FORMAT FOR ACADEMIC PROGRAM PROPOSALS
(Proposal 38-04)
(Proposal 9-15)
(Proposal 23-18)
(Proposal 32-22)
Example Proposal for a New Degree Program
Senate Procedures 108.1.1
Requirements for Academic Program Proposals
This format is based upon the minimum requirements to satisfy Michigan Tech’s internal standards. The order of discussion of these items may be changed to fit their relative importance to individual programs.
Additional external requirements are provided for through templates maintained by
the Provost office. Templates are updated by the Provost office as needed in consultation
with the Senate’s Curricular Policy Committee. Units should consult
the available templates when preparing a proposal as more information may be required
to meet external needs. Failure to provide all information may result in delays.
Requirements for academic program proposals are shown in the table below.
| Proposal Section | New Degree Programs |
New Non‐degree Programs |
Program Name Changes |
| Basic Program Information | |||
| Primary contact: with contact information and unit | x | x | x |
| Program/Degree type (e.g. B.A., M.S., minor, certificate) | x | x | x |
| Program Title: as it will appear on transcripts/diplomas | x | x | x |
| Planned Implementation Date | x | x | x |
| Program location/modality: As planned for stated implementation date | x | x | x |
| Target student population (e.g., new target student population, current enrollment shift) |
x | x | x |
| General description and characteristics of program | x | x | x |
| Rationale | x | x | x |
| Related programs: within MTU and at other institutions | x | x | x |
| Projected Enrollment. Include how many students can be enrolled based on current faculty numbers or requested faculty lines. |
x | x | x |
| Specialized Accreditation Requirements: see guidance below | x | x | x |
| Professional Licensure Requirements: see guidance below | x | x | x |
| Curriculum Details | |||
| Learning Goals Learning goals are knowledge and skills that a student will demonstrate upon completion and are not necessarily official University Student Learning Goals |
x | x | NR |
| Assessment Plan | x | x | NR |
| Curriculum Design: see guidance below | x | x | NR |
| New course descriptions only courses proposed specifically to support the program, see guidance below |
x | x | NR |
| Model schedule showing semester‐by‐semester plan and demonstrating completion time |
x | x | NR |
| Statement on faculty qualifications: see guidance below | x | x | NR |
| Program‐specific policies, regulations, and rules. Append student handbook or indicate which existing handbook would apply (as applicable). |
x | NR | NR |
| Resources needed to support new program | |||
| Library and other learning resources needed | x | x | NR |
| Suitability of existing space, facilities, and equipment. | x | x | NR |
| Program Costs: including development, marketing, and maintenance | x | x | NR |
| 108.1.2: Criteria for Financial Evaluation Proposed Academic Programs | x | NR | NR |
X = required
NR = not required
Approvals
Approvals (both pre‐ and post‐senate) vary by proposal type and must be obtained as outlined by the Provost’s Office. Programs may not be advertised nor accept enrollments until all approval steps are completed.
Interdisciplinary Programs
- Proposals should include a declaration of which other academic units provided input, were consulted, or reached out to, during proposal development. This is particularly important if the program will include courses offered by other units or if the program represents an inter‐ or trans‐disciplinary field that is not obviously aligned with a single academic unit.
- Programs that will be jointly managed by two or more units require an approval from each department and dean named as sponsors.
Section Guidance
Specialized Accreditation Requirements:
Are there any specialized, or programmatic, accreditors that would cover the proposed
program? If accreditation will be sought, what resources are needed and what is the
accreditation timeline?
Professional Licensure:
Declare if this is a licensed profession, i.e., would students be required to obtain
licensure in their state in order to work in this discipline. If so, describe how
you would determine in what states this program meets, or does not meet, educational
requirements for licensure. Note, this must be done before enrollments into the program
are allowed.
Curriculum Design
This section will include the following:
- Total credit requirements and general restrictions
- List course numbers, titles, and credits.
- Divide courses into sub‐lists as appropriate (e.g. Required, Elective, Thematic Groupings)
- Any new courses that are being developed for the program should be highlighted, or otherwise marked.
- Any required courses not regularly offered (less often than once a year) or only offered at non‐standard times (e.g., summer, or over a break), should be highlighted or otherwise marked, followed by a description of the planned schedule for offering that course.
- If the program will be offered as a distance (online or remote) program at the stated
implementation date:
- mark all courses that are currently available online, all those available remotely, and any that still need to be created or adapted for distance delivery.
- mark all online courses that have been reviewed as specified by senate procedure 116.1.1.
- include a timeline for any distance course development and review that still needs to occur.
- If students must select courses from pre‐defined list, include the minimum or maximum number of credits per list and any restrictions (e.g. course level).
- Prerequisites: . If any course prerequisites are not part of the proposed program, list the prerequisite courses not included, and provide a rationale for not including them.
- The curriculum design must satisfy university requirements for the program type to ensure students will meet the requirements without room for error. Refer to the senate policies relevant to the program type.
New Course Descriptions
- Course descriptions are only required for NEW courses being created to support the program.
- New Course Add Forms are needed for each new course. These may be submitted either:
- at the same time as the program proposal , OR
- as part of the annual curriculum proposal process (the “binder process”) prior to
program approval.
- Courses developed exclusively for the new program will be held by the Registrar’s Office until the program is approved.
- Indicate the status of each new course proposal (i.e., whether included with program proposal, already proposed as part of curriculum update, or other).
Model Schedule
- Indicate the number of program starts per year (i.e., when can a student enter the
program?).
- include separate model schedules if a different start would impact completion time.
- Describe the intended course length: i.e., standard semester, half‐semester, something else. Model schedule should show sub‐semester schedules as appropriate.
Faculty Qualifications
- Links to faculty websites or online CVs may be provided
- Indicate the qualifications of faculty to teach at the program and/or course level
and modality proposed. If applicable, indicate which faculty involved in the program
already meet the requirements related to:
- Graduate faculty status, Senate Policy 711.1 and procedure 711.1.1
- Standards for Online Courses, Senate Policy 116.1 and procedure 116.1.1
- or the proposed timeline for meeting the requirements.
Proposal 38-04:
Adopted by Senate: 21 April 2004
Approved by President: 26 April 2004
Proposal 9-15:
Introduced to Senate: 22 October 2014
Friendly Amendment (added in green): 5 November 2014
Approved by Administration: 17 November 2014
Proposal 23-18:
Introduced to Senate: 11 April 2018
Approved by Senate: 25 April 2018
Approved by Administration: 18 May 2018
Proposal 32-22:
Introduced to Senate: 16 February 2022
Approved by Senate: 2 March 2022
Approved by Administration: 10 March 2022