Policies and Procedures
A Guide to the Approval Process for Graduate Courses and Degree Programs
August 2006
This informal guide supplements the official statements of Graduate College procedures:
- Criteria and Procedures for Review of Proposed New and Revised Courses that Carry Graduate Credit, December 2005
- Criteria and Procedures for Review of Proposed New and Revised Graduate Degree Programs and Options Under Existing Degrees, June 2002
1. New and Revised Courses
All new and substantially revised courses must be approved by department, school (if applicable), and college committees. Courses at the 400- and 500-level that carry graduate credit must also be reviewed by the Graduate College.
1.1. Course Outlines
A proposal for a new or substantially revised course is submitted using a standard Course Outline form, which is available on the Web (www.provost.uiuc.edu/programs/cps/courses.html) and in departmental offices. Providing complete responses on the course outline form greatly expedites the approval process.
Course Title
Choose a title that is descriptive but not overly long. If the course will be cross-listed, be sure to attach letters from the heads of relevant departments.
Item 7: Courses Catalog description
The description should be concise and clear. See the Courses Catalog for examples, such as the following:
Community Health 501. Issues in Health Education: Analyzes current developments, trends, and controversies in health education with emphasis on developing student competencies for intervention planning, implementation and analyses; and examines issues affecting the health educator in various work settings, including patient care, public health, school health, and higher education.
Item 8: Course Prerequisites
Prerequisite Statements are advisory in nature and are not enforced through the Banner System.
The following bullets are suggested for clarity to the students who may be registering for the course:
- list highest level course only if there is a string of sequenced prerequisites
- explicitly list courses found in the Catalog (not, e.g, "a course in chemistry")
- do not tag courses with "or equivalent" or "or consent of instructor" as those are always assumed to be the case.
Avoid superfluous prerequisites. For example, since French 101 is a prerequisite for French 102, the prerequisite "French 101 and French 102" should be shortened to "French 102" for a course requiring French 102 as a prerequisite. Express alternatives between courses and combinations of courses clearly. For example, "CS 223 or CS 110 section C and CS 173 or MATH 213" is ambiguous. Better: "CS 223 or both CS 110 C ; and either CS 173 or MATH 213."
Item 9: Course credit
Normally, a three-semester-hour course with three hours of lecture or discussion each week carries 3 hours of graduate credit. An additional laboratory that meets for two to three hours per week can justify an additional hour of credit. When a course is offered for variable credit, or when a graduate student may receive 4 hours of credit for a three-hour course, the course outline must clearly explain the extra work required for additional credit. In some disciplines, a substantial extra paper may merit an additional hour or two of credit, with sufficient justification.
Item 11: Purpose of the Course
Item 12: Justify Graduate Credit
These items should provide details regarding course objective, relationship to other courses, need for course, and justification for graduate credit. The response should make the case for graduate credit; see Section 1.3 below. If necessary, attach additional pages to the course outline form.
Item 13: Overlap with Other Courses
Item 14: Discussions with other departments
To avoid duplication, thoroughly check for possible overlaps with courses offered by other departments. A single cross-listed course may meet the needs of students in several departments; an interdisciplinary treatment of the subject may benefit both the students and the instructors. If the course overlaps significantly with a course in another department, it might still be offered independently; attach a supporting letter from the other course instructor, explaining how the courses differ in purpose and content.
Item 15: Principal Topics
Item 16: Basic Texts
The Graduate College carefully examines these items to determine whether the proposed course should carry graduate credit. Please attach a complete syllabus that states course requirements, the daily or weekly schedule, and the readings for each topic. For a new course, provide the syllabus from a preliminary version of the course that was offered under a special topics number.
To allow the course to evolve in subsequent offerings, the list of topics may include "special topics" or "current topics."
List the number of contact hours for each topic. Explicitly include hours for midterm examinations. For a full semester course with three hours of lecture or discussion each week, the total number of contact hours for the course should be 45.
Indicate how students will be evaluated--whether students will be graded on their performance on examinations, papers, or oral presentations. This information helps justify the awarding of graduate credit.
Give the complete list of readings, including publication dates and page numbers. Readings will be evaluated to verify that they are appropriately current and sufficiently challenging for graduate students.
1.2. Course Data Sheet
Everything on the Course Data Sheet should be consistent with the Course Outline. For example, when the number of contact hours per week reported on the Course Data Sheet is multiplied by 15, the result should be the total number of contact hours reported on the Course Outline.
