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Process for academic degree program approvals and changes
The process of proposing a new academic degree program or making changes to an existing program can be lengthy. In fact, the process can take two years or longer. All proposed changes begin with internal review (including possible revision requests) and approval—by department/college faculty and Undergraduate Council or Graduate Council, as appropriate. Depending on the type of change, a proposal may then require approval from the UA Board of Trustees, the Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE), and/or SACSCOC. These boards or commissions meet only a few times during the year, and they maintain deadlines for submission of agenda items well in advance of the meetings. Once final approval is granted, information regarding the new/changed program must be submitted for admissions and catalog materials ahead of established UA deadlines.
Deadlines for submission of proposals to institutional contacts have been established to assist departments in completing the appropriate forms in a timely manner. Please scroll down to find upcoming deadlines, links to forms and instructions, and other process details. Please contact Carmen Jones (crjones18@ua.edu) or Ginger Bishop (vabishop@ua.edu) prior to making any academic program changes or beginning the process to propose a new degree program or if you have any questions.
(Click here for downloadable chart of curricular changes and needed types of approval/notification)
Current List of the ACHE Program Inventory
The University of Alabama Certificates and Extensions Approval Processes and Definitions
Ginger Bishop
Carmen Jones
Types of academic program changes to submit for approval or notification
- Establish: a new academic degree program, college, school, or department
- Establish: an new extension (concentration, track, specialization, emphasis, option, focus, etc.), certificate, or teacher certification program
- Establish: a new off-campus site
- Extend: an existing program to a new location or approved off-campus site
- Merge or Split: an academic program or academic unit.
- Reorganize: move responsibility for an academic program from one unit to another.
- Suspend or Reactivate: an academic program, unit, or a location
- Terminate: an academic program or academic unit.
- Change: a degree name, nomenclature, or CIP code
- Change: the name of an academic department, or research center/institute
- Initiate: a new dual degree program or contractual arrangement for programs or courses
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Course Inventory Management System (CIM) for Programs
The following types of academic program changes must be submitted through CIM. These changes include:
- NISP (Notification of Intent to Submit a Proposal)
- Proposals
- Concentrations
- Graduate Certificates
- Undergraduate Certificates
- Minors
- Inactivation (Termination) of Programs, Minors, Concentrations, and Certificates
Getting started with CIM
- Login using your myBama credentials. If you do not currently have a CIM account, contact the registrar’s office for access.
- Complete all of the fields on the form in CIM. Help bubbles are available to give you extra guidance on how to complete some of the fields.
At the end of the CIM form is a place to upload attachments.
Please attach:
- a resolution,
- a letter of support from the Dean of the college,
- evidence of faculty support (faculty vote, memo, etc.),
- the UA Supplement form for a proposal, and a completed long form for a certificate (forms can be found on this web page, as well as examples).
- faculty roster form (required for all types of proposals)
*Proposals also require the Excel spreadsheet (attached) that includes the program proposal tables.
Once the form is completed, click “Save and Start Workflow.”
The proposed academic program change will go through various steps in an internal workflow before it is sent to the Board of Trustees and ACHE. Through these various stages, the proposed change can be rolled back to a previous stage in the workflow for changes or additional information. In addition, several notifications will be sent once you click “Save and Start Workflow.” This is to alert relevant departments about the proposed academic change. Once the proposed change has successfully navigated the workflow, the form and attachments will be sent to the Provost’s Office and President for final approval. A packet with all forms and attachments will be to be sent to the Board of Trustees from the Provost’s Office. Once approved by the Board of Trustees, the UA System Office will submit the packet to ACHE. UA’s liaisons to the Board and ACHE will update CIM when external approvals are made.
Steps for the approval process of new undergraduate programs and graduate programs
IMPORTANT
ACHE has a 1 year time frame from receiving the NISP to receiving the proposal. If they do not get it in one year, the NISP will have to be resubmitted.
Departments need to draft the NISP and full proposal at the same time. NISPS will not move forward to Graduate Council or Board of Trustees unless the first draft of the proposal has been submitted into CIM.
Steps for the approval process of new undergraduate programs and graduate programs
- Proposals for new graduate/undergraduate degree programs are initiated within a department and follow the format of the following two Alabama Commission on Higher Education (ACHE) documents: (1) Notification of Intent to Submit a Proposal (NISP) for a New Program of Instruction and (2) Proposal for a New Degree Program.
- The proposing department initiates the process through discussions within the department, including a faculty vote, and discussions with the dean of the college. If the dean of the college is in favor of developing the new program, the dean discusses it with the Provost and, if it is a graduate degree proposal, the Dean of the Graduate School. The department prepares and submits the NISP. The NISP will be reviewed by the Council of Deans and the Provost. If it is a graduate proposal, the NISP must also be approved by the Graduate Council. If it is an undergraduate proposal, the NISP must be approved by the Undergraduate Council. The NISP will be submitted to the UA Board of Trustees for approval. Following Board of Trustees approval, the NISP will be submitted to the ACHE staff for comment. Graduate level proposals will be sent to the Alabama Council of Graduate Deans (ACGD) for review and comments.
