East Carolina University Faculty Manual

PART V.

ACADEMIC INFORMATION

 

III. Curriculum Development

Curriculum development is a faculty responsibility. Curriculum development in the academic affairs division is under the authority of the chancellor and the provost. Curriculum development in the health sciences division comes under the authority of the chancellor and the vice chancellor for health sciences. Actions that require the approval of the University of North Carolina Office of the President (OP) and the University of North Carolina Board of Governors (BOG) are indicated below.

 

A. Who May Initiate Curriculum Change?

Curriculum changes include planning and establishing new programs, changing a program’s name, moving programs, discontinuing programs, developing new courses and revising courses and degree requirements. These changes may be initiated, prepared and presented for review to all relevant ECU campus bodies by: 

 

1. The curriculum committee or faculty of the department or school that will house the program.

2. The department chairperson, school director or college dean of the department, school or college that will house the program.

3. The provost or the vice-chancellor of health sciences.

4. The chancellor.

 

B. Steps to follow, in order, in seeking campus approval to plan or establish new programs, change a program’s name, move programs or discontinue programs:

 

Obtain approval from the following:

1. Curriculum committee of the department or school in which a program will be or is housed  (for proposals to create new programs or to rename or discontinue existing programs) or curriculum committees of the departments or schools in which a program is housed and to which it may be moved (for proposals to move programs). Interdisciplinary programs will obtain approval of curriculum committees in each of the units that will or do support the program (for proposals to create new programs or to rename or discontinue existing programs) or the curriculum committees of the units that support the program and that may support the program (for proposals to move the program).

 

2. Voting faculty of the department or school in which a program will be or is housed  (for proposals to create new programs or to rename or discontinue existing programs) or voting faculty of the departments or schools in which a program is housed and to which it may be moved (for proposals to move programs) and the code unit voting faculty of the department(s) or school(s), if not identical with the department voting faculty.

 

3. Chairperson or director of the department or school in which a program will be or is housed  (for proposals to create new programs or to rename or discontinue existing programs) or chairpersons or directors of the departments or schools in which a program is housed and to which it may be moved (for proposals to move programs). 

 

4. Curriculum committee of the college in which a program will be or is housed  (for proposals to create new programs or to rename or discontinue existing programs) or curriculum committees of the colleges in which a program is housed and to which it may be moved (for proposals to move programs).

 

5. Dean of the college in which a program will be or is housed  (for proposals to create new programs or to rename or discontinue existing programs) or deans of the colleges in which a program is housed and to which it may be moved (for proposals to move programs).

 

6. Provost or the vice-chancellor for health sciences, as appropriate.

 

7. Academic Council.

 

8. Educational Policies and Planning Committee:

(a) for a Notice of Intent to Plan, a Request for Authorization to Plan a Degree Program or a Request for Authorization to Establish a Degree Program the Educational Policies and Planning Committee makes a recommend to the chancellor and reports its recommendation to the Faculty Senate.

(b) for a request to change the name of a program, move a program or discontinue a program, the Educational Policies and Planning Committee reports its recommendation to the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate reports its recommendation to the Chancellor.

 

9. Chancellor.

The chancellor shall, at his or her discretion, communicate to the OP his or her intention or request with respect to instructional program developments and changes whose implementation requires authorization by the OP and BOG.

 

Final approval of the Certificate of Advanced Studies rests with the chancellor, after he or she receives notification of approval of the program by the State Board of Education.  The chancellor of the institution then notifies the OP senior vice president for academic affairs of the approval of the Certificate of Advanced Studies.


C.
Program Development.

Program development is governed by policies and procedures of the OP. These policies and procedures are stated in OP Administrative Memorandum 406. Memorandum 406 can be found at the OP web site at http://intranet.northcarolina.edu/docs/aa/reports/plan_intent/Mem406.pdf.

 

To assist institutions preparing to plan new programs, OP Division of Academic Affairs provides a link to the CIP taxonomy (an up-to-date Academic Program Inventory for UNC institutions at http://www.northcarolina.edu/content.php/aa/index.htm. Institutions planning a new degree program will be expected to contact other institutions awarding the proposed degree during the planning process regarding their experience with program productivity (applicants, majors, job market, placement, etc.).

