Undergraduate Course
Propose a new undergraduate course or change(s) to an existing undergraduate course, with the exception of the actions described separately elsewhere (the fulfillment of Diversity requirements, Distribution II requirements, First Year Seminar or Intermediate Seminar requirements, or the Quantitative Reasoning requirement).
Click here to see a flowchart overview of the process.
Click here to see contact information for persons involved in collegiate / university One Form review.
Proposals are reviewed to ensure coherence in course offerings at three levels: the department, the college, and the university. The process, the key contact person(s), and the time required for each stage are described below.
In general, the proposal of a new course and the proposal of a course change (aside from the exceptions noted above) follow the same procedure. However, in the case of a proposal to alter course features (content, title, number, description, evaluation, level, pre-/co-requisites, teaching method, credit hours, etc.), a syllabus is not in every instance required. For example, a syllabus is unnecessary if the wording of the course title is to be changed without a substantial alteration in the course. In every case of alteration, however, the nature of change and the reason for the change should be made clear. When the One Form is used to reactivate a course that has not been offered for more than five years, a syllabus is required. If substantial changes are made, submitting the proposal as a new course is more appropriate than reactivation.
The Process:
The process begins when a faculty member completes the one form and the one form resources supplement, gathers the necessary additional materials, and submits the proposal for review. (For assistance, see the directions on the form and the line by line directions in the menu to the left.) The review stages vary by department; some may require submission to a departmental curriculum committee or to the entire department before the proposal can be approved by the chair.
The Contact Person(s)
Ultimately, the department chair’s signature indicates department approval, so the department chair is the key contact person for questions about this stage. Note: cross-listing a course requires the approval of each listed department.
The Schedule:
This stage of approval requires different amounts of time in different departments, because the approval process varies. Most departments hold faculty meetings, with an agenda set by the chair or an executive committee at a prior meeting, on a monthly basis during the Fall and Spring terms, so if approval of the entire department is needed, a review can take 1-2 months.
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Collegiate Review
The Process:
Two bodies are involved in the review of course offerings in the College of Liberal Arts: the CLA Senate, which ensures consistency in the College, and the Academic Affairs Committee, which ensures consistency across the CLA and the CSM. Note: this college-level Academic Affairs Committee (AAC hereafter) should not be confused with the Faculty Council's Academic Affairs Committee, which presides over affairs at the university level. The process begins when an editable word file of the proposal and a hard copy with the department chair’s signature are given to the AAC Chair. Some departments expect the faculty member originating the proposal to take this step; in others, the chair submits all approved proposals on a monthly basis. In either case, the AAC Chair communicates with the faculty originator (named in the first box on the form) concerning any necessary changes spotted during the AAC’s review. If the proposal secures AAC approval, the AAC Chair notifies the faculty originator and gives the materials to the Dean’s Office for review by the Senate. The Senate Moderator and the Senate Executive Committee (hereafter, SEC) review all submissions for inclusion in the Senate agenda. The SEC may communicate with the AAC and the faculty originator about any necessary changes before adding the proposal to the Senate agenda for consideration by senators from every CLA department. Senators typically receive the agenda and materials for review one week prior to the meeting, and each department’s senator notifies the faculty of their department when their proposals will be reviewed. The Senate meetings are open, and the faculty members whose proposals are under review may attend, but typically the AAC Chair answers any questions from senators pertaining to the proposal, often with support from the relevant department’s senator. Each senator notifies the faculty originator of a proposal from his/her department of any needed changes and/or the proposal's approval. The CLA Dean attends Senate meetings, so the Dean’s approval is typically given very shortly after Senate approval, although the Dean may contact the faculty originator about changes before confirming collegiate approval.
The Contact Person(s)
The AAC Chair and the Senate Moderator are the key contact persons for questions about this stage. The CLA’s Assistant Dean for Personnel circulates Senate materials and is therefore also an important contact.
The Schedule:
Both the AAC and the CLA Senate meet on a monthly basis during the Fall and Spring terms, so a review can take 2-4 months, depending on the timing of meetings. Typically, a proposal reaches the Senate agenda in the month following submission to the AAC, although the process may take longer if the AAC, SEC, or Senate needs to recommend significant changes before approval, or if an unusual amount of proposals are received in any given month.
The Process:
To ensure that undergraduate course offerings are consistent across the university, proposals approved by the CLA are reviewed by the Associate VP for Undergraduate Studies and confirmed by the Provost. The process begins when the CLA’s Assistant Dean of Personnel and Scheduling sends the approved proposal, as an editable word file and in paper form with signatures, to the Associate VP for Undergraduate Studies, who contacts the faculty originator about any necessary changes. If the Associate VP for Undergraduate Studies approves the proposal, the proposal is sent to the Provost. If the Provost confirms the approval, the fully approved course/course change is sent to the Registrar to be entered into the WISER system, so it can be scheduled. The Provost’s office simultaneously sends the fully approved proposal to the Office of Government Relations and Public Affairs to be added to the next iteration of the printed course catalogue (released on 3-year cycles). The CLA Dean’s Office receives notice of the full approval and notifies the faculty originator.
The Contact Person(s)
The Associate VP for Undergraduate Studies is the key contact person for questions about this stage. The CLA’s Assistant Dean for Personnel passes on Senate materials to the Associate VP and receives notice of final approvals and is therefore also an important contact.
The Schedule
Typically, university review is completed within three weeks of CLA Senate approval, although the process may take longer if the Associate VP for Undergraduate Studies needs to recommend significant changes before approval, or if an unusual amount of proposals are received in any given month.
