Policy 6-225: Graduate Emphases

Purpose and Scope‌

1. Purpose.

   This policy establishes requirements for graduate degree emphases.

2. Scope.

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

‌Definitions‌

[reserved]

‌Policy‌

1. A graduate emphasis is a program of study within an established degree program that enables a student to focus on a particular field within the degree

   program. A graduate emphasis must build upon a common set of knowledge or courses taken at either the undergraduate or graduate level.

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

3. A proposal for a new emphasis within an existing degree program must be approved by the curriculum committees of the department and the college that offers the degree program and the Graduate Council. An approved proposal for a new emphasis within an existing degree program 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 degree program, the emphasis shall be considered as part of the approval process for the degree program, which is described in Policy 6-500.

4. 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.

   1. Guidelines for Proposals for Graduate Emphases

3. Other Related Resources. [ reserved ]

‌References‌

1. 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): Dean of the Graduate School

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 3, 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. November 9, 2010.

3. Renumbering

   1. Not applicable.