- Once the Board of Trustees approves the NISP, the department will submit the full proposal.
- If it is a graduate program proposal, the proposal will go to the Curriculum Committee of the Graduate Council. The committee will review the proposal and possibly request revisions. When that committee approves the proposal, it is recommended to the Graduate Council. The Graduate Council is responsible for ensuring that all graduate programs meet acceptable academic standards for quality graduate education; that the content, structure, and evaluation of student performance in graduate courses are significantly different from those of undergraduate courses; that all graduate courses are taught by members of the graduate faculty; and that appropriate program reviews will take place. If the Graduate Council votes to approve the new-program proposal, the Graduate Dean forwards it as a recommendation to the Provost.
- If it is an undergraduate program proposal, the proposal will go to the Curriculum Committee of the Undergraduate Council. The committee will review the proposal and possibly request revisions. When the committee approves the proposal, it is recommended to the Undergraduate Council. The Undergraduate Council is responsible for ensuring that all undergraduate programs meet acceptable academic standards for quality undergraduate education; that all courses are taught by qualified faculty; and that appropriate program reviews will take place. If the Undergraduate Council votes to approve the new program proposal, it is recommended to the Provost.
- The proposal will be submitted to the Board of Trustees for approval, then to ACHE for approval, and then back to the Board of Trustees for final approval.
- Generally the process takes about 2-3 years.
- Checklist of required documents for academic program proposals and changes
- UA Approval Processes and Definitions: Certificates, Extensions, Majors (Degree Programs), and Minors.
Required forms to be attached in CIM
- The University of Alabama System Outline for New Program Proposal (Supplement)
- This form accompanies the New Academic Proposal Form.
- UA system supplemental form instructions
Certificates (Undergraduate and Graduate)
Recently, the Undergraduate Council approved new procedures allowing for the proposal and implementation of Undergraduate Certificates. Departments can now propose Undergraduate, as well as Graduate, Certificates in CIM.
Please use the appropriate Certificate form below as a guide to propose a new Certificate. The Certificates must be entered in CIM and submitted into workflow. Examples of the required semester curriculum plan, the appropriate type of resolution, and the faculty roster form are below.
- Graduate Certificate
- Undergraduate Certificate
- Example
- Example – Paragraph Resolution
- Example – Resolution (for Certificates 18 hours or more)
- Faculty Roster Form
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Inactivation (Termination) of a Program, Minor, Concentration, or Certificate
Click on the following icon box to Inactivate (terminate or delete) an existing degree program, minor, concentration or certificate.
- Mergers or consolidations of existing academic programs
- This form is to submit a request for mergers or consolidations of existing academic programs.
- Form D Change in degree nomenclature at the doctoral level (examples EdD to PhD) of an existing program
- This form is to submit a request for a change in the degree nomenclature at the doctoral level.
- FORM A Alteration of CIP Code, Program Title, Degree Nomenclature
- This form is to submit the change in name of an instructional program, the degree nomenclature (except for the doctoral level), or the CIP code by which it is listed in the Commission’s Academic Program Inventory, if the objectives and content of the program remain the same.
- New centers, institutes, etc., which do not offer courses for academic credit
- This form is to submit a request to create a new center, institute, etc. which will not offer courses for academic credit.
- Form C Academic Program Inventory Inactive Status
- This form is to submit a request to place a program on inactive status.
- Guidelines, regulations and proposal for a new off-campus site
- Three links for guidelines, regulations, and the proposal form for new off-campus sites
- Form for creating a new academic department
- This form is to submit a request to create a new academic department.
IMPORTANT
To offer an approved program through distance learning, contact OIE for the approval process and form.
New programs approved by ACHE and the UA Board of Trustees (approved after May 2018) will have to complete a Post Implementation report 7 years after implementation (programs approved before May 2018 will have to complete a Post Implementation report 5 years after implementation). Programs have to report on four conditions: enrollments, program graduates, employment information, and assessment of student learning outcomes. New programs must take an average of the years that they have had graduates of the program, and these numbers must meet the program viability numbers set by the state. The program viability numbers are listed below. Here is a link for the ACHE Post Implementation Report Guidelines.
Substantive Change Checklist
The substantive change checklist helps the Office of Institutional Effectiveness identify if the proposed change(s) needs to be reported to regulatory agencies. To be sure you receive the proper guidance for routing your proposed change through the approval process to the appropriate agency with the correct form, please complete the information below and someone from the Office of Institutional Effectiveness will contact you soon.
