| Policy and Procedure Statement 2.05 | Academic Programs: Additions, |
| Review Cycle: Aug. 1, ONY | Changes, and Deletions |
| Review Date: Aug 1, 2015 | (30 paragraphs) |
| Reviewer: Director of Curriculum Services | Attachments A1, A2, B, C, D, E, F, G |
1. Texas State University-San Marcos is committed to maintaining a well-designed, effective process for developing academic programs. This PPS summarizes the key elements of that process and provides guidance for the preparation of proposals for new programs and for changing or deleting existing programs.
2. When considering the addition, change, or deletion of an academic program, faculty members should consult the Department Chairs/Program Directors/School Directors and College Deans in their academic administrative unit and in other related programs, and if necessary, with outside experts. The College Dean should then meet with the Provost for an informal discussion about the program and to ensure consideration of the proposed addition, change or deletion in appropriate strategic plans. For each major or curricular area in a degree program, a faculty program coordinator academically qualified in the field must be assigned for purposes of program coordination, curriculum development and review.
3. This PPS conforms to the rules, regulations, and polices of the Board of Regents of The Texas State University System (BOR), the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
(in alphabetical order)
4. Academic Administrative Unit: A department, college, or school that has administrative authority over academic programs.
5. CIP Code: Each academic program is assigned a Classification of Instructional Program code that corresponds to the subject matter of the program. CIP codes are used nationally to classify instructional programs and to report educational data. National CIP codes are six digits in length. Texas CIP codes have an additional four-digit extension that can further define the subject matter and the formula funding code. CIP codes and definitions are available on the THECB website at: http://www.txhighereddata.org/Interactive/CIP/.
6. Concentration: A grouping of courses within a major that is also known as an emphasis, option, specialization or track.
7. Core Faculty: A core faculty member is tenured or tenure track and devotes an average of fifty percent or more of his or her teaching time in the program. Some programs such as interdisciplinary degrees may have core faculty devoting less than 50 percent of their teaching time to the program. The background and education of each core faculty member shall be in the field of the program or in a closely related field.
8. Degree Program: Any grouping of subject matter courses that, when satisfactorily completed by a student, shall entitle the student to a degree from an institution of higher education. The number of semester credit hours required for a proposed degree program shall be comparable to the number the SCHs required for similar degree programs in the state. Undergraduate degree programs including teacher certification programs shall require no more or less than 120 semester credit hours, and typically master’s level degree programs require between 30-36 hours.
9. Degree Title: The name of a degree and discipline under which one or more degree programs may be offered. A degree title usually consists of the degree designation (e.g., Bachelor of Science, Master of Arts) and the discipline specialty (e.g., History, Psychology).
10. Free or Open Electives: Free or Open electives, if available in a program, are consistent with similar programs and are selected by the student, subject to advisor approval.
11. Learning Outcomes: The knowledge and skills a student is expected to acquire or achieve upon completion of the program. Measurement may be quantitative or qualitative, depending upon the subject matter.
12. Major: A grouping of courses by subject matter or academic discipline. Undergraduate majors typically consist of 30 semester credit hours and master’s are 18 hours.
13. Minor: A grouping of courses for a single discipline or from interdisciplinary areas that a student pursues in addition to a major. An undergraduate minor is less than depth than a major and consists of at least 18 semester credit hours, and a graduate minor is at least 6 semester credit hours.
14. Prescribed Electives: Specific courses from which students must choose to meet curricular requirements of the program. Prescribed electives shall complement the required courses and are numerous enough to provide breadth and depth of study.
15. Program Objectives: Statements specifying desired knowledge, skills, behaviors, or attitudes to be developed as a result of educational experiences. To the extent possible, objectives are expected to be behavioral (e.g., observable and measurable).
16. Qualifications of Faculty for Baccalaureate Programs: To meet minimum SACS standards, at least 25 percent of the course hours in each major at the baccalaureate level are taught by faculty members holding an appropriate terminal degree – usually the earned doctorate or the equivalent of the terminal degree. Beyond that minimum standard, the percentage of faculty with terminal degrees shall compare favorably to the percentage of faculty with terminal degrees at similar programs in the state and nation. With few exceptions, the master’s degree should be the minimum educational attainment for faculty teaching in baccalaureate programs.
