Development and routing of new undergraduate programs Assessment

Development and routing of new undergraduate programs (majors/minors/certificates)

If your School or department is considering offering a new academic pathway (degree, major, minor, or certificate program), it must be reviewed and approved through proper institutional processes prior to implementation. The process for approval is stipulated below. These procedures must be followed to ensure compliance with institutional processes, regional accreditation, and federal regulations.

The following guidelines should be used when establishing the minimum credit hour requirements for a new academic pathway:

• Baccalaureate Degree: 120 credit hours

• Major: Minimum of 27 credit hours

• Certificate Program: Typically, a minimum of 12 credit hours

• Minor: Typically, a minimum of 18 credit hours

The Proposal/Things to Consider

Your new undergraduate program proposal should include the following information:

• Overview – title of the program/field of study along with a description of the new program including why it benefits students.

• Requirements – what is the core curriculum. List all courses (existing and proposed) along with required number of credits, number of courses at a certain level, sequencing of requirements/courses, electives, etc needed to achieve the degree/award for the new program. If new courses are being proposed, syllabi should be included for the new courses. If there is a specific study plan for when courses should be taken and offered, include that as well.

• Justification/Rational for new program – student demand, trends in discipline, accreditation needs, etc.

• Who is the program open to – List the student population the new program is offered to – All NTC students, SoPA students, only school specific cohort, etc.

• How will students be admitted to the program? – Who admits students to the new program? Is there an application process?

• Affiliated Faculty/Oversight – List the faculty members who will oversee the new program along with their areas of expertise regarding the field of study. Additionally list what department/area the new program will be housed in. If the program is interdisciplinary (across departments/areas or schools) all heads of these divisions must show support for the new program. If needed, it is advised to have a memo from key faculty showing their support of the program and their wiliness to administer it.

• Policies – Are there particular policies surrounding your new program? Completion time for program, double counting courses across programs, minimum grades, pre- or co-req requirements, etc.

• Needs – Are there additional resources needed to offer the new program? Money, faculty, dedicated space, equipment, etc.

Routing/Timeline of the New Program Proposal

Consider the anticipated implementation date. The implementation date is the date students will be admitted to enroll in the new offering. All ensuing actions are timed according to this implementation date. For example, should the new offering require approval by the University’s regional accreditor, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), that process may take up to 9 months. In order to have time to receive all internal and external (if necessary) approvals, the approval process should begin 12 months in advance of the anticipated implementation date.

Routing

1. Department Chair/Area Head Approval – can be in form of memo of support or signature on proposal

2. School Curriculum Committee/Faculty Approval

3. School Dean’s Office Approval

4. NTC Curriculum Committee Approval (if open to NTC students)

5. Office of Assessment

6. Provost’s Approval

7. Registrar’s Implementation

Office of Assessment

See Provost’s Office Guidelines for New Programs

The Office of Academic Affairs approves all new programs before they can be implemented. It is advised to discuss particulars of your new program with the Provost’s Office prior to submitting your proposal to your curriculum committee(s). Your dean should be aware of the new program and have discussed the creation of the program with the Provost in order to ensure you have appropriate support for the curricular additions.

Assessment Resources

https://oair.tulane.edu/assessment

Review the various templates to complete a successful assessment plan.

Assessment Procedures

Early Considerations

• Mission: consider how the proposed offering fits into the mission of the department, School, and University as appropriate.

• Determination of Need for the Change: consider why the change is needed and how that change is consistent with the university’s mission.

• Necessary Resources: consider how the new pathway will impact faculty teaching loads, classroom space and/or administrative structures/oversight.

• Learning Outcomes & Assessment: faculty must determine learning outcomes for the new offering so the curriculum can be aligned with them; so prospective students can know what the skills and knowledge they can expect to gain as a result of the program; and so that assessment work may be developed to ensure the continuous improvement of the offering over time.

NOTE: Learning outcomes must be established and assessment methods must be designed for all academic pathways. Faculty, administrators, and program coordinators are encouraged to contact the Director of Institutional Assessment, for assistance in developing an assessment plan for the new offering (oair@tulane.edu). In all cases, an assessment plan must be developed and completed prior to the establishment of the new academic pathway.

Then moving forward, a completed assessment plan/report must be submitted to the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research annually: https://oair.tulane.edu/assessment/academic-programs

Governance Processes

New academic pathways must be reviewed and approved through faculty- based actions that are consistent with the School’s constitution and/or governance structure. Approvals must be documented in writing and in accordance with the School’s constitution and/or governance structure (such as the School’s Curriculum Committee and the School’s Faculty). For pathways that involve more than one School, an approval process that is consistent with the constitutions of all the involved schools is followed and approval from both Deans must be received.

• For new undergraduate degrees or majors involving two or more units, a proposal must be submitted to the University Senate Committee on Educational Policy (CEP) in accordance with University Senate Bylaws: https://senate.tulane.edu/resources/bylaws

• For new graduate level pathways, written approval must be received from the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (OGPS) Graduate Council.

Additionally, dual pathways (dual, joint, or combined programs) may also have special accreditation requirements, and the involved departments/schools should contact the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research for guidance (oair@tulane.edu).

(Note that you may submit Committee Meeting Agendas and Minutes to show discussion and approval of new pathways.)

Approval from Accrediting Agencies

After necessary approvals have been received through the institutional channels discussed above, the proposal must be given to Tulane’s liaison to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) for review and possible action in accordance with the SACSCOC Substantive Change Policy.

• If necessary, a Substantive Change Communication is submitted to SACSCOC by the SACSCOC Liaison with help from the submitting department. In some cases a new offering needing SACSCOC approval may also require approval by the Tulane University Board of Administrators. This is not required for all new pathways.

• If a Substantive Change Communication is not submitted, the Office of Assessment and Institutional Research will document that action in the University’s Substantive Change log.

The SACSCOC approval may take as long as nine (9) months and cannot be submitted to SACSCOC until the program has been approved through the proper institutional channels.

If the new offering falls under the purview of any other accreditation agencies, those requirements will need to be reviewed as well (i.e. AACSB, NAAB, ABET, CEPH, etc.).

Final Implementation

Upon final approval through institutional processes and SACSCOC, if necessary, students may be admitted into the new degree, major, or certificate, and the following steps should be taken to finalize the implementation process:

• A New Banner Code Form must be completed and returned to the Registrar’s Office to activate tracking of requirements and transcripting of the degree program. This will also begin the process of adding the offering to the University Catalog.

• The department or School forwards the program, major, or certificate approval to Kristy Manger (kmagner1@tulane.edu) in the Office of International and Student Scholars if it is an offering to be available to international students.

NOTE: For an academic offering to be included in the next academic year’s University Catalog, information will be due to the Registrar’s Office early in the Spring semester before the program is to be offered. The University Catalog is published on an annual basis, in advance of the start of each academic year. New offerings seeking implementation or start dates other than the Fall semester may be included in a catalog addendum as determined by the SACSCOC Liaison and the University Registrar.