Program Proposals

All program proposals are due at minimum one full year in advance of the effective year after approval as described in the Curricular Review Process [pdf]. Programs and revisions are only made effective once a year per each Academic Catalog. Therefore, if you have a program revision that you want to go into effect Fall 2023, you have to submit it by the previous year's Fall 2022 stated deadlines.

• Program Revisions
• Elevating Concentrations to a Full Degree
• New Degrees (minimum 2-Year Process)
• New Concentrations
• New Minors
• New Certificates
• New Credentials/Subject Matter Preparation Programs
• New Spartan Accelerated Graduate Education (SAGE) Programs
• Honors Programs
• Suspending/Discontinuing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

• What's the approval process for the program proposals?
  • Curricular Review Process [pdf]: Reviewed and approved by Curriculum and Research Committee.
• What's the difference between a BA/BS or MA/MS?
  • See the WASC Degree Definitions Guide [pdf]. For BA/BS degrees, please also see University Policy F88-9 [pdf].
• What is the difference between a concentration and a specialization or track or emphases?

  • The CSU does not define concentrations, tracks, emphases, or specializations differently. 

    At SJSU, only concentrations are listed on the student's diploma and are allowed a stand-alone page in the Academic Catalog. A program may add a track, emphasis, or specialization to their program by simply submitting a minor program revision (unless a major program revision applies) as long as the curriculum is in compliance with EO 1071.

• What is EO 1071 and how does this affect my proposals for concentrations or tracks/emphases/specializations?
  • In order to be in compliance with Executive Order (EO) 1071 and University Policy S14-9 [pdf], a subprogram (e.g. concentration, specialization, track, emphasis) within degree program must constitute represent less than 50 percent of the major requirements within a degree program, which could include preparation for the major, core courses, and major requirements, including culminating experience units (project, portfolio, or 299).
• How do I develop a Comprehensive Assessment Plan?

  • The Asssessment Step-By-Step Process for Program Assessment provides a detailed overview to develop a comprehensive assessment plan.

• How do I develop Program Learning Outcomes and a Curriculum Matrix Map?
  • The Program Learning Outcomes page provides a detailed overview on how to develop your PLOs and Curriculum Matrix Map. PLOs articulate the learning that should be achieved by the graduates of a program. PLOs should be mapped to the University Learning Goals (ULGs) per University Policy S17-2. 
• How are programs reported? What are CIP and CSU Degree codes?
  • For more information about how programs are reported at the CSU system-wide, state, and federal levels, view the Reporting Codes section.
• Why would my degree proposal require a WSCUC Substantive Change?
  • WSCUC is SJSU's regional accreditor. Gaining reaccreditation allows the university to provide Federal Financial Aid for our students and get access to federal dollars. WSCUC has a process for review proposals for universities that are substantially different from the university's regular offerings. Since SJSU has a number of online programs, a Substantive Change Review is no longer triggered if SJSU proposes new online programs. Most recently, SJSU received approval for the Occupational Therapy Doctoral program (effective Spring 2023). 
• What's a self-funded or "Special Session" program?
  • Self-funded or "Special Session" program means that state dollars are not used to pay the cost of instruction or cost to run the program. Special Session programs are operated with support from the College of Professional and Global Education's Academic Programs team Review the Special Session Program FAQ page for more information.