 

C-1. Kinds of Programs:

Degree Programs:

A degree program is a program of study in a discipline specialty that leads to a degree in that distinct specialty area at a particular level of instruction. All degree programs are categorized individually in the University's academic program inventory at the six-digit CIP code level. As a general rule, in order to be considered for degree program status, a course of study should require coursework in the proposed program area of at least: 27 semester hours at the undergraduate level; half the total hours required at the master’s level; 21 semester hours at the doctoral level. Anything less than this within an existing degree program should be designated a concentration, a decision that can be made at the campus level.

 

Although in general a discipline specialty is represented by a four-digit CIP, the level of disaggregation in some of the CIP codes is such that consultation through Academic Affairs with the appropriate staff person in the OP is recommended before submitting any request for a new degree program if there are any questions about its classification or categorization.

 

Certificate of Advanced Study Programs (C.A.S.):

These programs usually require one year of study beyond the master's degree and provide a higher level of licensure for public school teachers and administrators. The basic licensure requirements for public school teachers and administrators are defined by the State Board of Education. It is the policy of the Board of Governors to use the designation "Certificate of Advanced Study" with respect to all sixth-year programs established for public school personnel and to authorize no Ed.S. (Specialist in Education) degree programs beyond those now in existence.

 

Other Certificates:

These other certificates combine specific degree-credit courses at the graduate or undergraduate level to provide professional development for practitioners.

 

Teacher Licensure Areas (T.L.A.)

These are specific course clusters in approved teacher licensure areas which meet licensure requirements of the State Board of Education but do not lead to the conferral of a particular degree or a Certificate of Advanced Study. These may be at the entry level or advanced level of teacher licensure. When an institution receives authorization to offer a T.L.A. from the State Board of Education, the senior vice president for Academic Affairs should be notified. A current inventory of teacher licensure programs approved by the State Board of Education is available from the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction.

 

C-2. The Review Required for Creating Different Kinds of Programs:

Kinds of programs addressed herein: Minors and Concentrations, Certificates of Advanced Study and Other Certificate Programs, Baccalaureates and Master’s degrees, Doctoral degrees and First Professional degrees in law, education, dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and veterinary medicine. For the procedure to be followed by the body seeking to plan or establish one or more of the kinds of programs covered herein see the appropriate sub-section below and Section III.B, above.

 

For Strategic Planning, a letter of intent to plan a new program should be submitted to the provost or to the vice chancellor for health sciences, as appropriate, prior to preparing a Notice of Intent to Plan or a Request for Authorization to Plan a new program.

 

(i) Minors and concentrations:

(a) Campus approval is not required in order to plan.

(b) Campus review of the material presented in a proposal to establish a minor or concentration that states the requirements of and justification for the minor or concentration (see the steps listed in III.B, above). 

( c ) The authority to establish new minors and concentrations is delegated to the ECU chancellor by the OP.

 

(ii) Certificates of Advanced Studies or other certificate programs:

(a) Campus review and approval of the material presented in a Notice of Intent to Plan document (see Section C-3, below) is required prior to beginning to plan. To initiate campus review, follow the steps listed in Section III.B, above. Upon approval by the chancellor, a Notice of Intent to Plan is submitted to the OP. (See Administrative Memorandum 406, Appendix A.)

(b) Notification of intent to plan may be sent to the OP Division of Academic Affairs at any time but must be sent at least six months prior to the date of establishment.

(c) Authorization to establish new Certificates of Advanced Study is delegated to the chancellor, who should notify the OP senior vice president for Academic Affairs when the program has been approved by the State Board of Education and the date of program implementation established. The chancellor should also notify the senior vice president when other certificates (e.g., the combination of specific degree-credit courses to provide professional development for practitioners) are established, providing the title of the certificate and the title and level of courses included in the certificate.

 

(iii) Baccalaureate and Master’s programs:

(a) Campus review and approval of the material presented in a Notice of Intent to Plan document (see Section C-3, below) is required prior to beginning to plan. To initiate campus review, follow the steps listed in Section III.B, above. Upon approval by the chancellor, a Notice of Intent to Plan is submitted to the OP. (See Administrative Memorandum 406, Appendix A.)

(b) Notification of intent to plan may be sent to the OP Division of Academic Affairs at any time but must be sent at least six months prior to the proposed date of establishment. Following submission of the Notice of Intent to Plan to the OP, East Carolina University has one year to complete planning and to submit a request to the OP for authorization to establish the program. The Board of Governors receives semi-annual reports on programs being planned.