17. Qualifications of Faculty for Master’s Programs: In most disciplines, the doctorate should be the minimum educational attainment for faculty teaching in graduate programs. Faculty should meet the qualitative and quantitative criteria of SACS, and the appropriate accrediting body, if a professional program.
18. Required Courses: Required courses are taken by all students in the program. These courses shall meet all requirements for accreditation, licensure, or certification and shall be consistent with similar programs in the state and nation.
19. Semester Credit Hour: A unit of measure of instruction consisting of 60 minutes, of which 50 minutes must be direct instruction over a 15-week period in a semester system.
20. Support Faculty: A support faculty member is a 1) tenured/tenure-track faculty from related disciplines, 2) adjunct faculty, and 3) a graduate teaching assistant or assistant instructor who serves as the instructor of record for a course (only if he or she meets minimum SACS requirements). The program shall have a sufficient number of support faculty to teach the scope of the discipline, consistent with similar programs in the state and nation.
21. Teach-out Plan: A written plan that provides for the equitable treatment of students who may be affected by a program closure or deletion.
22. Program Request Forms: The Program Request Forms are available to faculty in Attachments C, D, E, F and G of this PPS. Attachment B depicts the review process for new degree program proposals.
23. Program Additions: Texas Education Code, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.45 provides criteria for new baccalaureate and master’s programs. Attachment A.1 of this PPS describes these criteria. Texas Education Code, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.46 provides criteria for new doctoral programs. Attachment A.2 describes these new doctoral criteria. All new programs must comply with these criteria. Faculty developing program addition proposals should pay close attention to these criteria. Attachments C, D, and E contain the formats for requesting new programs.
24. Program Changes: Changes to existing programs may include major names, degree titles, admission requirements, credit hour requirements, CIP codes, administrative unit, resources, licensure and/or accreditation compliance, course requirements, etc. Program changes vary in review requirements, in that names of majors or degrees, CIP codes, administrative unit, and credit hour requirements must be submitted to the Board of Regents and the Coordinating, while other changes like admissions, resources, licensure, accreditation, and courses necessitate only university level reviews. Attachment F contains the proposal format for all program changes, and review timelines will be established depending on the type of change requested.
25. Program Deletions: The SACS Substantive Change Policy on Closing a Program, states that “A decision to close or delete an academic program requires thoughtful planning and careful consultation with all affected constituencies. Every effort should be devoted to informing each constituency as fully as possible about the conditions compelling consideration of a decision of such importance, and all available information should be shared. As much as possible, the determination to close a program should be made through a consultative process and only after alternatives have been considered. Since the immediate interests of current students and faculty are most directly affected, their present and future prospects require especially sensitive and timely attention and involvement.” Attachment G contains the format for requesting a program closure or deletion.
26. Program addition, deletion, and certain change proposals require the following reviews:
a. Faculty
b. Department/School Curriculum Committee or Department/School Faculty
c. Department Chair/Program Director/School Director
d. College Curriculum Committee
e. College Council
f. College Dean
g. Dean of The Graduate College (if applicable)
h. Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
i. Provost (for preliminary review)
j. University Curriculum Committee
k. Faculty Senate
l. Council of Academic Deans
m. University Council
n. Provost (for final recommendation)
o. President
p. Texas State University System Board of Regents
q. Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
r. Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (if applicable)
27. The review process for program additions, deletions and certain changes as discussed in paragraph 22 above ordinarily takes 9-12 months. Other change proposals may take 6 months, and proposals for new minors and concentrations may take up to 3 months.
28. After a program proposal has been fully approved, the Curriculum Coordinator makes all necessary additions, changes, and deletions in the undergraduate catalog. The Graduate College Staff make all necessary additions, changes, and deletions in the graduate catalog. The undergraduate academic advisors and the Graduate College staff work with the DegreeWorks Coordinator to make all necessary additions, changes and deletions in the DegreeWorks system for degree programs.
29. In the event that a program proposal receives a negative vote or is denied at any level, the proposal will be returned to the originating faculty for review and possible revisions and can be resubmitted for future consideration.
30. This PPS has been approved by the reviewer listed below and represents Texas State's Division of Academic Affairs policy and procedure from the date of this document until superseded.
Review Cycle: _____________________Review Date: __________________
Reviewer: _________________________Date: ________________________
Approved: _________________________Date: ________________________
Gene Bourgeois
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Texas State University-San Marcos
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Last Updated: April 19, 2013
Send comments and questions to: tg12@txstate.edu
Join the Conversation