Policy 6-117: Undergraduate Emphases

Purpose and Scope‌

1. Purpose.

   This policy establishes requirements for undergraduate emphases

2. Scope.

   This policy applies to all academic units that offer undergraduate degrees.

‌Definitions‌

[reserved]

‌Policy‌

1. An emphasis is a program of study within an established major that enables a student to focus on a particular field within the major and is considered a credentialed academic program as described in Policy 6-500.

2. A declared emphasis shall appear on the student's transcript but not on their diploma.

3. In order to offer an emphasis, a major must require students to take a common set of core courses (the core) that provides the foundational knowledge upon which an emphasis builds.

   1. The core must require a student to complete a minimum of 12 or more semester credit hours.

   2. An emphasis must require a student to complete at least nine semester credit hours in addition to the core. Courses that are part of the core may not be considered part of an emphasis.

   3. A major must require a student to complete at least the minimum of semester credit hours required by Policy 6-101 Section.III.H.

4. If allowed by a department, students may be awarded up to two emphases within the same major.

5. A proposal for a new emphasis within an existing major must be approved by the curriculum committees of the department and the college that offers the major and the Undergraduate Council. An approved proposal for a new emphasis within an existing major shall be forwarded to the Academic Senate, Board of Trustees, Utah System of Higher Education, and the Northwest Commission on Colleges and University (NWCCU) as an information item, but does not require approval of those groups. If an emphasis is included as part of a proposed new major, the emphasis shall be considered as part of the approval process for the major, which is described in Policy 6-500.

6. Academic Units may describe collections of courses variously labeled as concentrations, specializations, tracks, etc. Unlike an emphasis, these are not considered credentialed academic programs, are not listed in the University Catalog, are not reviewed by the Office of Curriculum Management, and are not included in a student’s official record.

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   Sections IV- VII are for user information and are not subject to the approval of the Academic Senate or the Board of Trustees. The Institutional Policy Committee, the Policy Owner, or the Policy Officer may update these sections at any time.

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‌Policies/ Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms, and other Related Resources‌

1. Policies/ Rules. [ reserved ]

2. Procedures, Guidelines, and Forms.

3. Other Related Resources. [ reserved ]

‌References‌

1. Policy 6-100: Instruction and Evaluation

2. Policy 6-500: Curriculum Management and Administration

‌Contacts‌

The designated contact officials for this Regulation are:

1. Policy Owner(s) (primary contact person for questions and advice): Vice Provost for Student Success

2. Policy Officer(s): Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Senior Vice President for Health Sciences

   See Rule 1-001 for information about the roles and authority of policy owners and policy officers.

‌History‌

Revision History.

1. Current version. Revision 1

   1. Approved by the Academic Senate on March 2, 2025, and the Board of Trustees on March 11, 2025, with effective date of March 11, 2025.

   2. Legislative History

2. Previous versions.

   1. Revision 0. Effective date. October 27, 2008.

3. Renumbering

   1. Not applicable.