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 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 Minor
  • New Certificate*

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

*Currently the Provost’s Office is limiting approval for new graduate certificate proposals to those that lead to licensure or that otherwise meet gainful employment regulations to qualify for Federal Financial Aid.  The College is not currently accepting proposals for new undergraduate certificates.

College Criteria for Consideration of New Programs

The College is currently only considering new programs that contribute to our mission in one or more of the following ways:

  1. Increases new student credit hours (SCH) for the College and does not simply move SCH between departments/programs in the College; provide data supporting the demand or potential growth in SCH.
  2. Avoids replication or redundancy with other existing programs in the College or schools at the KU Lawrence or Edwards campus.
  3. Adds to the College Online degree program offerings and is marketable nation-wide; provide data supporting the demand or potential for SCH.
  4. Professionally-oriented (i.e. coursework only or other non-thesis final project) terminal masters degrees (online or in-person) intended for students who will fund their own study.

The College will also be looking for evidence of the following:

  • The program maximizes existing instructional resources and includes a program launch plan that does not initially require new resources.
  • The department/program has a record of efficiently managing instructional resources for existing programs. 

The Proposal Process

Step 1 - Getting Started

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

Undergraduate Programs

In the College, any department/program interested in proposing a new program must first meet with the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and the Assistant Dean for College Undergraduate Academic Services to discuss program details and potential for success based on the College’s prioritization of new programs and expectations of the Provost’s Office.  The leadership of the department/program should be aware and supportive of the program idea before scheduling the meeting.

After the meeting with the Associate Dean and Assistant Dean, if there are no other questions or information needed, the department/program will be notified (with a copy of all correspondence to the College Governance Coordinator), of approval to proceed with submission of the Preproposal in the CIM system. The Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and the Assistant Dean for College Undergraduate Academic Services will provide guidance on the completion of the form and process overall. 

Graduate Programs

In the College, any department/program interested in proposing a new program must first meet with the Director of College Office of Graduate Affairs (COGA) to discuss program details and potential for success based on the College’s prioritization of new programs and expectations of the Provost’s Office.  The leadership of the department/program should be aware and supportive of the program idea before scheduling the meeting.

If there is no additional information needed and the program idea is to be pursued, the COGA Director will recommend and schedule a meeting with the department/program contact, and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to further discuss the viability of the proposal. If there are no other questions or information, the department/program will be notified (with a copy of all correspondence to the College Governance Coordinator), of approval to proceed with submission of the preproposal in the CIM system. The COGA Director will provide guidance on the completion of the form and process overall. 

Step 2 – New Program Form Submission

Departments/Programs should submit the new program proposal form in CIM after they have had a consultation with the Dean’s Office leadership and have gathered the necessary information. At this stage, departments/programs should, especially at the undergraduate level, include a rough draft of curriculum specifics as an attachment to the preproposal form. The preproposal 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. 

The Curriculum Information Management (CIM) System is the system used to submit the new program preproposal form to begin the formal consideration process. Note that for graduate programs, your assigned graduate program coordinator must be the one to submit the form on the department/program’s behalf.  Click on the Propose New Program button to begin. By selecting the correct option in the following three fields (Academic Career, Program Type, and Unit), you can view all the fields that you will have to complete.

During this stage, revisions may be requested by the COGA Director (for graduate programs), the Assistant Dean for CUAS (for undergraduate programs) and/or Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, aimed at strengthening the proposal or clarifying information for readers outside the discipline. 

 The final draft of the preproposal form will then be taken to the College Executive Committee for review. The review will conclude with a determination of one of the following outcomes:

  1. The Committee will approve the preproposal and will advance the preproposal to APCC for a first read.
  2. The Committee will provide feedback about improving the viability of your program idea.
  3. The Committee will not approve the preproposal. In this case, the program idea does not proceed.

Step 3 – Development of Assessment Materials

While assessment materials are not required at this stage, it is strongly recommended that fully developed assessment materials be submitted as an attachment when submitting the preproposal form.  APCC coordinates with the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) to provide feedback at this stage so that the department/program can integrate feedback and submit updated materials with the APCC second read, at which time they are required.

A complete assessment package includes:

  1. learning outcomes
  2. a curricular map
  3. an assessment plan

For more information, see the CTE’s Assessment of Learning page, which includes resources and guides for each of these materials. If you have any questions about the assessment materials, please email the CTE, cte@ku.edu.

