UMass Boston

Registrar

Campus Center, 4th Floor
UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
registrar@umb.edu



Phone:  617.287.6200

Is my proposal superficial or substantial?

Proposals are only required for changes to WISER course numbers, titles, and descriptions. Changes to the syllabus for a specific course should be discussed with departments and programs, as appropriate, but they do not require approval through the governance system.

Most proposals related to changes to existing courses and programs fall into one of two broad categories: superficial or substantial. There are a handful of other types of proposal that fall outside of this distinction. These types of proposals are for performing very specific tasks. You can read more about them in the sections related to other types of proposals that do and other types of proposals that do not require governance review.

The difference between superficial and substantial proposals

Superficial proposals are proposals for very small changes to existing WISER course titles or descriptions that do not impact their meaning, student experience, or other courses or programs at UMB. The idea behind the “superficial” category for proposals is that it offers a way for faculty to quickly and easily make small changes to courses and programs that are not meaningful enough to warrant any review. Superficial proposals have an expedited review process and are usually completed within two weeks. However, very few proposals are superficial.

Substantial proposals are much more common. All proposals for new courses or programs are automatically substantial (there is no superficial option for creating a new course or program). Most changes to existing courses and programs are also substantial, which means they need to be reviewed by several different groups of faculty before they can be implemented. Exactly who needs to review a proposal and how long the approval process typically takes depends on the type of proposal.

The general guideline in deciding whether a proposal is superficial or substantial is whether or not the proposed change alters the nature of a course or a program or a student’s experience within that course or program. In some cases, what may appear as a very superficial change at the department level actually creates a more substantial change for students in terms of their degree audit and catalog year. Please use the following guide to help determine if your proposal is superficial or substantial. If you are still unsure whether your proposal is superficial or substantial, you should consult with your department/program chair and/or your school/college Senate chair. Alternatively, you can ask your college/school Curriculog representative. Collectively, they should help you to determine whether your proposal is superficial or substantial.

 

Should I use a superficial or a substantial form?

 

For proposals related to changes to existing courses:

 

If you want to…

Then use this form…

Course Action

Undergraduate form

Graduate form

Fix typos or errors in a WISER course title or description.

uc2 UGRD Course Change – Superficial

gc2 GRAD Course Change – Superficial

Update terms in a WISER course title or description to reflect current nomenclature.

uc2 UGRD Course Change – Superficial

gc2 GRAD Course Change – Superficial

Change a WISER course title.

uc1 UGRD Course Change – Substantial

gc1 GRAD Course Change – Substantial

Line-edit a WISER course description so that it is more concise or clear but does not change how the course is described.

uc2 UGRD Course Change – Superficial

uc2 UGRD Course Change – Superficial

Edit a WISER course description so that it changes how the course is described.

uc1 UGRD Course Change – Substantial

gc1 GRD Course Change – Substantial

Change a course number when the first digit stays the same (from 110 to 120, for example).

uc2 UGRD Course Change – Superficial

uc2 UGRD Course Change – Superficial

Change a course number so that it moves to a different level ( from 101 to 201, for example).

uc1 UGRD Course Change – Substantial

gc1 GRD Course Change – Substantial

Cross-list a course.

uc1 UGRD Course Change – Substantial

gc1 GRD Course Change – Substantial

Change how many credits a course is worth.

uc1 UGRD Course Change – Substantial

gc1 GRD Course Change – Substantial

Add or remove pre-requisites for a course.

uc1 UGRD Course Change – Substantial

gc1 GRD Course Change – Substantial

 

For proposals related to changes to existing programs:

 

If you want to…

Then use this form…

Program Action

Undergraduate form

Graduate form

Add already existing courses to an already existing program of study.

up2 UGRD Program Change – Superficial

gp2 GRAD Program Change – Superficial

Change what counts for an elective option within an existing program of study.

up2 UGRD Program Change – Superficial

gp2 GRAD Program Change – Superficial

Change the number of courses in an existing program of study.

 

up1 UGRD Program Change – Substantial

gp1 GRAD Program Change – Substantial

Add or removing course requirements for an existing program of study.

 

up1 UGRD Program Change – Substantial

gp1 GRAD Program Change – Substantial

Change course level restrictions within an existing  program of study ( for example, change the limits on the number of 100-level courses a student can take).

up1 UGRD Program Change – Substantial

gp1 GRAD Program Change – Substantial

Change the number of transfer credits allowed to count towards an existing program of study.

 

up1 UGRD Program Change – Substantial

gp1 GRAD Program Change – Substantial

Change the residency requirements for an existing program of study.

 

up1 UGRD Program Change – Substantial

gp1 GRAD Program Change – Substantial

Change how many credits can be accepted as internship, independent study, and/or honors within an existing program of study.

up1 UGRD Program Change – Substantial

gp1 GRAD Program Change – Substantial

Change how many times a course can be taken for credit within an existing program of study.

up1 UGRD Program Change – Substantial

gp1 GRAD Program Change – Substantial

Change grading options in an existing program of study. This includes:

o   Changing whether or not a course can be taken pass/fail

o   Changing how many courses can be taken pass/fail

o   Changing the minimum grade requirement needed for a course to count

o   Changing the minimum GPA required to graduate

up1 UGRD Program Change – Substantial

gp1 GRAD Program Change – Substantial

 

 

Registrar

Campus Center, 4th Floor
UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
registrar@umb.edu



Phone:  617.287.6200