Graduate Council

Graduate Curriculum Forms-Instructions

Graduate Curriculum Forms-Instructions

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ALL CURRICULA AND POLICY CHANGE REQUESTS

Graduate Council Curricular Change Requests

  1. All changes to the catalog regarding curriculum, degree requirements, admission requirements, and similar matters must be approved by the Graduate Council.
  2. Requests are due to the Graduate Council Chair in both electronic and hard copy on or before the first of the month. For example, to be on the October agenda, both the hard and electronic copy must be received by October 1. All documents must have the appropriate signatures.

 

  1. Departments developing courses should ensure:
    1. Proposed course number is not currently in use or somehow held back by the Registrar.
    2. Courses may not duplicate currently existing courses unless mandated by accreditation or a compelling rationale.
    3. If there is potential for confusion about duplication (e.g., an English course on children’s literature and Education course about children’s reading) the department must document that the substantive focus of the course be sufficiently different to warrant similarly sounding titles (e.g., a literary analysis of children’s literature from the perspective of current literary theories versus the methods and techniques to help children become effective readers).
    4. Item 2 on the Course Addition form includes a question about duplication. Please note that the notation of “n/a” is not sufficient information for the request to be reviewed and it will be returned. It is the responsibility of the proposing faculty to review the Graduate Catalog and contact any other college or department that may have a similar course prior to submitting the documents for a course addition. Evidence of this review and contact must be submitted with the Course Addition forms. (Please see below for a sample email.)
    5. Please note the sample email that can be sent from proposing faculty to the faculty of the department with a similar course:

The (Your Department) is proposing the addition of new courses in (Insert type of courses). The Course Addition forms and syllabi are attached. Since your college offers similar courses, we are sharing this information with you for your review. These Course Addition requests are currently being considered by the Graduate Council.

  • All documentation for additions and changes need to be written for professionals outside of the discipline. Please proofread/edit the documents prior to submission.
  • Course titles should be succinct and sufficiently general so as not to require frequent future revision.
  • Those proposing courses should attend the Graduate Council meeting when the proposed course is on the agenda since members of the committee often ask questions that can only be answered by someone familiar with the proposal. Some proposals are tabled due to a lack of representation.

Previous Instructions

Types of requests:

  • Course Addition, Deletion, Change
  • Intent to Plan (required first if New Degree Program request)
  • Degree Program Addition, Deletion, Change
  • Minor Addition, Deletion, Change
  • Area of Emphasis Addition, Deletion, Change
  • Graduate Certificate Addition, Deletion, Change
  • Everything else

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Select the form that meets your needs and read carefully to determine what supporting documents may be required.
  2. Save the blank form using the “Save as” function.
  3. Open the form using Adobe Acrobat Pro.
  4. Complete all fields on the form using “None” or “N/A” in those fields that do not apply.
  5. Proofread the form carefully.
  6. Save the form by “printing” to ADOBE PDF.  Select Print and choose ADOBE PDF as the printer.)  This will save it in a format that will allow you to merge it with other PDF documents.
  7. Please name the merged file with an appropriate identifier so the Graduate Council can tell from the file name what your request is.
    NOTE: How to combine multiple PDF files into a single file:  you can do this with Adobe Acrobat Pro. Open Acrobat Pro, click on Create and select Merge files into a single PDF from dropdown menu.
  8. Print one copy of the completed form and supporting materials on white paper and obtain all required signatures on this paper copy.
  9. Send form as below:
  • Via campus mail the paper copy with required signatures to
    Scott Davis, Chair of Graduate Council, School of Physical Therapy

PLEASE NOTE:

  • Use Change forms ONLY if the change is very minor—a corrected typo, a minor word change, etc. If the Change involves a substantial change– in title or description, for example—please use the Addition form to create a new course, area of emphasis, etc.
  • If you are proposing a new Degree Program, you must first submit an Intent to Plan form.
  • The only curriculum requests that must be approved by the Board of Governors are the Intent to Plan and the New Degree Program request.
  • A deleted course number may not be reused until 10 years after the deletion.
  • Changes in prerequisites do not require action by the Graduate Council.  If you wish to add, delete, change a course prerequisite email the request to the Registrar.
  • Moving a course to Inactive status (meaning you have not offered the course in the last 5 years), does not require Graduate Council action. Email the request with Chair and Dean approval to the Registrar. The course will be removed from your catalog listing of courses and can be reactivated by emailing the request with Chair and Dean approval to  the Registrar.

REVIEW PROCESS:

  • Graduate Council must receive requests the first day of the month before the next meeting in order to place the request on the agenda for that meeting.
  • Requests can be tabled, returned to the contact person with questions, or be recommended for approval to the University President (or Board of Governors if an Intent to Plan or New Degree program request).
  • When all approvals are obtained, all relevant Departments are notified.
  • Approved curricula change forms are sent to the Registrar (who inputs Banner codes for all new degree programs, minors, certificates, areas of emphasis and courses), and to the Graduate Catalog editor to update the catalog listing.
  • All original forms (paper copies) are archived in the Graduate College Office. Please call or email the office if you need a copy.

Updated 09/2022