(c) Campus review and campus, OP and BOG approval of the material presented in a Request for Authorization to Establish a New Degree Program document is required prior to establishing a new baccalaureate or master’s program (see Section C-4, below, and OP Administrative Memorandum 406, Appendix C.). To initiate review, follow the steps listed in Section III.B, above. A request to establish a master’s or C.A.S. program also will be submitted to the Graduate Curriculum Committee and the Graduate School Administrative Board for approval. The Graduate Administrative Board may require an external review as part of its approval process.

(d) Upon approval by the chancellor, the chancellor notifies the OP senior vice president. The BOG has final statutory responsibility to authorize changes in the academic programs of the constituent institutions.

 

(iv) Doctoral and First Professional programs:

(a) Campus review and approval of the material presented in a Request for Authorization to Plan document is required prior to beginning to plan (see Section C-3, below and OP Administrative Memorandum 406, Appendix B). To initiate campus review, follow the steps listed in Section III.B, above. With the approval of the chancellor, a Request for Authorization to Plan may be submitted to the OP.

(b) Requests for authorization to plan may be submitted annually to the OP by a fixed date established by the OP senior vice president for Academic Affairs. Upon approval by the chancellor, the OP senior vice president receives the plan and the Board of Governors decides whether to grant authorization to plan. Following authorization to plan, East Carolina University will have two years to complete its planning and to submit a request to establish the proposed program. If the request to establish is not completed within this period, the campus may request a one-year extension. If the institution fails to submit a proposal within its allotted time, it must wait three years before resubmitting a request to plan that program. Similarly, if the request to plan is denied, the institution may not resubmit this request for three years. The Board of Governors receives semi-annual reports on programs being planned.

(c) Campus review and campus, OP and BOG approval of the material presented in a Request for Authorization to Establish a New Degree Program document is required prior establishing a new program (see Section C-4, below, and OP Administrative Memorandum 406, Appendix B.). To initiate review, follow the steps listed in Section III.B, above. A request to establish a doctoral or first professional program will be submitted to the Graduate Curriculum Committee and the Graduate School Administrative Board for approval. The Graduate Administrative Board may require an external review as part of its approval process.

(d) Upon approval by the chancellor, the chancellor notifies the senior vice president in the OP. The BOG has final statutory responsibility to authorize changes in the academic programs of the constituent institutions.

 

(v) New Degree Program Classified with the Same Six-Digit CIP Code as a Currently Authorized Program at the Same Level:

Requests for authorization to establish a new degree program that would be properly classified with the same six-digit CIP code as a currently authorized program at the same level, provided it will require no additional resources, may be made at any time by letter from the chancellor to the OP senior vice president for Academic Affairs. The review process is the same as listed in C-2(iv) immediately above. (See Section C-4, below, and OP Administrative Memorandum 406, Appendix D.)

 

Upon receipt of the notification of intent to plan or request for authorization to plan, the OP division of academic affairs will 1) acknowledge receipt of the notification; 2) provide any additional information not yet posted regarding location of similar programs; and 3) add this program-planning activity to a list that will be maintained by Academic Affairs and made accessible to all UNC institutions. All UNC institutions are expected to consult this list periodically to remain informed about programs being planned by other UNC institutions.

 

Authorization from the OP to plan a new degree program does not constitute a commitment on the part of the Board of Governors to approve a subsequent request to establish the program. Such authorization constitutes clearance for the institution to document and further justify the need and demand for the proposed program. After an institution receives authorization to establish a new degree program from the OP, it must submit two progress reports to the OP senior vice president. The first such report will cover the first one to two years of implementation, and the second report will cover the first three to four years of operation of the program. Both reports will include information on the extent to which an institution has met projected enrollments and degrees conferred and, if start-up funds were provided, will report on the readiness of the program to continue once start-up funds are discontinued (generally, at the end of the third year). These reports will be submitted as a part of the institution's biennial long-range planning submission.

 

C-3. The Notice of Intent to Plan and the Request for Authorization to Plan:

To request permission to plan a new program, a document entitled “Notice of Intent to Plan” is prepared for undergraduate, master’s, C.A.S. and other certificate programs (see OP Memorandum 406 Appendix A).  A document entitled Request for Authorization to Plan is prepared for doctoral and first professional degree programs (see OP Memorandum 406 Appendix B).   The appropriate document is submitted to the curriculum committee of the department in which the program will be housed. See section III.B, above, for a list of the steps to be followed when seeking campus approval of a request for permission to plan or a request for authorization to plan a new program. The Notice of Intent to Plan or Request for Authorization to Plan shall describe the proposed degree program and how it fits into the institution’s mission and strategic plan.  This document shall present a justification for the program’s duplication of other programs if similar programs already exist in the UNC system.