If a department/program needs assistance developing a degree level assessment plan, the Center for Teaching Excellence has assessment specialists who can provide consultation. 

Step 4 – Academic Program Coordinating Committee (APCC) First Read

Approved preproposal forms will be advanced to the Academic Program Coordinating Committee by a member of the Dean's Office staff. The preproposal will receive a first read. APCC does not vote on the proposal at this time, rather the purpose of the first read is to consider the merits of the proposal from a university-wide perspective, taking into consideration factors such as viability, marketability, recruitment strategies, and fit with mission. APCC will also assess any potential redundancies, duplication or competition with other existing programs. APCC will provide feedback to the department/program based on these considerations. This feedback should be considered, addressed and integrated into the full proposal.  

Following APCC’s first read, CTE will also provide feedback on the assessment materials. This feedback must be considered, addressed and integrated into the full proposal in advance of the full proposal submission.  

Step 5 – Full Proposal Submission

After APCC first read, the proposal will be routed back to the original submitter via the CIM system to complete the additional fields and attach the learning outcomes, curricular map, and assessment plan (if not already provided with the preproposal step). At this stage the proposal includes fields for the degree requirements and course grid that will be published in the catalog. Once completed, the department/program will advance the proposal forward in the CIM system for College Governance review.

Step 6 – New Program Proposal Review

The offices of College Undergraduate Academic Services (CUAS) and College Office of Graduate Affairs (COGA) support departments/programs throughout the proposal review process and usher proposals through the full workflow. 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 are reviewed at the preproposal 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. 

College governance will review the proposal (the Committee on Undergraduate Studies and Advising (CUSA) for undergraduate programs and the Committee on Graduate Studies (CGS) for graduate programs). More information on these committees may be found on the Governance page of the Dean’s Office website. Departments/Programs are notified by the College Governance Coordinator if further input is required and are given the opportunity to attend committee meetings if desired.

Step 7 – Academic Program Coordinating Committee (APCC) Second Read

If a new program proposal is approved by College Governance, it will be advanced to APCC for a second read.

After conducting a second read of the proposal, APCC members will vote on the proposal. The committee’s recommendation will be provided to the Provost’s Office. For the most common proposal types, this is the last stage of approval at KU. 

If the new program is approved by the Provost’s Office, a department/program must complete the Kansas Board of Regents Program Approval Form, which will be submitted to the Kansas Board of Regents by the Provost’s Office for final approval. This step applies 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.

Important Tips for Preparing New Program Proposals

1. The process and timeline for proposal review varies by program proposal type, but the department/program should anticipate anywhere from 3 months (for the final approval of new concentrations in an existing degree program) to 18 months (for approval of a new degree program). 

2. Departments/Programs have twelve months to complete the review process with APCC, which includes a first and second read. If a department/program does not submit its proposal and assessment materials for a second read within twelve months from first submission, the department/program must re-submit the proposal for a first read. 

Contacts in the Dean’s Office

For questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the following:

Undergraduate Programs:

  • Karen Ledom, kjh@ku.edu – Questions about initial steps, degree requirements, curriculum development (in conjunction with AD), related policies.
  • Alesha Doan, adoan@ku.edu – Questions about new program development (residential and online), curriculum development, recruitment strategies
  • CLAS Data Team, clasdata@ku.edu – data requests to support metrics and other information required in the forms
  • Rachel Decorie, rdecorie@ku.edu – Questions or assistance with the CIM system; or overall governance approval process

Graduate Programs:

  • Morgan Swartzlander, mswartz@ku.edu – Questions about initial steps, degree requirements, culminating effort (e.g. capstone, final exam thesis, etc.), recruitment strategies, and advising model (i.e. staff support from COGA or from Jayhawk Academic Advising).
  • Alesha Doan, adoan@ku.edu – Questions about new program and curriculum development (residential and online)
  • Departments/Programs assigned Graduate Program Coordinator – Assistance with all graduate program proposals in the CIM system; or to follow up on the current status of any submitted proposal.
  • Rachel Decorie, rdecorie@ku.edu – Questions or assistance with the CIM system; or overall governance approval process
  • CLAS Data Team, clasdata@ku.edu – data requests to support metrics and other information required in the forms.

 

Approval Checklists