UMass Boston

Substantial changes to undergraduate or graduate courses

For proposals for substantial changes to existing courses, originators must fill out the correct form in the Curriculog system, either:

• (uc1): UGRD Course Change – Substantial
• (gc1): GRD Course Change – Substantial

When filling out this form, please note that the top of the form, “under course change proposal” you are asked to check the boxes that apply to the changes you wish to make to the course. You must select all items that apply. If you indicate changes elsewhere on the form but have not checked the appropriate box at the top, the changes will not be made.

In addition to this form, originators need to upload the following supporting documents. Please follow the formatting for each document name and include a header that specifies the date of the file’s composition and page numbers. This will help keep track of any changes throughout the governance process.

1. <Course Name>–Course Change Rationale

A rationale for the proposal that includes:

• A description of the changes
• A rationale for the changes, including how they improve the course and impact students. If other departments/programs are involved (if the change is to add cross-listing to a course, for example), please explain how the instruction of the course will be shared between the departments (this has budget implications since faculty are assigned to departments and is necessary for Provost-level review).
• If the proposal should be considered as part of a group of related proposals, please indicate at the top of the documents which proposals should be considered together and why.

2. <Course Name>-<Department Name> Approval (if applicable)

If the proposal impacts other departments, please upload documentation from other departments/programs involved to confirm they approve the proposal. This is typically a copy of an email (see the crosslisting guidelines for more information).

New undergraduate or graduate courses

For proposals for new courses, originators must fill out the correct form in the Curriculog system, either:

• (uc3): UGRD Course New
• (gc3): GRD Course New

In addition to this form, originators need to upload the following supporting documents. Please follow the formatting for each document name and include a header that specifies the date of the file’s composition and page numbers. This will help keep track of any changes throughout the governance process.

1. <Course Name>–New Course Rationale

• A rationale for the new course that includes:
• A description of the reasons behind the proposal (the goals of the new course and how it fits into the department curriculum, for example).
• An explanation of how the course fits into the college curriculum, including connections with existing courses in other departments and/or possible points of overlap.
• An indication of how the course serves students (the significance of content or skills learned, its relationship to graduate, preprofessional, or vocational objectives, and/or how it relates to a given program of study, for example).
• If the proposal should be considered as part of a group of related proposals, please indicate at the top of the documents which proposals should be considered together and why.

2. <Course Name>–Syllabus

• A detailed syllabus that includes all required information (see the syllabus guidelines for more information)

3. <Course Name>-<Department Name> Approval (if applicable)

If the proposal impacts other departments, please upload documentation from other departments/programs involved to confirm they approve the proposal. This is typically a copy of an email (see the crosslisting guidelines for more information).

Simultaneous undergraduate-graduate courses

For simultaneous undergraduate-graduate courses, originators must create two proposals in Curriculog: one proposal with the new/existing graduate course number and information and one proposal with the new/existing undergraduate course number and information. Both proposals should be launched simultaneously. If the course already exists, use the forms for a substantial change to an existing UGRD/GRD course (uc1 and gc1); if the course does not already exist, use the forms for a new UGRD/GRD course (uc3 and gc3).

In addition to filling out the correct forms, please upload the following documents to both proposals. Please follow the formatting for each document name and include a header that specifies the date of the file’s composition and page numbers. This will help keep track of any changes throughout the governance process. The same syllabus and rationale should be used for both proposals.

1. <Course Name>–New Course Rationale

• A rationale for the new course that includes:
• A description of the reasons behind the proposal (the goals of the course and how it fits into the department curriculum, for example)
• An explanation of why the course is being proposed as a simultaneous undergraduate-graduate course
• An explanation of how the course fits into the college curriculum, including connections with existing courses and/or possible points of overlap
• An indication of how the course serve students (the significance of content or skills learned, its relationship to graduate, preprofessional, or vocational objectives, and/or how it relates to a given program of study, for example)

2. <Course Name>–Syllabus

• A detailed syllabus that includes all required information (see the syllabus guidelines for more information)
• A clear explanation of the different expectations for undergraduate and graduate students

Proposals will go through the undergraduate and graduate approvals processes, respectively.  Once both proposals are fully approved, the course can only be offered as a simultaneous undergraduate-graduate course.