1.3. Report of a College Courses and Curricula Committee
Ideally, the review by a college-level committee should result in a report, which should be attached to the outline when it is forwarded to the Graduate College. The report should individually address the six Graduate College criteria A-F, in the "Criteria and Procedures for Review of Proposed New and Revised Courses that Carry Graduate Credit, December 2005]":
A. Course content should be intellectually challenging to graduate students.
This criterion should be covered by the response to the course outline item on justification for graduate credit, and supported by the topical outline.
B. Course subject matter should have a strong emphasis on the literature of the discipline(s) and/or should draw actively from the latest relevant research and scholarly activity.
This criterion should be addressed in the justification for graduate credit, and supported by the course outline item on texts.
C. A course for graduate credit should usually build on knowledge previously gained or, unusually, on equivalent experience.
This should be evident from the prerequisites and the justification for graduate credit.
D. A graduate course must bear a logical relationship to the total offerings of a department or to other courses in an area of specialization within the discipline.
This point should be addressed in the response to Outline Item 11F, Relation to overall pattern of courses in the department.
E. Course content should not needlessly duplicate or overlap substantially that of other courses in the department or in other departments.
This should be evident from the responses to Outline Item 11G, Need for the course, and the item on overlap with other courses.
F. The graduate credit offered should be appropriate to the nature of the course and to the extent of work required of graduate students.
This should be evident from the topical outline and the syllabus.
2. Graduate Degree Programs
Contact the Graduate College before submitting a proposal for a new or substantially revised graduate degree program. Working together with the Program Subcommittee of the Graduate College Executive Committee, the Graduate College deans can give advice on the merits of the proposal and can help craft a proposal that meets accepted standards for quality.
A master's degree program must require at least 32 hours. Usually, a professional master's program requires more than 32 hours of credit. Every master's program must include at least 12 hours of 500-level courses, and at least 8 of these 12 hours must be in the major field. A department may determine the number of hours of thesis (599) that may count toward the 500-level requirement.
A doctoral program requires at least 96 hours of credit, divided into three stages. Stage I consists of the master's degree or its equivalent, namely, at least 32 hours of graduate work here or at another university. Stage I ends with an evaluation of the student's progress toward the doctoral degree, by examination or other formal review procedure. Stage II consists of one or more years of course work and research, ending with the preliminary examination and fulfillment of any special departmental requirements such as language proficiency. Stage III consists of research and other activities culminating in a final oral examination and the deposit of the dissertation.
Further information on the requirements for master's and doctoral degree programs is available from academic departments, in the Graduate College Handbook, and in the Programs of Study catalog.
A proposal for a professional graduate program should clearly explain whether, and under what circumstances, required courses can be waived for equivalent course work that a student has completed prior to enrollment in the program. If courses can be waived, then the proposal must specify the maximum number of hours that may be waived. Regardless of the number of hours waived, the student must still earn at least 32 hours of credit, including transfer credit, for a master's degree. If a professional program admits students who have not received a bachelor's degree in the discipline, then the program should have sufficient graduate-level content to warrant a graduate degree.
A proposal for a new or substantially revised program should compare the proposed requirements with those of similar programs at peer institutions.
2.1. Experimental Periods for New Graduate Programs
The Graduate College encourages the development of innovative graduate programs, especially interdisciplinary programs. New programs that do not involve new degrees can be developed as options or specializations under existing degree programs. New options and specializations do not require review beyond the Graduate College, and thus may be approved quickly.
In 1998, the Graduate College Executive Committee approved an expedited process for review of an experimental version of a new option, concentration, specialization, or minor under an existing degree program, as follows. After approval by all participating departments, the experimental program would be approved administratively by the deans of the disciplinary colleges and then submitted to the Graduate College. The Program Subcommittee of the Graduate College Executive Committee would, if appropriate, recommend approval to the Dean of the Graduate College. The program proposal would then be forwarded to the Graduate College Executive Committee, the Office of the Provost, and the Educational Policy Committee of the Urbana-Champaign Senate. Each would be given two weeks to raise objections, and if there are none, then the experimental program would be able to begin on a trial basis. The approval would be in effect for a limited term, typically three to five years, depending on the program's requirements.
This expedited review process would obviate approval by courses and curricula committees at the disciplinary college level. The expedited process would be analogous to a departmental process for approving an experimental version of a new course as simply a section of a special topics course.
