Frequently Asked Questions about Degree/Program Development

Process

1. What is the process for establishing a new degree program?
   
   Phase one of program development involves a proposed program’s inclusion on the university’s five-year academic program plan. The request for inclusion process, initiated by the Academic Council in the spring of the even-numbered year, is finalized in the spring of the odd-numbered year. The five-year plan is updated every two years. (e.g., For the 2012-2017 plan, the request for inclusion process will begin in spring/summer 2010, and the plan will be finalized in spring 2011; program planners begin phase two (below), campus approval process, in fall 2011, but cannot submit the first GA document until January 2012.)
   
   Phase two, the campus approval process, involves the approval of forms to be submitted to GA:
   
   
   • Step I: Notification of Intent/Request for Authorization to Plan a New Degree
   • Step II: Curriculum Development (initiated after bachelor’s/master’s planning document is filed at GA, or authorization to plan a doctoral degree is received from GA)
   • Step III: Request for Authorization to Establish a New Degree (initiated following approval of curriculum at all appropriate levels)
     
     
2. Who assists program planners with the program development process?
   
   Request for Inclusion and Steps I & III of Campus Approval Process: Sharon Bland, blands@ecu.edu or 328-2344
   Step II of Campus Approval Process: Diane Coltraine, coltrainem@ecu.edu or 328-1425
   Budget Development: Linner Griffin, griffinl@ecu.edu or 328-5358
   
   
3. How are new or existing degrees and certificates approved for offering through distance education (technology and site based)?
   
   John Connelly, connellyj@ecu.edu or 328-9193, Continuing Studies, coordinates the approval process for offering new and existing degrees and certificates via distance education. Program planners proposing a new degree program to be offered via distance education, complete the additional DE paperwork while progressing through the steps in 1., above.
   
   
4. How long does it take to get a new degree approved?
   
   Many factors impact the length of time involved in program development. While a specific time frame cannot be provided, the following is offered as the minimum amount of time necessary from the time the planning document in 1. Step I, above, is filed at GA to the BOG authorization to establish. Be advised that the time involved may exceed this framework:
   
   
   • Bachelor’s and Master’s: Minimum 12-18 months
   • Doctoral and First Professional: Minimum 36 months
     
     
5. What is a first-professional degree program?
   
   UNC-GA defines a first professional degree program as one that requires a bachelor’s degree and sometimes a master’s degree as a prerequisite and usually entails three or four years of study beyond the bachelor’s degree. UNC offers first professional degrees in law, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine (JD, DDS, MD, PharmD, and DVM). ECU is authorized to offer two first professional degrees, the MD and DDS.
   
   
6. Can a degree be offered by an entity other than an academic unit?
   
   Although rare, a degree program may be offered through a center or institute. The proposed program must have a faculty oversight committee for program and curriculum development as well as evaluation and assessment. The academic units involved in offering courses for the proposed program should reach an understanding of how student credit hour generation will be assigned to the units involved and provide a written and signed statement from the units involved, updated as needed, at each step of the process.
   
   
7. How are multidisciplinary degrees developed?
   
   A proposal for a multidisciplinary degree follows the same process as other new degree programs. In addition, academic units involved in offering courses for the proposed program should reach an understanding of how student credit hour generation will be assigned to the units involved and provide a written and signed statement, updated as needed, from the units involved at each step of the process.
   
   
8. What are the approval steps for a dual-degree or accelerated program?
   
   A dual degree or accelerated program comprises two programs that are currently on the ECU Academic Program Inventory. Therefore, the proposed dual or accelerated offering is considered a curricular matter. Program planners should consult Diane Coltraine, Office of Academic Programs, for guidance in seeking approval of a dual-degree or accelerated program.
   
   

Forms and Documents

1. What forms and documents are required to develop a proposal and where are they located?
   
   Request for Inclusion: Procedures and appropriate forms are added to the academic programs website in the spring of even-numbered years when the Academic Council calls for proposals to be considered for inclusion on the next five-year plan.
   
   On-Campus Approval Process: The academic programs website includes a drop box for each degree level. Within each drop box is the check list and appropriate downloadable UNC-GA forms required for completing steps I and III of the on-campus approval process. (The website also includes information on Step II, Curriculum Development.)
   