Policies & Procedures
Current Examples
- Example of a Post Master’s Certificate – Measurement and Psychometrics Certificate
- Example of a NISP – Neuroscience BS NISP
- Example of an Undergraduate Proposal – Sport Management BS Proposal
- Example of UA System Supplement/Executive Summary Form – Athletic Training MSAT
- Example of a Minor – Medical Ethics Minor
- Example of Concentration Form – Intermedia Concentration
- Packet of Concentrations – Communications and Information Sciences Graduation Concentrations
- Example of a Graduate Concentration – Community Journalism Concentration
Older Examples
- Example of a NISP – M A Degree in Instructional Technology
- Example of a NISP – BFA Theatre
- Example of a NISP – Social Work (DSW)
- Packet for PhD in Human Nutrition Proposal
- PhD in Geography Proposal Packet
- M.S. Rural Community Health Proposal Packet
- Proposal B.F.A. in Theatre
- Curriculum Plan Example
- Curriculum Plan Attachment Form
- Post-Bac. Certificate in Museum Studies
- Example of a Certificate – Public Interest Law
- Example Grad Certificate Instructional Technology
- Example of a Concentration – Clinical Nurse Leader Concentration
- Example – Concentration Digital and Social Media Marketing
- Example of a specialization, concentration, track – Archival Studies
- Distance learning PHD aerospace engineering and mechanics
- Example of a Merger – C&IS Dept.Merger Packet
- Example of a Name Change/CIP Code Change – M.S.C.J. Criminal Justice
- Board of Trustee meeting dates
- September 1, 2023
- November 3, 2023
- February 2, 2024
- April 12, 2024
- June 7, 2024
- ACHE meeting dates
- June 9, 2023
- September 8, 2023
- December 8, 2023
- UA Graduate Council meeting dates
- September 6, 2023
- November 1, 2023
- February 7, 2024
- April 3, 2024
- UA Undergraduate Council meeting dates
- May 10, 2023
- September 13, 2023
- November 8, 2023
- February 14, 2024
- April 10, 2024
- May 8, 2024 (tentative)
- June 9, 2023 Board Approvals
- April 14, 2023 Board Approvals
- February 3, 2023 Board Approvals
- November 4, 2022 Board Approvals
- September 16, 2022 Board Approvals
- June 10, 2022 Board Approvals
- April 8, 2022 Board Approvals
- February 4, 2022 Board Approvals
- November 5, 2021 Board Approvals
- September 17, 2021 Board Approvals
- June 4, 2021 Board Approvals
- April 9, 2021 Board Approvals
- February 5, 2021 Board Actions
- November 13, 2020 Board Approvals
- September 17, 2020 Board Approvals
- June 4, 2020 Board Approvals
- April 9, 2020 Board Approvals
- February 7, 2020 Board Approvals
- November 8, 2019 Board Approvals
- September 6, 2019 Board Approvals
- June 7, 2019 Board Approvals
- April 12, 2019 Board Approvals
- February 8, 2019 Board Approvals
- November 9, 2018 Board Approvals
- September 21, 2018 Board Approvals
- June 8, 2018 Board Approvals
- April 6, 2018 Board Approvals
- February 9, 2018 Board Approvals
- November 3, 2017 Board approvals
- Sept. 15, 2017 Board Approvals
- June 16, 2017 Board Approvals
- April 7, 2017 Board Approvals
- February 3, 2017 Board Approvals
- November 3, 2016 Board Approvals
- September 23, 2016 Board Approvals
- June 17, 2016 Board Approvals
- June 9, 2023 ACHE Approvals
- March 10, 2023 ACHE Approvals
- December 9, 2022 ACHE Approvals
- September 9, 2022 ACHE Approvals
- June 10, 2022 ACHE Approvals
- March 11, 2022 ACHE Approvals
- December 10, 2021 ACHE Approvals
- September 10, 2021 ACHE Approvals
- June 11, 2021 ACHE Approvals
- March 12, 2021 ACHE Approvals
- December 11, 2020 ACHE Approvals
- September 11, 2020 ACHE Approvals
- June 12, 2020 ACHE Approvals
- March 13, 2020 ACHE Approvals
- December 6, 2019 ACHE Approvals
- September 13, 2019 ACHE Approvals
- June 7, 2019 ACHE Approvals
- March 15, 2019 ACHE_Agenda
- December 7, 2018 ACHE Minutes (UA only had information items on December agenda)
- September 14, 2018 ACHE Approvals
- June 8, 2018 ACHE Approvals
- March 9, 2018 ACHE Approvals
- December 8, 2017 ACHE Approvals
- September 28, 2017 ACHE Approvals
- June 9, 2017 ACHE Approvals
- March 10, 2017 ACHE Approvals
- December 9, 2016 ACHE Approvals
- September 9, 2016 ACHE Approvals
- June 10, 2016 ACHE Approvals
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Post Implementation and Program Viability
New programs approved by ACHE and the UA Board of Trustees (approved after May 2018) will have to complete a Post Implementation report 7 years after implementation (programs approved before May 2018 will have to complete a Post Implementation report 5 years after implementation). Programs have to report on four conditions: enrollments, program graduates, employment information, and assessment of student learning outcomes. New programs must take an average of the years that they have had graduates of the program, and these numbers must meet the program viability numbers set by the state. The program viability numbers are listed below. Here is a link for the ACHE Post Implementation Report Guidelines.
Existing programs also must meet the program viability numbers. For existing programs, programs, program viability is the average number of graduates over a 5 year period
Program Viability Numbers
- Bachelor’s degree programs – 7.5 students
- Master’s degree programs – 3.75 students
- Ed.S. – 3.0 students
- Doctorate programs – 2.25 students