FORMATS FOR PROPOSING NEW ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
(Proposal 38-04)
(Proposal 9-15)
CRITERIA FOR FINANCIAL EVALUATION OF PROPOSED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
(Proposal 51-04)

Senate Procedures 108.1.1
Coordinating Policy 108.1

Proposal Format for New Bachelor's Degree Programs
New Bachelor's Degree Concentrations (formerly called Options)
New Graduate Degree Programs, and Graduate Certificates

1. Include date on proposal (to distinguish any future versions).
2. Include proposer contact with department of proposer.
3. Interdisciplinary programs require an attached approval from each department and dean named as sponsors.
4. General description and characteristics of program, including learning goals of the proposed program (Learning goals are knowledge and skills that a student will demonstrate upon completion and are not necessarily official University Student Learning Goals).
5. Rationale.
6. Discussion of related programs within the institution and at other institutions.
7. Project how many students can be enrolled based on current faculty numbers or requested faculty lines.
8. Scheduling plans (Extension, Evening, Regular).
9. Curriculum design (refer to format of degree audit form). Indicate subject areas to be used for Departmental GPA calculation.
10. New course descriptions. (New Course Add Forms are needed for each course and will be processed upon final approval of program.)
11. Model schedule demonstrating completion time.
12. Library and other learning resources.
13. Faculty resumes (a web site link is sufficient).
14. Description of available/needed equipment.
15. Program costs, years 1, 2, and 3. (Additional information may be requested by the Senate Finance Committee.)
16. Space.
17. Policies, regulations and rules.
18. Accreditation requirements.
19. Planned implementation date.

Graduate or Bachelors Degree Title Changes

This format is based upon the minimum requirements for submission of "Spin-off" programs to the Presidents Council of State Colleges and Universities. The Council defines spin-off programs as "new options, new combinations of existing curricula, new fields or concentrations within existing academic majors and degree programs, and title changes." The order of discussion of these items may be changed to fit their relative importance to individual programs. Simple phrases such as "Not required" "Not applicable," etc. should be used where appropriate. Separate proposals are required for each program or title change.

1. Include date on proposal (to distinguish any future versions).
2. Include proposer contact with department of proposer.
3. General description and characteristics of program, including learning goals of the proposed program (Learning goals are knowledge and skills that a student will demonstrate upon completion and are not necessarily official University Student Learning Goals).
4. Rationale.
5. Discussion of related programs within the institution and at other institutions.
6. Curriculum design (refer to format of degree audit form).
7. New course descriptions. (New Course Add Forms are needed for each course and will be processed upon final approval of program.)
8. Additional resources required. (Additional information may be requested by the Senate Finance Committee.)
9. Accreditation requirements.
10. Planned implementation date.

Proposal Format for New Minor Programs or Undergraduate Certificates

1. Include date on proposal (to distinguish any future versions).
2. Include proposer contact with department of proposer.
3. Introduction (Short description, be sure to indicate sponsoring unit(s).)
4. Rationale.
5. Details:

1. Title of Minor:
2. Description, including learning goals of the proposed program (Learning goals are knowledge and skills that a student will demonstrate upon completion and are not necessarily official University Student Learning Goals.)
3. List of Courses: include course numbers, titles and credits.

Required Courses
Elective Courses
Total Requirements - prerequisites discussed below need not be counted here.

IV. Prerequisites not listed in the Minor - Interdepartmental Minors are best designed by imbedding prerequisites into the Minor as much as possible, subject to the rules for Minors (Senate Proposal 22-04). Intradepartmental Minors generally have more prerequisites not included in the Minor core courses. In any case, list the course number from the Minor course, followed by its prerequisites in parenthesis, for example, GE4750 (GE3000, GE2350); etc.

6. New Course Descriptions. (New Course Add Forms are needed for each course and will be processed upon final approval of program.)
7. Estimated Costs. (Additional information may be requested by the Senate Finance Committee.)
8. Planned implementation date.



Proposal 38-04:

Adopted by Senate: 21 April 2004
Approved by President: 26 April 2004

Proposal 9-15:

Introduced to Senate: 22 October 2014
Friendly Amendment added in green: 5 November 2014
Approved by Senate with friendly amendment: 5 November 2014
Approved by Administration: 17 November 2014

1. CRITERIA FOR FINANCIAL EVALUATION OF PROPOSED ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
   (Proposal 51-04)

   
   Senate Procedures 108.1.1

   Under the Senate Constitution, the Senate has primary responsibility in the establishment of new academic programs, and advisory responsibility on issues of financial management. To facilitate the advisory responsibility on issues of financial management, the Senate proposes that Senate proposals for creation of new degree programs include documentation of the financial implications of the new program. This information allows the Senate, and especially the Senate Finance Committee, to provide consistent and complete analysis of the possible financial implications of the new program as part of the Senate's advisory role in financial decision making. Guidelines for items to be included in the financial documentation follow. Items one to six should be provided by the proposing unit. Items seven and eight should be provided with the Provost's Office assistance.

   1. Relation to University Strategic Plan
      1. Relation of program to the university's educational and research goals.
      2. Consistency with the university's resource allocation criteria.
   2. Impact on University Enrollment
      1. Projected number of students in the program.
      2. Source of new students; in particular, will the students be drawn from. existing programs, or will they be students who would otherwise not have come to MTU?
      3. What is the likely correlation between demand for the new program and existing enrollment patterns at MTU?
      4. What is the current enrollment in the unit?
   3. Impact on Resources Required by Department in Which the Program is housed. This would include, but not be limited to:
      1. Faculty lines.
      2. Faculty and student labs, including ongoing maintenance.
      3. Advising.
      4. Assessment.
   4. Impact on Resources Required By other Units Within the University. This analysis would include, but not necessarily be limited to, the impacts on:
      1. Other academic (e.g., Gen Ed) units with regard to faculty, labs and assessment. (NOTE: The current Student to Faculty ratio for the university as a whole is approximately 12:1 per Institutional Analysis.)
      2. Information Technology, the Library, central administration and career planning with respect to the impact on the need for computing services, library resources, advising, record keeping, development of employer relations etc.
   5. Assessment of the ability to obtain the necessary resources assuming requested funds are obtained
      1. For high demand fields (e.g., business fields, etc.), will it be possible to fill allocated lines
   6. Past proposals. Has the department initiated any other new degree programs in the last five years? If so:
      1. Describe the extent to which the new program has met the original goals with respect to:
         1. Enrollment,
         2. Costs,
         3. New faculty,
         4. Other resources required for the program
      2. How have degree programs added in the past five years affected total enrollment in the department?
   7. Departmental Budget contribution
      1. What is the department's total general fund budget?
      2. How much tuition does the department generate? This information should be provided for both the credit hours taught by the department and the number of credit hours taken by the department's majors.
   8. How do the benefits from this program compare to other alternatives that are currently under consideration or development. Will approval and allocation of resources to this program preclude the development of other programs?
      
      
      Adopted by Senate: 15 September 2004
      Approved by Administration: 18 October 2004