Curriculum Proposal Process

• Once the faculty member has created a proposal, the department (or the department curriculum committee) should discuss the proposal and determine if the change or addition is in the best interest of the students and the program. If the proposal has the support of the department, the chair will approve the proposal and forward it to the college level.
• At the college level, the proposal will be reviewed by faculty colleagues who will be looking at the proposal from a different perspective. The proposal will also be reviewed by the Associate Dean.
  • The college curriculum committee will review the proposal for completeness, and should use the Curriculum Checklist (.pdf), to ensure that the form is complete. If there are doubts after reading this document, the EPC Standard Operating Procedures (.pdf) may answer many questions. Particularly the sections on Curriculum Proposals, General Education, and Appendices.
  • The college curriculum committee will look for overlap or redundancy within the college, or potentially outside the college, and request that consultations with other departments occur. This may a great time to incorporate feedback and reinforce why, for example, the proposal creates a course that differs from an existing course in another department, and how the new perspective strengthens our student’s education, or decide that perhaps there is not enough distinction, and possibly explore cross listing, or even the incorporation of another department’s course in the program.
  • The Associate Dean often makes suggestions regarding impacts on resources, and it is important that the impact be realistic. Funding comes through the college; if additional funds are needed, this is the best point in the process to discuss and plan what resources are required, and how they might be obtained.
• Once the proposal has passed the college, the proposal will move to the Educational Policies Committee (EPC), the undergraduate university-level committee that will review and approve the curriculum on behalf of the faculty as a whole. 
  • EPC accepts proposals at the end of each semester for review in the following semester. 
  • It is each College Associate Dean’s responsibility to forward corrected and complete proposals that have been approved by the college curriculum committee to EPC at the end of each semester.
  • Before a proposal will be placed on the EPC agenda, it must be complete and correct. Problematic proposals will be returned to the Associate Dean before the beginning of the semester with requests that are made by a subset of the members, on behalf of EPC. Some problems must be corrected in order for the proposal to be agendized. These include:
  • Missing information
  • Proposals put on the wrong form
  • Proposals containing incorrect information
  • Other requests will simply contain recommendations to edit, correct or remove items that are likely to raise flags among the members and slow the proposal down in discussion, possibly resulting in more recommendations when the committee in full reads the proposal later in the semester.
  • EPC is looking at the proposal with fresh eyes, and the members review many proposals each semester. The members have expectations for proposals they review at this level, including completeness, careful consideration and clear communication of why the change or addition is needed, how the curriculum serves the students, how student success will be measured, and how the success of the course will be assessed within the program.
  • Members are considering if the additions or changes being requested are in the best interest of the students, and are serving the priorities of the faculty as a whole.
• Once the curriculum is passed by EPC, it will be implemented by various areas in Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, including the SOLAR Catalog, SOC, DPR, University Catalog, Articulation, Degree Road Maps and other advisement materials before registration. Courses will be available for departments to add to the SOC and schedule faculty into. In addition, advisors will need to be informed of the change(s) and then students will enroll during registration the following semester. Program Modifications will be in place the following fall, as they can only be implemented at the beginning of the academic year. Some program proposals, such as new programs, new options, designation and degree title changes also need Chancellor’s Office approval prior to implementation.

How do I determine the Effective Term/Effective Year implementation date for my proposal?

Generally, a proposal will be implemented within one year of being approved by EPC. Prior to EPC approval the proposal must be approved by the department and college. A proposal may take a semester at the department level and another semester at the college level before it is reviewed by EPC.

• Courses – Implementation is generally one year from the semester approved by EPC (e.g., a proposal approved in Fall 2021 is effective in Fall 2022).
• Experimental Topics – Implementation is generally one semester after approval by EPC (e.g., a proposal approved in Fall 2021 is effective in Spring 2022).
• Programs – Implementation is generally one to two years from the semester approved by EPC (fall implementation only). New degree programs and options also require Chancellor’s Office approval.

Example Timeline

Step 1 and Step 2 may take 1-2 semesters. In the example timeline above, the proposal is approved by both the department and college in the same semester. Use the other column starting at Step 2 if the college reviews/approves the proposal a semester after Step 1. Proposals approved by the college are submitted to EPC at the end of the semester for review in the following semester. Regular implementation is generally 1 year from the semester approved by EPC. However, program modifications approved in a spring semester are implemented the following fall (1.5 years). Some program proposals may take longer to implement if Chancellor’s Office approval is required.

In the example timeline above:

• A proposal approved by the department and college in Spring 2021 is submitted to EPC at the end of Spring 2021 and reviewed by EPC in Fall 2021 for Fall 2022 implementation. Once approved, systems are updated in Fall 2021 and Spring 2022. The curriculum will be published in the 2022-2023 University Catalog.
• A proposal approved by the department and college in Fall 2021 is submitted to EPC at the end of Fall 2021 and reviewed by EPC in Spring 2022. Once approved, systems are updated in Spring 2022 and Fall 2022. The curriculum will be published in the 2023-2024 University Catalog.

The Curriculum Proposal Content page will help a proposer understand what is expected in the forms, where to find the requested information, and what reviewing bodies are looking for when they review curriculum proposals.