East
Carolina University Faculty Manual
PART
V.
ACADEMIC
INFORMATION
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.
(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.
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)