New Programs

Effective April 2020 and until further notice, the College is not reviewing any proposals for new academic programs.  This includes undergraduate and graduate and all program types.  Please contact Karen Ledom kjh@ku.edu (undergraduate) or Kristine Latta klatta@ku.edu (graduate) with any questions.    

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, all departments and programs interested in proposing a new program must first complete a Pre-Proposal Inquiry Form (PPIF).  This electronic form will automatically route to the relevant Dean’s Office staff, who will review the information and set up a meeting to further discuss your program idea.

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

Departments and programs are encouraged to submit the PPIF as soon as they’ve gathered the necessary information.  You may preview the form by following the link above and logging in with your KU ID.  Departments need not have every detail of the curriculum worked out.  Rather, the form requests a brief description of the program concept, and information about resources needed, recruitment plans, enrollment projections, and the data you’ve gathered to support those projections.  

When your form is received, you will be contacted by the relevant staff person in the Dean’s office to set up a meeting to discuss your idea.  After this meeting, we 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 submitting a 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.  Departments are strongly encouraged to prepare initial proposal drafts in Word  and send to either kjh@ku.edu (undergrad) or klatta@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 Dean of AISS, 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 Provost's website provides an overview of each of the program types--including the process, expected timeline, and the University and KBOR approvals required for each proposal type.  The following is an outline of the review steps for quick reference only. 

1. Review by the Provost’s Office, with distribution to the Deans of all other KU Schools for campus vetting.  The Provost’s Office notifies the department 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. Review by the Academic Affairs Committee 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 – Kristine Latta klatta@ku.edu
• Questions about online program delivery or recruitment strategy – Sam Montague – smontag@ku.edu
• Data requests for either undergraduate or graduate programs –clasdata@ku.edu

You can also reach out to Holly Storkel, Associate Dean for Academic Innovation and Student Success: hstorkel@ku.edu

The College provides guidelines specific to the establishment and operation of Undergraduate Certificates. Click here to read more.  The Office of Graduate Studies provides policies and guidelines specific to the establishment and operation of Graduate Certificate Programs Click here to read 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.