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Policy 6-500 Curriculum Management and Administration.

Revision 0. Effective Date July 1, 2017

 

  1. Purpose and Scope

    1. Purpose: To give an overview of how the curriculum of the University is managed by academic units and administered through the Office of Curriculum Administration; how credit-bearing courses are created, modified and deleted; how credentialed academic programs are created, modified, discontinued, and enter/leave suspension and dormancy; how the programs of study that comprise credentialed academic programs are modified; how online and distance delivery of credentialed academic programs are defined and approved; how extended programs are established.

    2. Scope: This Policy applies to all academic units of the University offering any credit-bearing course or any credentialed academic program, and to all of the University’s bodies and offices with responsibilities for administering the University’s curriculum. The criteria and processes for creating and modifying curriculum-offering academic units are separately governed by Policy 6-001 (Academic Units and Academic Governance). The criteria for and certain other requirements regarding credit-bearing courses are separately governed by Policy 6-100 (Instruction and Evaluation).

  2. Definitions

    1. Regional Accreditation Body (RAB): As of the creation date of this Policy, the NorthWest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) is the University of Utah’s regional accreditation body. More information is available at http://www.nwccu.org/.

    2. State Authorization: a legal and regulatory term that applies to the University’s compliance with individual statutes, regulations, and rules in each state where it serves students. Postsecondary institutions are required to seek authorization to deliver or facilitate educational services, programs, or activities from each state where they operate. More information is available at stateauthorization.utah.edu.

    3. State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA): The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (known as SARA) is a national cooperative of states, districts, territories and participating institutions joined by a voluntary agreement allowing institutions to offer interstate programs and educational activities without having to seek individual, state-by-state authorizations. The University of Utah, through the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), holds SARA membership and agrees to adhere to a common set of standards for delivering online/distance education programs.

  3. Policy

    1. General Principles for Curriculum Management and Administration.

      As is more fully described in Policy 6-001 (Academic Units and Academic Governance), the University faculty has overall responsibility for the curriculum of the University, and, subject to the authority of the University faculty as represented by the Academic Senate, the faculty of each academic unit has primary responsibility for creation and other management of the curricular offerings of that unit—including any credit-bearing courses and any credentialed academic programs.

      The University has established a system of curriculum administration, and assigned certain administrative responsibilities to designated bodies, officers and offices, to facilitate faculty-led decision-making regarding contents of curriculum, to ensure coordination of curricular offerings among the various units of the University, and to ensure compliance with curriculum-related requirements of the Utah State Board of Regents, accreditation agencies, and federal laws and regulations.

    2. Academic and Administrative Units and Councils with Responsibilities for Curriculum Management and Administration.

      1. Curriculum Management by Academic Units.

        Each of the curricular offerings of the University (including each credit- bearing course, program of study, and credentialed academic program) is offered by a specific authorized Academic Unit. Policy 6-001-III (Academic Units and Academic Governance) describes the various types of academic units that may be authorized to offer curriculum, and it governs the processes and criteria for creating and modifying such academic units.

        The most common organizational structure is that an academic department is situated within a multi-department academic college. Each academic college (including what 6-001 refers to as a single-department college) has a college council and curriculum committee with roles in curriculum management.

        The Office of Curriculum Administration (OCA) assists in the processes of creating or modifying academic units, by maintaining and disseminating guidelines, forms and other information regarding those creation and modification processes, and by maintaining central records about the academic units of the University, at curriculum.utah.edu.

        As more fully explained in Policy 6-001 and related regulations, the requirements for each unit authorized to offer curriculum include having in place a Curriculum Management Plan which (i) provides for a curricular decision-making process that places primary decision-making authority with the unit’s voting-qualified faculty, and (ii) includes a description of the expected learning outcomes and assessment methods for each credentialed academic program offered by the unit.

