Responsible Office: Academic Affairs
Policy Officer: Chief Academic Officer
Scope: |Faculty

Approved By: Office of the President

Approved Date: 7/19/2018

Effective Date: 7/19/2018

Category: Faculty and Staff

Description/Purpose:

Curriculum and Courses

Details:

The curriculum for an existing department in the University is the cooperative responsibility of the department and the Committee on Curriculum and Teaching. A proposed change in the curriculum may come from any member of the department, subject, however, in all cases to the approval of the chairperson and the majority of the members of the department involved. When proposed curriculum involves other departments, those departments will be consulted. All curriculum proposals are presented by the chairperson of the department to the Committee on Curriculum and Teaching for discussion and approval by the Committee. When curriculum proposals are developed outside existing department structures, the sponsor presents the proposal to the Committee on Curriculum and Teaching. The Faculty Senate acts upon all decisions of its standing committees. The decisions of the Faculty Senate are presented to the President of the University, and when necessary to the Board of Trustees, for final approval.

The Faculty Senate and University President approved a Curriculum Guide that describes the processes and guidelines for creation of a new curricula and revision of existing curricula. The Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws describe the three committees responsible for curriculum, including the Committee on Curriculum and Teaching (for undergraduate curriculum), the General Education Committee (for General Education curriculum), and the Graduate Studies Committee (for graduate curriculum). The processes for proposing, reviewing, adn maintaining curriculum through all three committees are described in the Curriculum Guide. The Guide  includes government and accreditation curriculum requirements, curricular definitions, course numbering guidelines, and instructions for proposing new academic programs, proposing curriculum changes, and academic program closures. The Guide is currently available on the O: drive inm the Curriculum Committee folder.

Approved by the Faculty Senate - 1978; Revised May 14, 1997, revised November 2008. Curriculum Guide approved May 2017; this policy was then revised July 2018.