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  4. Procedure for New and Revised Undergraduate Academic Programs

Procedure for New and Revised Undergraduate Academic Programs

 

OVERVIEW

Vanderbilt’s Office of Academic Program Review, Assessment, and Accreditation (OAPRAA)  will provide training, advice, and support to the Vanderbilt community regarding adding, closing, or making significant changes to full academic programs, and will be the repository of all program change proposals. The OAPRAA team will move the proposal through the Proposals to Create or Change Academic Programs (PCCAP) process and will communicate with relevant parties about its progress. For support in these areas, or for general inquiries, please email OAPRAA or reach out to a member of the OAPRAA team.

The PCCAP process has been developed by OAPRAA staff in response to a provostial initiative to standardize and, where possible, streamline the process of program changes, as well as to ensure compliance with federal mandates. You may find further information about OAPRAA and the PCCAP process here.

PCCAP proposals are submitted through an online adaptive webform housed in Kuali. Faculty interested in submitting proposals for a change described below will be provided a link to the online Proposal Concept form after a consultation with OAPRAA staff. Please join an online Office Hours session or email oapraa@vanderbilt.edu to schedule a consultation.

INTERNAL REVIEW PROCESS

Proposal concepts for new programs or changes to existing programs must first be reviewed by OAPRAA, then by the Committee on Educational Programs (CEP), then by the A&S Faculty Council, and then by the A&S faculty at a regularly scheduled faculty meeting. All suggested changes in academic programming will benefit from early guidance provided by OAPRAA here. 

Proposals should be presented to the CEP as early as possible; proposals received later than mid-February might not be approved in time for implementation in the next academic year. To help ensure that proposals are reviewed as quickly as possible, the A&S Faculty Council and the Office of the Dean have established the following guidelines:

Proposals | Internal College Process  | College Checklist | Substantive Program Changes

PROPOSALS
  1. Proposals for new academic programs (majors or minors) will be reviewed by the Senior Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Education. A proposal for a new academic program must include an explanation of the impact of the program on factors such as staffing, space, computing facilities, and the library. Even if a proposed program entails no new costs (including space), it must be submitted for initial review before being sent to the CEP. If a proposed new program involves new costs, the proposal must receive budgetary approval before review by the CEP. If a proposed program changes entail new costs, the proposed changes must be discussed with and reviewed by the dean of the college and receive budgetary approval before review by the CEP. It is the policy of the College of Arts & Science to conduct a thorough fiscal review of all proposed new undergraduate and graduate programs in the college prior to approval by the dean. The purpose of the fiscal review is to ensure that all projected costs are quantitatively understood and that, if not cost-neutral for the college, there is a clear plan for funding the program within realistic budget forecast scenarios.
  2. A one- to two-page rationale, signed by the chair of the department or the director of the program, must accompany the proposal and explain the reasons for the new program or revisions to an existing program. The rationale must include the tallied vote of the faculty of the department or program (the number favoring, opposing, proxy votes, if applicable, and abstaining) and the date of the vote. Recording a vote as “unanimous” is not adequate; please state the number of voters.
  3. Proposals for new academic programs must include the following:
    • The reporting and leadership structure of the program;
    • A list of the director, assistant director, and affiliated faculty members of the program;
    • A rationale for the timing of the appointment of the inaugural permanent director or chair of the program; and
    • A statement of how and when students will be advised and by whom.
  4. Proposals for new academic programs must include a detailed two-year staffing and curriculum plan for the core and required courses of the major and/or minor. The plan must be approved by the relevant department chairs and/or program directors of the home departments of the faculty members scheduled to teach the core and required courses of the proposed program.
  5. Proposed new international and study abroad programs must have a letter of support from the Director of International Programs at GEO and the approval of the A&S Study Abroad Committee before they are submitted to the CEP.
  6. Proposals for new academic programs or changes to the requirements of existing academic programs must be in a form ready for publication in the Undergraduate Course Catalog. Proposals must include a copy of the entire current catalog section with the proposed changes clearly marked (i.e., with new wording in red and deleted wording crossed out using “track changes” in Microsoft Word). Both catalog files must be sent in Microsoft Word format. Further, make sure that the content of your catalog-ready copy is current; for example, please make sure that all references to other departments and courses are correct and that the introductory paragraph in the catalog entry for your department or program is appropriate. Please do not include a listing of course descriptions.
  7. Programs of concentration (majors) and minors may establish distinct tracks of requirements, with or without a common core set of courses. Each track might emphasize a particular aspect of the discipline. The English major, for example, has three tracks: Literary Studies, Creative Writing, and Specialized Critical Studies. All three tracks require majors to complete English 2200: Foundations of Literary Study, but otherwise the tracks are distinct. (See the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Catalog for details.) In particular, if a major has an Honors Program that requires 6 or more credit hours beyond those required for the basic major, that Honors Program must be a distinct track. The Mathematics major, for example, has three tracks: Standard, Applied, and Honors. The Honors track requires that students complete at least 6 credit hours more than are required for the standard track. (See the Vanderbilt Undergraduate Catalog for details.)
  8. All proposals affecting other departments and programs must have approval from representatives of these units before review by the CEP. For example, if a proposal for a revised major in department A includes as a requirement a course in department B, the chair of department B must give approval. Copies of email messages are sufficient.
  9. If a department or program proposes a substantive change to its academic program or proposes a new academic program that is qualitatively different from any other Vanderbilt academic program, then the proposal may also have to be approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), Vanderbilt’s accrediting agency, before it can be implemented. If you have any questions or concerns about this matter, please consult with the Senior Associate Dean and Director of Undergraduate Education or review the SACS policy.
  10. For new academic majors or substantial revisions of current majors, an assessment plan or a revised assessment plan must be submitted separately to the Faculty Council. (Assessment plans are mandated by SACS.) The assessment plan must include the learning outcomes for the major and the methods by which the academic program will determine whether graduating majors have achieved these learning outcomes. This step must be completed before the CEP can approve a proposal. Assessment plans are not required for minors and are not reviewed by the CEP. Assessment methods do not have to be approved by the CEP. For example, if a program plans to require senior majors to take an ungraded comprehensive exam for assessment purposes, then this new procedure would not have to be approved by the CEP or the A&S faculty. Other assessment methods that do not need CEP approval include collecting essays and exams for assessment purposes or conducting exit surveys and interviews.