 

A Notice of Intent to Plan or Request for Authorization to Plan document shall include all information requested by the OP as well as evidence that the planned degree activity is a priority in the unit’s strategic/operational plan, the relevant school and college strategic plan, the appropriate division strategic plan (academic affairs or health sciences), and the ECU strategic plan.  In addition, preliminary budget projections must indicate that the proposed program will generate at least enough student credit hours to support itself or explain how it will generate additional non-enrollment based resources to cover the balance needed to support the program.  Finally, the document shall include evidence that the administrators of other academic and administrative units that may be affected by the implementation of the new program have been consulted.  These administrators include, but are not limited to, department chairs, school directors and college deans, the library director(s) (Joyner and/or Laupus), the director of information technology and computing services, and the director of planning and institutional research.  If the request is for a post-baccalaureate program, additional information may be required by the Graduate School Administrative Board.

 

C-4. The Request for Authorization to Establish:

After the Notification of Intent to Plan  has been filed with the OP or when the OP grants a Request for Authorization to Plan, the provost will advise the group responsible for the Notice of Intent to Plan or for the Request for Authorization to Plan to create a proposal requesting authorization to establish the new degree program (excepting minors, concentrations and C.A.S. programs, none of which requires OP approval). The proposal shall address the following concerns: program description, program justification, projected enrollment, degree requirements, faculty required to deliver the program, library resources required, facility resources required, and budget resources required to deliver the program. Budget projections must indicate that the proposed program will generate enough student credit hours to support itself or explain how it will generate additional non-enrollment based resources to support itself.

 

In general, the OP expects that funding to support new degree programs will be provided through a combination of internal reallocations, enrollment increase funds, and external grants. Where appropriate (i.e., in cases where there is convincing evidence of potential for program success if initial support is provided) and when central funds are available, start-up funds may be provided, generally for no more than three years, with the expectation that the program will ultimately be self-sustaining and the start-up funds will be returned and recycled for the use of other UNC programs. In cases where the allocation of start-up funds is appropriate but they are not immediately available, recommendation from the OP of approval of the program may be delayed until such funds are available.

 

The persons responsible for creating the proposal requesting permission to establish a new program shall consult with the administrators of other academic and administrative units that may be affected by the implementation of the new program.  These administrators include, but are not limited to, department chairs, school directors and college deans, the library director(s) (Joyner and/or Laupus), the director of information technology and computing services, and the director of planning and institutional research. A record of the outcome of said consultations will be included in the proposal. 

 

If the request is for a post-baccalaureate program, additional information may be required by the Graduate School Administrative Board.  In addition to submitting the proposal to establish a new degree program for approval, the proposed degree requirements and any new and/or revised courses must be submitted to the appropriate curriculum committees for approval.

 

Requests for authorization to establish a new degree program that would be properly classified with the same six-digit CIP code as a currently authorized program at the same level, provided it will require no additional resources, may be made at any time by letter from the chancellor to the senior vice president for Academic Affairs. (This category of program is comparable to what was formerly called a "track." To avoid the confusion that prevailed in the past over this designation, that term will no longer be used. However, programs with the characteristics of a track [e.g., a common "core" of courses shared with the other program in that CIP code, but differentiating by as much as 27 s.h. (baccalaureate) or 50 percent (graduate)] may be authorized by the senior vice president.) A copy of the curriculum of the current degree program should be submitted along with the curriculum of the proposed new degree program. It should be consistent with the guidelines for the number of semester hours in the program area (OP Administrative memorandum 406, Appendix C, Section 3). The format for requesting authorization to establish a new degree program in the same area as a previously authorized degree program is included in Appendix D of Administrative memorandum 406.

 

D. Changes to Existing Programs.

 

D-1. Request for authorization to change the name or title of an existing program.

 (i) The campus review of a request to change a name or title of a degree program follows the steps in Section III.B, above.

(ii) Upon approval by the chancellor, the chancellor notifies the senior vice president in the OP. The BOG has final authority to authorize a change in the name or title of a degree program.

 

D-2. Moving an Academic Degree or Certificate Program

 (i) The review of a request to move a program follows the steps in Section III.B, above.

(ii) After the request for authorization to move a degree program goes through the campus review procedures and is approved by the chancellor, the chancellor notifies the OP senior vice president.