      2. Curriculum Administration by the Curriculum Policy Board and the Office of Curriculum Administration

        1. The University Curriculum Policy Review Board (Board) is hereby established. The chairpersons (or designee) of the various academic college curriculum committees, established under Policy 6-003 (College Councils), as well as the Dean of the Graduate School and the University Registrar, are convened as the Board to review curriculum policies and procedures, coordinate curriculum planning and intercollege consultations, and promulgate modifications in guidelines for processing curricular proposals. The Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Undergraduate Studies, or designee, will chair the Board. The guidelines proposed by the Board, after approval by the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate, will be the operating rules for making curriculum changes during the academic year. Each college council (or equivalent body) shall develop appropriate procedures consistent with guidelines established by the Board for initiating and reviewing curriculum changes and adjustments for all programs within their respective jurisdictions.

        2. The Office of Curriculum Administration (OCA) is charged with carrying out the policies and procedures of the University Curriculum Policy Review Board.

          Working in conjunction with Academic units and other Administrative units, the OCA is responsible for coordinating the curriculum offered by the various academic units of the University, including all credentialed academic programs (including the programs of study for each of those programs), and the for-credit courses offered by those academic units.

          The OCA actively maintains a comprehensive webpage, curriculum.utah.edu, for promulgating the various guidelines, processes, deadlines, forms, links and other information necessary for administering the curriculum.

          The OCA is responsible for maintaining both current and historical information about this curriculum in the Catalog of the University (Catalog), available online at catalog.utah.edu.

    3. Categories and Types of Curriculum.

      1. Credit-bearing courses

        The most basic component of any curriculum of the University is a credit- bearing course. The general principles, criteria and standards for credit- bearing courses are set out in Policy 6-100-III-C (Instruction and Evaluation). This section describes in summary the processes for creating, modifying, or deleting a credit-bearing course.

        A credit-bearing course is primarily the responsibility of the specific academic unit that has been authorized as a course-offering unit, and offers the particular course. A proposal to create, modify, or delete a course is first developed by the offering-unit through the unit’s curricular decision-making process (always including approval of the appropriate faculty body in accord with the unit’s Curriculum Management Plan under Policy 6-001). For example, with the common organizational structure of an academic department within an academic college, a proposal must be approved by the representative body of the faculty of the department, and the representative body of the faculty of the college (e.g., full college council, or curriculum committee)

        The proposal is then submitted to the OCA for an administrative review and approval, in which the OCA will ensure that:

        • The proposed action for the course has undergone sufficient review within the Academic Unit and the College;

        • For a new or modified course, information about the proposal has been promulgated to other Academic Units as appropriate, with the purpose of facilitating coordinated curriculum planning and intercollegiate consultation; and

        • A new or modified course will adhere to the University’s established general principles and standards regarding course numbering, course-number reuse, credit hours, etc.

      2. Credentialed Academic Programs

        As defined for purposes of this Policy and associated Regulations, each Degree, Major, Minor, Certificate, or Emphasis is considered to be a Credentialed Academic Program (“Credentialed Program”). Each such Credentialed Program is offered by a specific academic unit, is conferred by the University, and is awarded by the Office of the Registrar.

        Each Credentialed Program has a set of requirements that a student must satisfy to earn conferral of the Credentialed Program, and those requirements are considered to be the official Program-of-Study for that Credentialed Program. Those requirements typically include successful completion of credit-bearing courses, examinations, portfolios, theses (or similar elements), expected learning outcomes, and may also include other specified requirements, such as:

        • Pre-program requirements (courses, test scores, etc.)

        • Admission requirements beyond the University’s general requirements

        • Graduation Requirements beyond the University’s general requirements

        • Additional credit hour requirements

        Each undergraduate Credentialed Program should have a program completion timeline (commonly referred to as a four-year plan) that is listed in the Catalog. A program completion timeline is a required element of a proposal to create a new undergraduate Credentialed Program. For an existing Credentialed Program, the OCA receives changes to these timelines concomitant with changes to a program’s Program-of-Study. (Graduate programs are not required to have a program completion timeline.)

        Each Undergraduate and Graduate Credentialed Program is subject to the criteria and procedures prescribed by this Policy, including those for initial creation or subsequent modification of a Credentialed Program. A proposal for creation or modification must include a full description of the Program-of- Study.

        Each fully-approved Credentialed Program is included in the Catalog of the University (Catalog), with the listing including the Credentialed Program’s official title and a description of the Program-of-Study.

