New Programs

The Kansas Board of Regents and the Provost’s Office have established detailed guidelines that govern the process of creating new programs. All new program proposals fall into one of the following categories, each of which entails a specific proposal, review, and approval process:

  • New Degree Programs
  • New Degree Programs at Edwards Campus
  • New Joint Degree Programs
  • New Concentration (in an area without a Board-approved degree program)
  • New Concentration (in an area with a Board-approved degree program)
  • New Certificate*
  • New Track, Option, or Emphasis in an Existing Degree Program

The following is a step-by-step guide to the process for developing, submitting, and getting approval for a new program in the College.

Getting Started

In the College, any unit interested in proposing a new program must first schedule a meeting with their contact Associate Dean. The leadership of the unit should be aware and generally supportive of the program idea before scheduling a meeting with their Associate Dean. 

After the meeting with the Associate Dean, if the program idea is to be pursued, the next step is to complete a Pre-Proposal Inquiry Form (PPIF). This form will be provided to you by a member of the Dean's Office staff, upon request of the Associate Dean. 

New programs that contribute to the mission of the College will be prioritized based on the following:

  1. Increases new SCH for the College and does not simply move SCH between units in the College
  2. Avoids replication or redundancy with other existing programs.
  3. Has an interdisciplinary or cross-disciplinary focus
  4. Adds to the College Online program offerings and is marketable nation-wide (accepting proposals to move existing in-demand majors/degrees online)
  5. Professionally-oriented terminal masters degrees (online or in-person)
  6. Maximizes existing instructional resources and includes a program launch plan that does not initially require new resources

The PPIF is designed to support early consultation between the unit and the Dean’s Office about its program concept. This consultation is intended to help the unit strengthen the proposal, particularly in the areas of recruitment strategy and enrollment projections. This early consultation will also allow the College or the Dean's Office to avoid situations where the unit spends many hours of faculty time on program concepts that may not be viable and may not secure the Dean’s approval to proceed.

Units are encouraged to submit the PPIF only after they have gathered the necessary information. Units need not have every details of the curriculum worked out. Rather, the form requests a brief description of the program concept and information about resources needed, recruitment plans, enrollments projections, and the data collected to support those projections. 

When the unit's form is received, the College Dean's Office will follow up to either provide feedback from the Dean about improving the viability of your program idea, or if the Dean is supportive, provide more information about next steps. 

Provost Review

If the Dean's Office approves the PPIF, a member of the Dean's Office staff will submit it to the Provost's Office for review by the Academic Program Coordinating Committee (APCC). (The Provost's Office also maintains its own Pre-Proposal Inquiry Form for use by professional schools. It is NOT necessary to submit this form.) The APCC makes a recommendation to the Provost and the unit is notified of the outcome. If approved, the unit may now submit a full proposal. 

Proposal Submission

You will use the Curriculum Information Management (CIM) System to submit your new program proposal. Click on the Propose New Program button to begin. By selecting the correct option in the first three fields (Academic Career, Program Type, and Department), you can view all the fields that you will have to complete. Units are strongly encouraged to prepare initial proposal drafts in Word and send to either kjh@ku.edu (undergrad) or mswartz@ku.edu (graduate) for an initial review prior to CIM submission.

Once your proposal is received, it will be reviewed in its entirety by the relevant Dean’s Office staff, the Associate Deans, and the Dean. The focus of this review is on curricular coherence, adherence to university and college policy, and confirmation of program demand and financial viability. Although program demand and financial viability is reviewed at the pre-proposal stage, data related to enrollment projections and financial requirements of the program may be modified as the curriculum is developed, requiring a follow-up review in this area. If the proposal is approved by the Dean, it will begin the formal new program proposal review process.

New Program Proposal Review

The offices of CASS and COGA support departments throughout the proposal review process and usher proposals through the full workflow. The following information is provided for your information only.

The process and timeline for proposal review varies by program proposal type, but departments should anticipate anywhere from 2 to 3 months (for the final approval of new tracks/concentrations in an existing degree program) to 18 months (for approval of a new degree program). The following is an outline of the review steps for quick reference only.

  1. Review by the Provost's Office's Academic Program Coordinating Committee (APCC). The Provost’s Office notifies the unit as to whether or not the proposal received any comment and if it is approved to move forward.
  2. Review by College governance, including CUSA (undergraduate), CGS (graduate), and CAC. More information on these committees may be found on the Governance page of the Dean’s Office website. Departments are notified if further input is required and are given the opportunity to attend committee meetings if desired.
  3. A final review by the APCC in the Provost’s Office. For the most common proposal types, this is the final stage of approval. Please see the Provost’s Office Approval Levels page for more information.
  4. Review by Kansas Board of Regents. This step applies only to a select set of proposals for new degree programs. Please see the Provost’s Office Approval Levels page for more information. Please note that new doctoral degree programs must undergo a process of external review. This is organized during the final stages of review by the Kansas Board of Regents and typically adds several months to the timeline for approval.

Contacts in the Dean’s Office

The following individuals can answer general questions about new program development and help as you prepare to submit a PPIF:

  • Undergraduate programs – Karen Ledom kjh@ku.edu
  • Graduate programs – Morgan Swartzlander at mswartz@ku.edu
  • Questions about online program delivery or recruitment strategy, please reach out to your contact Associate Dean
  • Data requests for either undergraduate or graduate programs can be sent to clasdata@ku.edu

The College provides guidelines specific to the establishment and operation of Undergraduate Certificates. See more. The Office of Graduate Studies provides policies and guidelines specific to the establishment and operation of Graduate Certificate Programs. See more. Please note that while the policy requires that graduate certificates include a minimum 9 credit hours, the College strongly encourages a minimum of 12.