/18/07 Changes and Deletions
Review Cycle: Aug. 1, ONY (25 paragraphs)
Review Date: 8/1/09  
Reviewer: Director of Curriculum Services  

 

PEN AND INK CHANGE TO PARAGRAPH 2 - 7/07

 

GENERAL INFORMATION
  1. Texas State University-San Marcos is committed to maintaining a well-designed, effective process for developing academic programs. This PPS summarizes the key elements of that process and provides guidance for the preparation of proposals for new programs and for changing or deleting existing programs.
  2. When considering the addition, change, or deletion of an academic program, program chairs/department chairs/school directors and college deans should consult the faculty members in the program/department/school and in other related programs, and if necessary, with outside experts. For each major, curricular area or concentration in a degree program, a faculty program coordinator academically qualified in the field must be assigned for purposes of program coordination, curriculum development and review.

DEFINITIONS

  1. Academic programs are defined as:
    1. A major or degree program is an approved collection of courses from a single discipline or from an interdisciplinary area, which is recorded on the student transcript. An undergraduate major must include at least 30 semester credit hours of coursework or a combination of coursework and necessary prerequisite courses or demonstrated knowledge. A graduate major must include at least 21 semester credit hours of coursework.
    2. A minor is an approved collection of courses from a single discipline or from an interdisciplinary area, which is recorded on the student transcript. An undergraduate minor must include at least 18 semester credit hours of coursework or a combination of coursework and necessary prerequisite courses or demonstrated knowledge. A graduate minor must include at least six semester credit hours of coursework.
    3. A concentration, emphasis, or specialization is an approved collection of courses from a single discipline or from an interdisciplinary area, which is not recorded on the student transcript and totals at least nine semester credit hours of coursework or a combination of coursework and necessary prerequisite courses or demonstrated knowledge.
    4. Certificate programs are defined in PPS 2.14, which is under development as of this publication.
  1. Under guidelines of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), proposals to create a new program or to modify an existing program are categorized as either "non-substantive" or "substantive."
  2. The development of substantive program proposals is guided by the University Strategic Plan, which identifies

    a. degree programs that the University plans to develop or significantly modify and submit for approval over the next four-year period, and

    b. other degree programs that the University has determined as likely for development in subsequent years.
  3. Substantive program proposals are prepared according to the THECB format in Appendix A and submitted as a Word document. Substantive program proposals are typically prepared for the following:

    a. addition of a degree and/or major, or

    b. change of a current major if new funds in excess of $50,000 are required over the first five years (including funds for faculty or courses)
  4. Non-substantive program proposals usually result from efforts by institutions to seek separate degree designations from programmatic activity already offered under other approved program titles, or to realign existing courses and other resources to respond to changing student needs. In general, non-substantive program proposals must meet the following criteria:

a.      no implications for changes in institutional role and scope;

b.      no significant new costs to the institution or to the state (no more than $50,000 for the first five years);

c.      no issues of unnecessary duplication with programs at other institutions; and

d.      potential for high quality programming based on the institution's previous experience in the same or related subject fields.

  1. Non-substantive program proposals are prepared according to the THECB format in Appendix B and submitted as a Word document. Non-substantive program proposals are typically prepared for the following:

    a.  addition of a minor,

    b.  addition of a concentration,

    c.  addition of a major if no new funds, faculty or courses are required,

    d. change of the name of a current major, minor or degree title,

    e. change if a minor,

    f. change of a concentration.
  2. The college dean, in consultation with the Dean of The Graduate College, when appropriate, and with the approval of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (Provost), should determine whether the proposal is substantive or non-substantive. For substantive program proposals, the college dean should verify that the proposed program is included in the University Strategic Plan and that development is appropriate at the present time.
  3. Deletion of a major, minor or concentration is proposed through a memorandum from the chair or school director, via the Dean of The Graduate College when appropriate, to the Provost. Deletion requests should contain the following information: name of the program to be deleted, justification for the deletion, proposed effective date of the deletion, number of students currently enrolled, and their expected date of completion or the date of graduation of the last student in that program.
  4. Substantive and non-substantive program proposals, which include courses from outside the originating program/department/school must be accompanied with memoranda from the chair or school director of the affected program/department/school(s) granting concurrence with the proposal. The chair or school director of the affected program/department/school(s) must consult with the faculty before granting concurrence.