      3. Clusters, Concentrations, Specializations, Tracks, etc.

        Academic Units sometimes describe, on their webpages and in other materials, collections of courses variously labeled Clusters, Concentrations, Specializations, Tracks, etc. These are not considered Credentialed Programs, are not listed in the University Catalog, and are not reviewed by the OCA.

    4. Creating, Changing the Official Name of, Discontinuing, Suspending, or Reinstating (after Suspension) a Credentialed Program.

      1. The following processes are used for the actions of (a) creating, (b) changing the official name of, (c) discontinuing, (d) suspending, and (e) reinstating (after suspension) a Credentialed Program. The actions listed below require internal, and in most cases also external, review and approval.

        The effects of these actions are:

        1. Creation: Once fully approved, a Credentialed Program is added to the Catalog; it may be marketed and promoted; students may admitted to and enrolled in it; and it may be awarded and conferred.

        2. Change of Official Name: All official materials and communications regarding an approved Credentialed Program must use the approved official name.

        3. Discontinuation: A discontinued Credentialed Program is permanently removed from the Catalog.

        4. Suspension: Once officially designated as suspended, a Credentialed Program cannot admit/enroll new students. It will still be listed in the Catalog, but with limited Program-of-Study information.

        5. Reinstatement (after suspension): Once officially reinstated, a Credentialed Program can admit/enroll students, and full Program-of- Study information is listed in the Catalog.

      2. Proposals for any of the actions listed above are prepared by the academic unit with responsibility for that Credentialed Program, after being developed through the unit’s curricular decision-making process (always including approval of the appropriate faculty body in accord with the unit’s Curriculum Management Plan under Policy 6-001). For example, with the common organizational structure of an academic department within an academic college, a proposal must be approved by the representative body of the faculty of the department, and the representative body of the faculty of the college (e.g., full college council, or curriculum committee). Once approved at the unit and College level, a proposal is considered by the Undergraduate Council (if exclusively undergraduate curriculum), or the Graduate Council (if exclusively graduate curriculum), or both (if both types of curriculum). The proposal is then submitted to the Academic Senate, and then the Board of Trustees. Unless otherwise specifically provided in another University Policy for a particular action or particular type of Credentialed Program, formal approvals of both the Senate and the Trustees are necessary to complete the internal procedures of the University.

      3. In most cases, the proposal must then be approved externally by both the Utah State Board of Regents (SBR) and the University’s Regional Accreditation Body (RAB). The OCA maintains the current guidelines, deadlines, forms, etc. for both internal and external processes, at curriculum.utah.edu.

      4. The OCA serves as the central hub for receiving proposals from the academic units; for preliminarily reviewing them for completeness and adherence to guidelines; for distributing them to the correct internal deliberative body (Undergraduate Council, Graduate Council, etc.); for tracking them through both internal and external review processes; for promulgating decisions about them to Academic and Administrative areas; and for updating the Catalog accordingly.

        It is the responsibility of the Office of Board of Trustees both to distribute approved proposals to the SBR and then to communicate that body’s decision to the OCA; it is the responsibility of the University’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) both to distribute approved proposals to the RAB, and then communicate that body’s decision to the OCA.

      5. Special provisions for Combined BS/MS Degree, Dual Degree, and Joint Degree Programs

        Combined BS/MS Degree Program. Curriculum offered in the form of a combined set of BS and MS degree requirements, typically resulting in a reduction of the number of credit hours needed for the awarding of the two degrees, compared to earning the two degrees independently. There is a formal process for admission to a combined BS/MS Dual Degree Program; the two degrees are required to be conferred simultaneously on a single degree-conferral date.

        After being developed by the relevant academic unit, the proposal must be reviewed first by the Undergraduate Council, then by the Graduate Council, the Academic Senate, and the Board of Trustees, but not by external authorities.

        Dual Degree Programs. A Dual Degree Program provides simultaneous enrollment in two different, but specific, University of Utah graduate degree Programs. Curricular coordination between the two specific degree Programs may result in a reduction of the number of credit hours needed for the awarding of the two degrees, compared to earning the two degrees independently. There is a formal process for admission to a Dual Degree Program; the two graduate degrees are required to be conferred simultaneously on a single degree-conferral date.