   
   • Bachelor’s and Master’s: Notification of Intent to Plan (Step I)
     Request for Authorization to Establish (Step III)
   • Doctoral and First-Professional: Request for Authorization to Plan (Step I)
     Request for Authorization to Establish (Step III)
     
     
   In addition to the forms referenced above, the following documents are submitted with the Request for Inclusion as well as with the planning and establishing documents required in the on-campus approval process.
   
   Assessing Readiness to offer New Degree Program and Faculty Information Sheets – A downloadable form is accessible in each degree-level drop box. Program planners may find it helpful to create two files from this download, one for assessing readiness and another for the faculty information sheets, which will be completed for each faculty member involved in planning or teaching the proposed program.
   
   Budget – A downloadable budget template is provided on the academic programs website.
   
   Academic Management Information Report (AMIR) – This report is available on the IPAR website. The statistics from the department proposing the new degree should be copied into a pdf for submission. More info in degree-level drop box.
   
   Space Notification – If the proposed program will require any new or modified space, program planners are to advise the Office of Campus Space Planning (in IPAR) via e-mail during step I of the on-campus approval process. That office will acknowledge receipt of the notification and that e-mail response should be retained for submission.
   
   Support Letters – Proposals must include letters of support from the department chair/director and dean of the unit proposed to offer the program.
   
   
2. In what format are program planning documents submitted?
   
   All documents are submitted electronically via e-mail. Hard copies are not accepted. Since the forms, and in all likelihood the faculty information sheets, will be updated as the proposal advances, it is recommended that these documents be submitted in MS Word format. It is very important that each time a document is revised, the revision date appear in the file and the file name changed to include that date. The AMIR, space notification e-mail, and any document containing signatures should be submitted as a pdf file.
   
   
3. Why is the assessing readiness form required when some of the information is redundant with that required on the GA forms?
   
   While the assessing readiness document does require some of the information included on the GA forms, it also requires additional information. Program planners should remember that the assessing readiness document does not leave the ECU campus, and that all pertinent information should be included on the appropriate GA form. Appropriate text may be cut and pasted between documents.
   
   

Document Completion

1. What is a CIP code and how is it determined?
   
   Each degree and certificate program is classified by a twelve-digit code from the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP), a schema that provides program definitions. The first two digits of the code indicate the discipline division. Digits three through six indicate the discipline specialty area, and seven through nine indicate the degree level. Digits nine through twelve are 000, unless there are two degrees in the academic program inventory with the same first nine digits or the degree includes a certification, licensure, or specialization area that requires tracking. In that event, the last three digits will be provided after the degree is approved by the Board of Governors. A drop box on the academic programs web site includes the link to the current CIP schema.
   
   
2. Is there a standardized list of degree titles and abbreviations from which to choose?
   
   No, there is not a standardized list of degree titles from which to choose. If program planners propose a degree abbreviation that has not been used previously in the UNC system, the proposal must include a justification for the acronym. The justification may include statements of support from the American Council on Education or the accrediting body of the proposed program or another professional group in the discipline. This support should be referenced in both the planning and establishing documents and a copy of the support letter provided.
   
   The degree title will be listed in the appropriate university catalog and all official university documents as approved by the Board of Governors. Diplomas will include the degree level and title and concentration area, if one was completed.
   
   
3. What is a “substantive change” by SACS standards?
   
   A substantive change as defined by SACS is a program that is offered at a higher level than those previously offered by the university, or more than 50 percent of the proposed program is offered by ECU on the campus of another institution. If a proposed program is beyond the current scope and mission of ECU, it may be considered as a substantive change (even if within the same CIP division as a currently offered program). The Office of Academic Programs (or Division of Continuing Studies if a DE offering) and the Academic Program Development Collaborative Team assists program planners in making this determination.
   
   
4. How are proposed dates for submitting planning and establishing documents and implementing the degree program determined?
   
   The check list for campus approval of each degree level will guide the program planners in determining these dates. The proposed establishment date should be one semester (or summer) prior to the semester in which student enrollment is anticipated. For assistance in determining these dates, contact the Office of Academic Programs.