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INTERNAL COLLEGE PROCESS

Please send proposals for consideration by the CEP to the A&S Office of Undergraduate Education via email. The proposal will be logged and a copy will be sent to the chair of the CEP and other committee members. Please include the name of your department or program in the name of the file that you submit (e.g., ‘Dance major revision MONTH [YEAR]’). Proposals for new programs (no matter the budgetary impact) and all proposed program changes that require additional resources will be reviewed by the dean of the college prior to being sent to the Office of the Provost and the CEP. Prior to CEP review, the Office of Undergraduate Education will review each proposal for technical matters such as:

  • Consistent use of “credit hours,” rather than “hours” or “credits”
  • Accuracy of counts of credit hours in the major (or minor) and sub-sections
  • Accuracy and completeness of course lists in the major (or minor) and sub-sections
  • Clarity, punctuation, formatting, etc.

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COLLEGE CHECKLIST
  1. [ ] One- to two-page rationale for proposed new academic program or revision of an existing academic program (major/minor).
  2. [ ] Tallied and dated vote of faculty in the department or program.
  3. [ ] Entire current Undergraduate Catalog section, with insertions, additions, and deletions clearly marked.
  4. [ ] Proposed new Undergraduate Catalog section, incorporating all changes. The changes shown in the current catalog section must correspond precisely to the proposed new section.
  5. [ ] For proposals for new majors/minors, detailed information about leadership, staffing, resources, etc. (See points 3 and 4 above under “Proposals.”)
  6. [ ] For proposals for new international and study abroad programs, appropriate approvals. (See point 5 above under “Proposals.”)
  7. [ ] For proposals affecting other departments and programs, approvals from relevant department chair(s) and program director(s). (See point 8 above under “Proposals.”)
  8. [ ] For proposals for new majors or revisions to existing majors, a new or revised assessment plan (see point 10 above under “Proposals.”)

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SUBSTANTIVE PROGRAM CHANGES

If a department or program proposes a substantive change to its academic program or proposes a new academic program that is qualitatively different from any other Vanderbilt academic program, then the proposal may have to be approved by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) before it can be implemented. SACS needs to be certain that the proposed change is consistent with the mission of Vanderbilt University and that Vanderbilt has the appropriate resources and faculty to teach the subject. Examples of substantive changes include the establishment of a new degree program, the initiation of a distance learning program, and the creation of a branch campus. If you have any questions about this, please consult with the A&S Senior Associate Dean and/or the SACS Substantive Change policy.

Proposals are managed through Vanderbilt’s Office of Academic Program Review, Assessment, and Accreditation (OAPRAA). OAPRAA staff will support faculty or administrators with the change process and will handle the reporting of any substantive changes to Vanderbilt’s institutional accrediting agency, if needed and as appropriate. Visit the OAPRAA website to schedule a help session, or email oapraa@vanderbilt.edu for assistance.

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