CHAPTER 7 ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND CURRICULUM

SECTION 1: ACADEMIC PROGRAMS AND COURSES

(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).

Curricular proposals for undergraduate and graduate programs should be prepared for the Curriculum Committee, the Graduate Council, and/or the General Education Committee according to the process outlined on the Common Council website. After approval by the unit/department, Assistant/Associate Dean, and/or Dean, email undergraduate and graduate proposals to the respective Chair of the Curriculum Committee or Graduate Council. The required forms and contact information can be found on the Common Council website..

To assure sufficient time for consideration by the appropriate committee or council, proposals should be submitted as far in advance as possible. Please note the deadlines for inclusion in the Catalog below and on the Committee/Council websites.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

NEW PROGRAMS (MAJORS)

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

REVISED PROGRAMS (MAJORS) AND NEW OR REVISED MINORS, OPTIONS, AND CERTIFICATES

Proposals to revise undergraduate programs (majors) and revise or add minors, options, and certificates shall be prepared according to the Program 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 be submitted on the Program Form available on the Common Council website

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.

DEFINITIONS OF SPECIAL GRADUATE COURSES

Independent Study emphasizes a specific topic. The topic selected is not normally a regular course offering. Instruction is generally under the guidance of a professor who meets regularly with the student. Credit may be variable, depending on the workload and the time span over which the course is offered. Topics for which credit has been received cannot be repeated.

Special Topics courses emphasize a topic of narrow focus. The topic selected is generally one that meets the special needs of a group of students. The topic is not intended to be repeated. Instruction is normally in the form of lectures, discussions, or other means of exchange of ideas. Credit may be variable, depending on the workload and the time span over which the course is offered.

Workshops emphasize a topic of interest to a wide group of students. Workshop offerings may be repeated. Instruction involves free discussions, the exchange of ideas, demonstration of methods, the acquisition of skills and techniques in a specialized area within a discipline, and participation and problem-solving given mainly for and by adults already employed or those adequately prepared with common interests and problems based on the needs and wants of the group. The final result should be clearly defined, such as progress in a particular skill, or individual or group reports or papers on the conclusions reached or solutions developed or for class analyses and reactions. Workshops may have variable time spans as well as variable graduate credit.

A Seminar collects a small group of advanced students engaged in presenting either existing or original research under the guidance of a professor who meets regularly with them for reports, discussions, and informal lectures. Seminars may have variable time spans as well as variable graduate credit.

A Colloquium stresses discussion of a specific subject or meetings that several lecturers take turns in leading. Colloquia may have variable time spans as well as variable graduate credit. (Colloquium is normally included under Special Topics.)

A Symposium is a meeting or conference of limited duration for discussion of some topic at which several speakers deliver short addresses on various aspects of the topic. No graduate credit.

MINIMUM GRADUATE STANDARDS FOR DUAL-NUMBERED (SLASH) COURSES

Courses granting graduate credit should be structured and taught primarily at the graduate level of instruction. Ideally, dual-numbered courses should enroll primarily graduate students, with a minority of the course enrollment made up of academically superior undergraduate students. Graduate Council recognizes, however, the impracticality of this ideal in some disciplines. Therefore, Graduate Council establishes the following minimum guidelines for graduate students enrolled in dual-numbered courses:

Graduate students will be required to accomplish at least one additional objective beyond the requirements of undergraduate students in the same course. Faculty are encouraged to utilize more than one of these additional objectives in their classes. Additional objectives shall be qualitative rather than quantitative in nature. Examples of suitable additional objectives are a research project with a written and/or oral report, a term paper, a seminar or presentation given to the class, a classroom utilizable product that can be shared with others, or essay and/or oral examinations as alternatives to objective exams given to undergraduates in the same class. These examples are not inclusive, and faculty are encouraged to develop other qualitative objectives for their specific courses. These additional qualitative objectives will be included in the syllabus for each course.

In addition, faculty members teaching dual-numbered courses are encouraged to utilize modes of instruction that involve dialogue, student discussion, and student presentations. Where this is not feasible for the entire class, faculty are encouraged to have separate or additional discussion/seminar sessions for the graduate students.

Dual-numbered courses will be taught by members of the Graduate Faculty.

All departments offering dual-numbered courses will use these Graduate Council guidelines to develop specific procedures insuring adequate graduate level instruction in those courses. These procedures will be submitted for information to the Graduate Council and filed with the Graduate Dean.

GENERAL EDUCATION PROGRAM COURSE PROPOSALS

The General Education Committee oversees all components of the university-wide General Education Program (see 7.2). One role of the committee is to approve General Education Program designations for courses.. 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 Form.