The Graduate College may appoint an oversight committee to monitor the experimental program and to conduct a formal evaluation during the experimental period. If successful, the new program may then be proposed as a permanent option, concentration, specialization, or minor, or as a full-fledged separate degree program. If not successful, the new program would be terminated.
2.2. Joint Degree Programs
Ordinarily, a student cannot use credits earned in one graduate degree program to meet the requirements of another degree program. A joint degree program enables a student to earn two degrees with fewer total hours of credit than pursuing each degree program separately. Usually, each degree program counts some courses in the other program - typically up to 12 hours of credit - as electives in meeting its own requirements.
Two departments that wish to offer a joint degree program must submit a formal proposal for review by the Graduate College. The proposal must include the same elements as any proposal for a new degree program, such as the justification for the program, and budgetary and staff implications. The proposal must address the division of tuition revenues and tuition waiver policies between colleges in which the separate programs are offered. The proposal should explain how students will be advised.
The two disciplines being combined should enjoy intellectual synergies, so that the joint degree student acquires knowledge and skills substantially equivalent to a student who takes the programs separately. For example, the joint J.D./M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences program emphasizes natural resource law and environmental law. If such synergies are not present, then reductions in total requirements could reduce the quality of one or both degrees, and therefore the joint degree proposal would be unlikely to be approved.
A joint degree program that combines existing degrees does not require approval beyond the Graduate College, although its approval must be reported to the Board of Trustees and submitted as part of the University's annual listing to the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
An experimental version of a joint degree program may be approved via the expedited review process described in Section 2.1.
A student who wishes to enter a joint degree program must be admitted separately to each program as a joint degree candidate. Both degrees are awarded simultaneously upon completion of the requirements.
2.3. Majors, Concentrations, Options, Tracks, Specializations, and Minors
The following definitions may be helpful in distinguishing between different types of graduate programs:
- Major. A graduate major is the student's primary program of study. Students in a graduate major leading to the award of a master's degree are required to complete at least 32 hours, and those in graduate majors leading to the award of a doctoral degree must complete at least 96 hours. See Section 2. above for more information on these requirements.
- Concentration. A graduate concentration may reflect either content specialization within a particular
discipline (for example, a taxation concentration in accountancy), or an interdisciplinary program (for example, an
interdisciplinary concentration in cultural studies and interpretive research). In all cases, however, a graduate
concentration requires review by the Senate and the Board of Trustees, and is noted on the student's transcript.
A graduate concentration consists of 24-32 graduate hours of relevant course work at the 400- and 500-level and/or thesis credit in the sponsoring department(s). For master's degrees, which require a minimum of 32 graduate hours, this would represent the majority, if not the entirety, of the degree. For doctoral degrees, which require a minimum of 96 graduate hours, this would represent 1/4 to 1/3 of the total minimum graduate hours required. - Option, track, and specialization. These terms may be used interchangeably to refer to different ways of earning a graduate degree. Because options, tracks, and specializations do not appear on the student's transcript, they are less formal than concentrations, and may vary in terms of the hours required.
- Minor. A graduate minor is a coherent set of at least 12 graduate hours of courses defined by one or more units outside the student's enrolling department. A minor encourages and recognizes expertise gained in a particular area. This expertise could be completely outside the usual degree requirements or it could significantly extend knowledge in an area closely related to a particular degree program. For some graduate students, completing a minor will be both appealing and advisable. For others, this will not be the case. The student's enrolling department may decide how many graduate hours of a minor may help fulfill the degree requirements for the student's program. The spirit of a minor is the development of additional academic strengths. It would thus be unusual for there to be total overlap between defined degree requirements and the requirements of a minor. Historically, minors have been constituted primarily with 500-level courses. Some minors may require that a member of the unit(s) offering the minor serve on the student's master's or doctoral committee.
Students may complete more than one concentration, option/track/specialization, or minor, and students in joint degree programs may complete more than one major. However, only majors, concentrations, and minors are noted on the student's transcript.
3. The Approval Process
The number of approvals required is commensurate with the significance and extent of the changes proposed.
First, a new or revised course or degree program must be approved by the department, school (if applicable), and disciplinary college. Each college has a courses and curriculum committee.
All new and revised graduate programs are reviewed by the Program Subcommittee of the Graduate College Executive Committee. The subcommittee also reviews new and revised 400- and 500-level courses from colleges, schools, or institutes without two-tiered review processes (Library and Information Science, Social Work, Law, and Labor and Industrial Relations). The subcommittee meets monthly during the academic year.
