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New Degree Programs

Procedures for Proposing New Programs

 

This outline describes the processes for

Establishing New Degree Programs

 

Procedures for Submitting Proposals for New Degree Programs (doc) has been approved by the Council of Deans. The procedure calls for a two-step process involving first a feasibility study and subsequently the development of a full implementation proposal. The feasibility study should answer two major questions: 

The implementation proposal is a detailed analysis of the projected program.

Accelerated Alternatives for Establishing New Degree Programs

The Chancellor’s Office has created two streamlined procedures for establishing new degree programs. Guidelines for these two processes are stated below. Departments seeking to submit a proposal within these categories are advised to confer with their college dean during the initial stage of proposal development. Accelerated program proposals are subject to campus review and approval and should follow the process in Procedure for Submitting Proposals for New Degree Programs (doc).

The three pathways for establishing a new degree program:

Existing Process

This process of establishing a program requires a two-three year period for planning and implementation. First, the projected new program is included on the campus Academic Master Plan. This requires only a summary statement of a few pages, indicating the reason the program is being proposed and the anticipated student demand. Trustee approval of the updated plan allows the campus to incorporate the projected program in capital outlay planning. Second, a detailed proposal for the implementation of the projected program is prepared for campus review and approval. After the proposal is approved by the campus, it is submitted to the Chancellor’s Office for final approval. 

This review process is appropriate for new programs that

  1. require major capital outlay and other additional new resources, or
  2. involve degrees in areas new to the CSU, or
  3. require specialized accreditation.

In September of each year, the campus responds to a formal Chancellor's Office request to update the Academic Master Plan.

Fast Track Process

The campus may submit to the Chancellor’s Office an implementation proposal for a new degree program that is not already included on the campus Academic Master Plan if it meets the criteria for the “fast track.”

A program proposal may be placed on the fast track only if

  1. it could be offered at a high level of quality by the campus within the campus’s existing resource base, or there is a demonstrated capacity to fund the program on a self-support basis;
  2. it is not subject to specialized accreditation by an agency that is a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors, or it’s currently offered as an option or concentration that is already recognized and accredited by an appropriate specialized accrediting agency;
  3. it can be adequately housed without a major capitol outlay project;
  4. it is consistent with all existing state and federal law and trustee policy;
  5. it is a bachelor’s or master’s degree program;
  6. the program proposal has been subject to the campus review and approval process.

Examples of “fast track” proposals would be degree programs that are “elevations” of well-established options in fields for which there are existing degree programs elsewhere in the CSU, and degree programs that involve little more than the repackaging of existing courses and faculty. It is possible for a fast track program to be approved within one year of its initial proposal and implemented the following semester after approval.

Two approval cycles per year are envisioned by the Chancellor’s Office. If the proposal is submitted to the Chancellor’s office by December, the program could be implemented the following semester after approval. If the proposal is submitted to the Chancellor’s Office in early June, the program could be implemented in January of the following year.

Pilot Programs

The Trustees have authorized a limited number of pilot programs which campuses may establish without prior approval of the Chancellor’s Office. The following conditions apply

  1. a pilot program would be authorized to operate only for five years. If no further action is taken by the end of the five years, no new students could be admitted to the program;
  2. a pilot program could be converted to regular-program status and approved to continue to operate indefinitely if the following conditions are met;
    1. the campus committed the resources necessary to maintain the program beyond five years;
    2. a  thorough program evaluation showed the program to be of high quality; to be attractive to students; and to produce graduates attractive to prospective employers and/or graduate programs;
    3. approval by the Trustees and the chancellor would be required after review and comment by the Chancellor’s Office and CPEC;
  3. a program could be established as a pilot program only if it met the criteria for fast track programs;
  4. the campus would be obliged to notify the Chancellor’s Office of the establishment of the program and its curricular requirements prior to program implementation;
  5. a pilot program could be implemented without its having been projected on the campus Academic Master Plan. It would require the acknowledgement, but not the prior approval of, the Chancellor’s Office and CPEC, and it would be identified as a pilot program in the next annual update of the campus Academic Master Plan.

Procedures for Establishing Off-Campus and Distance Learning Programs

 

New Degree Programs

Proposals for off-campus or distance learning programs offered via satellite, Internet, or any other kind of communications-assisted medium that involve a new degree program must follow the process outlined in Procedure for Submitting Proposals for New Degree Programs (doc).

Off-campus sites beyond 25 miles of the campus and distance learning programs require approval by WASC at least 120 days in advance of program implementation. Departments considering establishing off-campus or distance learning programs should consult with the office of the Dean and Undergraduate Studies for advice in preparing the proposal. (See Substantive Change )

Existing Degree Programs

Proposals for off-campus programs of existing degree programs at sites within 25 miles of the campus should be reviewed and approved by the college dean and the Office of the Provost. Departments considering establishing off-campus programs should consult with the office of the Dean and Undergraduate Studies for advice in preparing the proposal.

Proposals for off-campus programs of existing degree programs at sites beyond 25 miles of the campus and proposals for distance learning programs for existing degrees require approval by WASC. Proposals are subject to campus review and approval before submission to WASC. Proposals must be submitted to WASC at least 120 days in advance of program implementation. Departments considering establishing off-campus or distance learning programs should consult with the offices of the dean and Undergraduate Studies for advice in preparing the proposal. (See Substantive Change)

 

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