CHAPTER 7 ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND CURRICULUM

SECTION 1: ACADEMIC PROGRAM PROPOSALS

(New and Revised, including delete, renumber, rename, and re-prefix)

(To see who has authority to approve changes to this section, please see the Approval of Changes page).

Departments and others wishing to submit undergraduate proposals for consideration by the Curriculum Committee or graduate proposals for consideration by the Graduate Council shall prepare the proposals in detail according to the process outlined on the Common Council website under “Committees” (Curriculum Committee, Graduate Council). Carefully prepared proposals will enable the Curriculum Committee, Graduate Council, Common Council and the administration to review and reach a sound decision on the relative merits of the proposal.

Email undergraduate proposals to the Chair of the Curriculum Committee at curriculum.committee@uwsp.edu, the Dean(s) of any College(s) concerned, and the Chair(s) of any department(s) that could be affected by the proposal. Submit graduate proposals to the Graduate Council chair and the Dean(s) of the College(s) concerned.

In order to assure sufficient time for consideration by the appropriate committee or council, proposals should be submitted as far in advance as possible.

NEW AND REVISED UNDERGRADUATE AND/OR GRADUATE COURSES

Proposals for new or revised (including delete, renumber, rename, and re-prefix) undergraduate or graduate courses shall be prepared according to the Course Revision Form on the Common Council website.

NOTES:

1. No unapproved courses shall be listed in the University Timetable unless the proposed course has been submitted to the proper committees before April 1 for the following spring semester and November 1 for the following fall semester.

2. In the case of a slash course, the curriculum committee must have acted on the undergraduate course prior to the submission of the course proposal to the Graduate Council.

PLEASE NOTE: Slash course proposals will automatically be forwarded to the Graduate Council by the Curriculum Committee Secretary once approved by the Curriculum Committee.

UNDERGRADUATE MAJORS AND MINORS

NEW MAJORS

Proposed new majors should be prepared using the UW System Guidelines for Academic Program Planning and Approval, found later in this Section.

REVISED MAJORS AND MINORS

Proposals to revise undergraduate majors and minors shall be prepared according to the Program Revision Form.

NEW MINORS

Proposals to create new minors shall be prepared according to the Program Revision Form.

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

NEW PROGRAMS

Proposed new graduate programs should be prepared using the UW System Guidelines for Academic Program Planning and Approval, found later in this Section.

REVISED PROGRAMS

Proposals to revise graduate programs shall show the existing program, then the new program, and clearly point out the proposed revisions and rationale and justification for such revisions.

NEW COURSES INCLUDED IN NEW OR REVISED PROGRAMS

New courses being proposed in conjunction with a new or revised program should be fully explained as though the course was being introduced independently. In such cases, the Graduate Council will consider the course additions and/or changes first and then consider the proposed and/or revised program.

PROCEDURE IN GRADUATE COUNCIL CONSIDERATION

The Graduate Council will rely basically upon the written documents submitted for its determination of the rationale and justification for the proposed change; however, the requesting department shall be expected to have a representative at the meeting to answer any questions which might arise.

REFERRAL BACK TO DEPARTMENT

Any proposals submitted in a format different from that described above will be rejected and will be returned to the department or individual proposing the change until submitted in proper form.

GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM COURSE PROPOSALS

The General Education Committee oversees all components of the university-wide General Education Program. A major function of the committee is screening courses for inclusion among those that may be used to fulfill general education requirements. No existing or new course will be accepted automatically as fulfilling a general education requirement.

Proposals to add or revise a General Education Program designation to a course shall be prepared according to the General Education Program (GEP) Course Application Form.

UW SYSTEM GUIDELINES FOR ACADEMIC PROGRAM PLANNING AND APPROVAL

Departments considering the development of a new academic program should discuss the proposed program with the dean and the provost and vice chancellor for Academic Affairs. UW System policies related to program planning, delivery, review, and reporting are detailed in UW System Administrative Policy 102. Specifically, UW System Administrative Policy 102, Section 2 outlines the approval process for developing and implementing new academic degree programs. Additional information including the UW Board of Regents Program Authorization Guide and program budget templates are available at: https://www.wisconsin.edu/program-planning/.

Once UW System approval is obtained, proposals for new undergraduate majors should be prepared according to the instructions on the Program Revision Form.