Establishing or Revising Curricula
- Presentation of Proposals to Senate Committee on Educational Policy (forms)
- IPEDS Degree and Certificate Definitions
- Understanding the Levels of Governance
- Track Your Proposal (updated 9/9/2008)
Proposals to establish, revise, or discontinue undergraduate or graduate curricula, degrees, and units of instruction, research, or public service, require Senate approval and may require additional levels of review. Understanding the Levels of Governance provides a complete overview of the approval process required for specific types of proposals.
Proposals should be prepared in the Senate format and submitted to the appropriate college(s) for review. Proposals must be submitted in the established format. If the proposed program relies on courses or staffing from other colleges, the proposing unit should consult with the other college(s) concerning the possible impact of the proposed program and include letters of support from those college(s). Once approved by the college of origin, the proposals should be forwarded to the Office of the Provost or to the Graduate College.
The Office of the Provost reviews all proposals for conformity to Senate guidelines and budgetary implications before forwarding them to the Senate Committee on Educational Policy (EPC) for review. EPC may recommend that the proposal be returned to the sponsor for revision; if so, a representative of EPC will communicate with the sponsoring unit’s college office regarding the suggested revisions.
Upon approval by EPC, the proposal is submitted to the Senate for review and consideration. If the Senate approves it, the proposal is sent on to the University Senates Conference. Depending on the nature of the proposal, it may also require the notification or approval of the Board of Trustees and/or the Illinois Board of Higher Education. In the case of new units and programs, the sponsoring unit may be required to prepare a separate proposal for IBHE.
Once a proposal has been reviewed and approved at all the necessary levels of governance, the Office of the Provost will issue a formal approval and implementation letter. Please note that the proposed changes are not effective until the approval and implementation letter has been issued.