 

D-3. Discontinuation of an Academic Degree or Certificate Program

Recommendations to discontinue initiated on campus (see III.A, above) follow the procedures in (a), below. Recommendations to discontinue a program identified by the BOG as failing to meet its productivity criteria follow the procedures in (b) below.

 

(a) Discontinuation recommendation initiated on campus:

(i) The review of a request to discontinue a degree program follows the steps in Section III.B, above.

(ii) After the request for authorization to discontinue a degree program goes through the campus review procedures and is approved by the chancellor, the chancellor notifies the senior vice president in the Office of the President.

(iii) Requests for authorization to discontinue a degree program may be made by letter from the chancellor to the OP senior vice president at any time, giving the effective date of discontinuation and explaining the reason for the request. The senior vice president will request the concurrence of the Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs and (through it) the approval of the Board of Governors. Students enrolled in discontinued degree programs must be allowed to complete their courses of study within a reasonable period of time. Notice of discontinuation of C.A.S. programs or other certificates may be submitted to the senior vice president for Academic Affairs at any time. The party initiating the request to discontinue a program will prepare a statement of justification.

(b) Discontinuation recommendation resulting from BOG low productivity review:

(1) Review Criteria:

As part of its preparations for revision of the UNC BOG, Plan the Office of the President conducts a review of academic program productivity. This review is conducted in the spring of odd-numbered years. The Guidelines and Criteria used by the OP to identify programs with low productivity are as follows:

(i) Bachelor's degree programs: the number of degrees awarded in the last two years is 19 or fewer -- unless upper division enrollment in the most recent years exceeds 25, or degrees awarded in the most recent year exceeds 10.

(ii) Terminal master's degrees: the number of degrees awarded in the last two years is 15 or fewer -- unless enrollment in the most recent years exceeds 9. Ed.S. and CAS programs: the number of certificates awarded in the last two years is 15 or fewer -- unless enrollment in the most recent year exceeds 9.

(iii) Doctoral degree programs: the number of degrees awarded in the last two years is 5 or fewer -- unless enrollment in the most recent year exceeds 18, or the number of degrees awarded in the most recent year exceeds 2.

 

(2) Review Procedures:

(i) Notification of the programs to be reviewed usually occurs in February of odd-numbered years with the full campus response being due to OP in mid-May.

(ii) Once the campus is notified that a program needs be reviewed at the system level, the administrator of the unit housing the program is asked to prepare a response to the low productivity notification.

(iii) The faculty associated with the program shall be consulted by the unit administrator in preparing the response.

(iv) The response is forwarded to the provost or to the vice chancellor for health sciences, as appropriate.

(v) If a decision is made by the provost or to the vice chancellor for health sciences to discontinue a program, the response and the justification for the decision is forwarded to the Educational Policies and Planning Committee.

(vi) The Educational Policies and Planning Committee makes a recommendation to the chancellor and reports its recommendation to the Faculty Senate. 

(vii) The chancellor shall communicate to the OP his or her recommendation with regard to any program whose discontinuation requires OP and  BOG authorization.

 

E.   Development of New Courses and Revision of Courses and Degree Program Requirements

Recommendations for new courses, course revisions, changes in degree requirements, new and revised degree concentrations/options, academic concentrations, changes in admission requirements to degree programs, creation, deletion or revisions to minors and honors courses and programs may originate in the various departments, schools and colleges, within interdepartmental committees, or at the dean or provost level.

 

Undergraduate programs and courses (numbered 4999 and below) require approval by the following: code unit curriculum committee and voting faculty, the college or school curriculum committee (if the college or school is not the code unit and has a curriculum committee), the University Curriculum Committee, the Faculty Senate, the provost or the vice-chancellor for health sciences, as appropriate, and the chancellor.  If general education credit is requested for a course outside a currently approved general education prefix area, a recommendation from the Academic Standards Committee is required prior to submission of the request to the University Curriculum Committee. The Council on Teacher Education should approve new or revised teacher education degrees or courses prior to their submission to the college or school curriculum committee.

 

Graduate programs and courses (numbered 5000 and above) require review by the following: code unit graduate curriculum committee, the Graduate Curriculum Committee, the Graduate Administrative Board, the provost or the vice-chancellor for health sciences, as appropriate, and the chancellor.

 

(Faculty Senate Resolution #03-29, April 2003)

 

(Editorially revised Section III.B. October 2003)