        A proposals for a Dual Degree Program must be reviewed first by the Graduate Council, then by the Academic Senate and the Board of Trustees, but is not reviewed and approved by external authorities.

        Joint Degree Programs: A Joint Degree Program provides simultaneous enrollment in two different graduate degree Programs, but one of those degree programs is at an institution other than the University of Utah. [Note: As of the creation date of this Policy, the University of Utah does not offer any Joint Degree Programs.]

      6. Special provision for M. Phil Degrees

        The Graduate School may approve the addition or removal of the M. Phil degree to the degrees listed for an academic unit in the Catalog, at the request of that academic unit. See R6-200A (Rule: Authorizing M. Phil Degree). OCA will add/remove M. Phil Degrees to the Catalog when notified by the Graduate School.

    5. Dormancy and Reinstatement (after Dormancy).

      1. The following processes are used for the actions of declaring a Credentialed Program dormant, and reinstatement (after dormancy).

        The effects, in terms of admitting/enrolling students and how the Program-of- Study information is listed in the Catalog, both of declaring a Credentialed Program dormant and of reinstatement (after dormancy) are no different than those of Suspension and Reinstatement (after suspension), as described above in Sec. III.D.1. However, “dormancy” is not a status recognized by external authorities, such as the Utah State Board of Regents (SBR) or the University’s Regional Accreditation Body (RAB). Accordingly, no external notice or approval is required for the following processes.

      2. Declaration of dormant status by unit administrator. A Credentialed Program may be declared to be in dormant status, by the administrative head of the curriculum-offering academic unit (e.g., Chairperson of an Academic Department) in consultation with the College Dean (or equivalent), without further administrative approval, due to resource considerations or strategic realignment. In such cases, the Dean should send a notice of dormancy to the OCA (using the form provided by OCA). The OCA will inform the Undergraduate or Graduate Council, as appropriate, and update the Catalog accordingly. The notice of dormancy should include a description as to whether there are any remaining students in the Credentialed Program, and if so how they would be guided to completion of the Program, or given the opportunity to transfer to a different Credentialed Program.

      3. Declaration of dormant status by Undergraduate or Graduate Council. If any Credentialed Program has not been awarded to a student by the Office of the Registrar, for seven (7) years or longer, the OCA will consult with the Undergraduate or Graduate Council (or both, as appropriate) and if so instructed by the Council will then notify the administrative head of the unit responsible for the Program that the Program may be subject to being declared dormant unless appropriate steps are taken. To avoid having the Program declared dormant, the unit must provide to the OCA for presentation to the appropriate Council written confirmation of the availability of the necessary resources and faculty to continue to offer the curriculum and achieve the expected program learning outcomes, and a commitment to manage the Program in the future through the expected cycle of ongoing outcomes assessment and curricular review/modification. The Council may invite a representative to attend a Council meeting to discuss the plan for the Program. Unless satisfied of the future viability of the Program, the Council may then declare the Program to be dormant.

      4. Reinstatement of Dormant Program

        1. For a Credentialed Program that has been in dormancy for less than seven years, reinstatement may be initiated by a written request for reinstatement submitted by the Dean of the college (or equivalent) to the OCA (using form provided by the OCA) for presentation to the appropriate Council. The request should state that the Dean endorses reinstatement of the dormant Program, and that the necessary resources for successfully offering the Program have been committed by the College and Department. The request should include a description of any changes being contemplated to the Program-of-Study of the Credentialed Program. The Council will then review the request and provide a decision regarding reinstatement. If significant changes to the Program-of-Study are to be implemented, then the procedure described in Section III.F of this Policy for the action of modifying a Credentialed Program shall be followed.

        2. For a Credentialed Program that has been in dormancy for more than seven years reinstatement may be initiated by a written proposal submitted by the Dean of the college (or equivalent), to OCA for presentation to the appropriate Council. The proposal should include:

          • A description of the previous Program-of-Study requirements of the Credentialed Program;

          • A description of any changes contemplated for the Program-of- Study

          • A description of budgetary, faculty and staff impact, if any; and

          • Evidence of formal approval of reinstatement by appropriate curricular decision-making bodies and administrative officers (e.g., representative bodies of the faculty of the department and college, department chairperson and dean).