PROPOSAL ROUTING

  1. Substantive proposals, non-substantive proposals in items 8.c. and 8.d. above, and memorandums for deletions of a major are submitted for review and recommendation by the following in order beginning with a:
    1. Program/Department/School Faculty
    2. Program Chair/Department Chair/School Director
    3. College Curriculum Committee
    4. College Council
    5. College Dean
    6. Other College Deans
    7. Dean of The Graduate College (if applicable)
    8. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (for preliminary review)
    9. University Curriculum Committee
    10. Faculty Senate
    11. Council of Academic Deans
    12. Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (for final recommendation)
    13. University Council
    14. President
    15. Texas State University System Board of Regents
    16. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
    17. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (if necessary)
  1. The approval process ordinarily takes at least one year, including approximately six months for on-campus approvals and six months for off-campus approvals.
  2. Non-substantive program proposals to add, change or delete a minor or a concentration require routing through the Provost for final approval (see paragraph 12 a-l).
  3. After consultation and approval of the program/department/school faculty, chairs, and school directors will submit all program proposals to their college dean for review by the College Council and College Curriculum Committee.
  4. The originating college dean will circulate electronic copies of all proposals approved by the College Council and College Curriculum Committee to other college deans. Each dean will circulate copies to the chairs and school directors in their college. Chairs and school directors will submit their comments through their deans to the originating dean. Chairs and school directors must consult with the faculty in their program/department/school(s).
  5. Within a reasonable time, all college deans will submit their comments to the originating dean for review and discussion. After receiving comments from other deans, the originating dean will either approve or deny a proposal. In either case, the dean should promptly inform the program chair/department chair/school director of the decision and the chair or school director will inform the faculty.
  6. The originating dean will submit all approved proposals to the Dean of The Graduate College when applicable, or to the Director of Curriculum Services in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs (Director) with a copy of the college council minutes verifying approval.
  7. The Director will review the proposal for compliance with applicable rules and regulations, and then forward to the Provost for preliminary review.
  8. With Provost approval, the Director will submit proposals for review to the University Curriculum Committee, Faculty Senate, Council of Academic Deans, and University Council. The Faculty Senate will distribute the proposals to all faculty. Faculty should submit their comments to their college dean. Electronic copies will be distributed when appropriate and a paper copy will be maintained on file in the Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. If the Provost does not approve a proposal upon preliminary review, the originating dean and the Provost will discuss the request and decide the next steps.
  9. If the proposal requires off-campus approval after review and approval from University Council, the Director will prepare an executive summary with approval from the President, and submit the abstract to the Vice President for Finance and Support Services for the Board of Regents of the Texas State University System (BOR). After BOR approval, the Director will submit the proposal to the THECB and SACS, if necessary, with approval from the Provost and the President.
  10. Within three years of on-campus approval, a proposal may be submitted to the BOR or THECB as often as deemed advisable by the Provost and the President. If necessary, the Provost will refer the proposal to the program chair/department chair/school director so that the documentation and justification can be updated. After this three-year period has passed, the proposal will not be submitted to the BOR or THECB until again approved on campus.
  11. Throughout the routing, the Director will report all decisions to the originating dean.
  12. When a proposal for a new program is fully approved, the chair or school director with approval from the college dean or the Dean of The Graduate College, when appropriate, will request assignment of an academic program code from the Director. The chair or school director will also submit all necessary changes for inclusion in the appropriate catalog to the Director for undergraduate catalogs or the Dean of The Graduate College for graduate catalogs at the required time.

CERTIFICATION STATEMENT

      25. This PPS has been approved by the reviewer listed below and represents    the Division of Academic Affairs policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.

 

Review Cycle: ___________________ Review Date: __________________

Reviewer: ______________________ Date: _________________________

Approved: ______________________ Date: _________________________

 

Perry Moore

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

 

 

Texas State University-San Marcos

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Last Updated: July 18, 2007

Send comments and questions to: tg12@txstate.edu