            The Council may request further information, including inviting a representative to attend a Council meeting to discuss the plan for the Program. If the information provided adequately proves the future viability of the Program, the Council may declare the Program to be reinstated; otherwise, it shall remain in dormant status.

            If it is reinstated, the OCA will ensure that the University Catalog and other official websites are updated and maintained accordingly. If significant changes to the Program-of-Study are to be implemented, then the procedure described in Section III.F of this Policy for the action of modifying a Credentialed Program shall be followed.

    6. Modification of a Credentialed Academic Program.

      1. This section describes the processes for modifying the content of a Credentialed Program. Note that a proposal for modification which includes a change of the official name of the Credentialed Program must be processed as described above in Section III.D (same steps as for initial creation of the Program).

      2. Modifying a Program-of-Study (the contents of the Credentialed Program)

        Governing Policy 6-101-III-F (Undergraduate Study and Degrees), summarized here for convenience, provides that academic units can make changes to the Program-of-Study (of a previously approved Credentialed Academic Program) no more often than once a year, that those changes must be communicated by the unit to the OCA in the manner and by the date established by the University Curriculum Policy Review Board, and that such changes will take effect the following fall semester, which is the start of the new “catalog year.”

        It further provides that students have certain “catalog rights,” such that students may elect to satisfy either the set of requirements in effect at the time they declared for a particular Credentialed Program or any more recent set of requirements. However, in no case may a student select a set of requirements that was in effect more than 4 years prior to the catalog year in effect at the time of graduation.

        Under this section, the role of the OCA in reviewing proposed changes to a Program-of-Study, before they are entered into the Catalog, is primarily to ensure that they adhere to University Policies regarding requirements for program admission criteria, program credit hours, total credit hours, degree requirements, etc. Those requirements are listed in:

    7. Special Provisions for Online/Distance, and Extended Programs.

      1. Online and Distance Programs

        An Online/Distance Program is an otherwise fully approved Credentialed Academic Program for which a certain percentage of the curriculum, (a threshold ratio stipulated by the University’s Regional Accreditation Body (RAB)), is deliverable through Online/Distance methods.

        A Distance Delivery Course is a credit-bearing course usually technology facilitated, provided to remote students who do not come to campus to participate in either the class sessions or related learning activities. Regular, substantive interactions between the students and instructor are a part of the teaching and learning process. Some distance courses, such as interactive video classes, may have set meeting times like traditional face-to-face, on- campus courses, but such courses do not require students to come to the campus or University site to attend classes. Often these classes are available anywhere via a broadband internet connection.

        Online Courses are a subset of Distance Delivery Courses. An Online Course is a credit-bearing course which is primarily facilitated online with greater than 80% of the learning activity taking place asynchronously. While an online course may require proctored administration of examinations, there are no other place-bound and minimal synchronous (time-bound) requirements. Regular, substantive interactions between the students and instructor are a part of the teaching and learning process. An online course does not have scheduled locations or meeting times, and may include students participating from other states and countries.

        UOnline is the University office responsible for ensuring that the University complies with the various regulations and reporting requirements pertaining to accreditation, state and interstate regulations/agreements (e.g., SARA), and the federal accessibility laws applicable to online and distance curriculum delivery. Accordingly, whether online/ distance delivery is stipulated in the initial proposal to create a new Credentialed Program, or whether an Academic Unit subsequently proposes the online/distance delivery of an existing Credentialed Program, UOnline must perform a compliance review of the proposal prior to its presentation to the Undergraduate or Graduate Council. More information is available at online.utah.edu.

        The University’s Regional Accreditation Body (RAB) requires a date of administrative approval for all online programs. No formal approval for the online delivery of an otherwise fully approved Credentialed Program is required by either the University’s Board of Trustees or the Utah State Board of Regents. If online delivery is stipulated in the initial proposal to create a new Credentialed Program, then the date that the University’s Board of Trustees approves the proposal will be the date of administrative approval. If an Academic Unit either (a) formally proposes the online delivery of an already existing Credentialed Program, or (b) develops, over time, the online delivery of enough of a Program-of-Study of the Credentialed Program such that it meets the threshold established by the RAB for an online program, then (1) UOnline will need to perform a compliance review, (2) the Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO) will then notify the Undergraduate Council or the Graduate Council, as appropriate, and (3) the ALO will use the Council notification date as the ‘date of administrative approval’ for the RAB for the online program.

      2. Extended Programs

        An Extended Program is a Credentialed Academic Program offered by the University at a location outside of the United States, e.g., the Utah Asia Campus (UAC). In terms of how it is managed and offered by an Academic Unit, and with regard to its faculty, course offerings, method of course delivery, required Program-of-Study, and program assessment, an Extended Program is consistent with an existing Credentialed Academic Program.

        Accordingly, approval by the State Board of Regents is not required for an Extended Program.

        A proposal to establish an Extended Program is developed by the appropriate Academic Unit (approved in the usual way by its faculty), in conjunction with the Chief Academic Officer (CAO) or designee. It is presented to the appropriate Undergraduate or Graduate Council as an information item (if the Program content has otherwise been previously reviewed by the Council), and then must be formally approved by (a) the Academic Senate, (b) the University’s Board of Trustees, (c) the appropriate governmental authority of the host country (governmental authority), and (d) the University’s Regional Accreditation Body (RAB). An Extended Program cannot be marketed and promoted, nor can students be enrolled in it, prior to its approval by the University’s RAB.

        It is the responsibility of the Office of the Board of Trustees to distribute approved proposals for Extended Programs both to the Office of Curriculum Administration (OCA) and to the University’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO).

        It is the responsibility of the CAO, or designee, to obtain approval for the Extended Program by the governmental authority, and once obtained, to communicate that approval to both OCA and the ALO; it is the responsibility of the ALO to both distribute approved proposals to the University’s RAB, and then to communicate that body’s decision to OCA.

        ________________________________________________

        Note: Parts IV-VII of this Regulation (and all other University Regulations) are Regulations Resource Information – the contents of which are not approved by the Academic Senate or Board of Trustees, and are to be updated from time to time as determined appropriate by the cognizant Policy Officer and the Institutional Policy Committee, as per Policy 1-001 and Rule 1-001.Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other related resources

  4. Rules, Procedures, Guidelines, Forms and other Related Resources

    1. Rules

    2. Procedures

    3. Guidelines

    4. Forms

    5. Other related resource materials

  5. References

    Policy 6-001: Academic Units and Academic Governance – Roles of Faculties, Committees, Councils, and Academic Senate

    Policy 6-003: College Councils, and University Curriculum Policy Review Board

    Policy 6-101: Undergraduate Studies and Degrees

    Policy 6-116: Undergraduate Certificates

    Policy 6-117: Undergraduate Emphases

    Policy 6-200: Graduate Study and Degrees

    Rule R6-200A: Authorizing M. Phil Degree

    Policy 6-224: Graduate Certificate Guidelines

    Policy 6-225: Graduate Emphases

    NC-SARA (National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements) Policies and Standards:

    USHE R401 (Approval of New Programs, Program Changes, Discontinued Programs, and Program Reports)

    NWCCU

    Substantive Change Policy http://www.nwccu.org/Standards%20and%20Policies/Policies/PolicyDocs/Substantiv e%20Change%20Policy%20-%204-5-16.pdf

    Accreditation Standards:

  6. Contacts

    The designated contact officials for this Policy are

    1. Policy Owner (primary contact person for questions and advice): Sr. Associate Vice President for Undergraduate Studies, 801-581-3811

    2. Policy Officers: Sr. Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Sr. Vice President for Health Sciences.

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

  7. History

Current Version – University Polity 6-500, Revision 0.

Approved by the Academic Senate: May 1, 2017

Approved by the Board of Trustees: June 14, 2017

With a designated effective date of July 1, 2017

Legislative History - Rev 0


Policy: 6-500 Rev: 0
Date: July 1, 2017

Last Updated: 4/5/22