Off-campus courses and degree programs, including courses offered by distance learning technologies, are reviewed by the Committee on Extended Education and External Degrees, but only after their content has been approved by committees at the department and college levels. This committee also meets monthly during the academic year.
Proposals for new degree programs and for substantial changes in the content of existing programs require the approval of the Graduate College Executive Committee. The full approval sequence is presented in Attachment A of "Criteria and Procedures for Review of Proposed New and Revised Graduate Degree Programs and Options Under Existing Degrees, June 2002."
No Graduate College approval needed:
- Addition or deletion of a comprehensive examination or a qualifying examination
- Changes in the format or content of comprehensive examinations, qualifying examinations, preliminary examinations, and theses
- Minor revisions in course content
Informational changes that should be routed through the Graduate College:
- Addition or deletion of cross-listing of a course
- Editorial revisions to the catalog description of a course or program
- Minor changes to the title, credit, or prerequisites of a course
- Minor structural changes in specific requirements of a degree program: mix of required/elective courses, minor changes in the list of specifically required courses, addition or deletion of a required master's thesis or creative project
Approval by a Graduate College assistant or associate dean:
- All new and substantially revised courses that have already undergone a two-tiered review process (approval by the department, school [if applicable], and disciplinary college)
Approval by the Program Subcommittee of the Graduate College Executive Committee:
- Experimental versions of options, tracks, concentrations, specializations, and minors within existing degree programs; an oversight committee may be appointed to monitor the experimental program
- All new and revised 400 and 500-level courses from colleges, schools, or institutes without two-tiered review processes (Library and Information Science, Social Work, Law, and Labor and Industrial Relations)
Approval by the Program Subcommittee of the Graduate College Executive Committee, followed by the Executive Committee:
- Major changes in resources or technology required to offer a program
Approval by the Program Subcommittee of the Graduate College Executive Committee, followed by the Executive Committee; reported to the Board of Trustees and included in the University's annual listing to the Illinois Board of Higher Education:
- Joint degree programs that combine existing programs
- New permanent options, tracks, concentrations, specialization, and minors
Approval by the Program Subcommittee of the Graduate College Executive Committee, followed by the Executive Committee, the Urbana-Champaign Senate, and beyond:
- New degree programs
- Changes in names of programs
- Changes in total credits required by existing programs
4. Frequently Asked Questions
How many copies do I submit?
Only one, routed through the appropriate departmental and college offices.
Do I need to submit a new course outline when the textbook changes?
No. Routine changes in content and textbook do not require revised official course outlines. For a minor change in the title, cross-listing, course description, or prerequisite, it is sufficient to submit a letter that states and justifies the proposed change. The letter should follow the normal departmental and college approval process. Major changes in content require the submission of a course outline.
Do I need to attend the meeting of the Program Subcommittee of the Graduate College Executive Committee at which my course or program proposal is discussed?
For a course, probably not. For a new or substantially revised program, the subcommittee may invite an appropriate departmental representative to the meeting to answer questions.
What happens if the subcommittee or the Graduate College requests changes in a course outline or program proposal?
If the changes are extensive, then the Graduate College will return the proposal to the department. After extensive revision, the proposal should then go through the normal approval process in the department, school, and disciplinary college.
If the changes are minor, one of the deans of the Graduate College will communicate directly with the proposer to negotiate an agreement. For minor changes to program proposals, the explicit consent of the department head and college dean must be obtained. For minor changes to course proposals, the explicit consent of the department head is necessary, and the college dean is then notified that the department has consented to the minor changes.
Is the successful completion of an option, track, or specialization noted on the transcript or diploma?
No. A department may present an unofficial certificate to the student who completes the requirements for an option, track, or specialization. For example, the Computational Science and Engineering program issues a certificate of completion to each student who completes the CSE option in each participating department. Consult the Graduate College before offering such a certificate.
Can a course be offered before it is approved by the Graduate College?
Most departments have special topics numbers for experimental versions of new courses. The department determines whether an experimental course may be offered.
Are courses ever dropped?
The Provost's "6-10 Regulation" requires the dropping of a course for either of the two reasons listed below:
- Enrollment Rule: when the average of two successive registrations during the regular academic year is fewer than 6 in a 200- or 300- level course, or fewer than 10 in a 100- level course
- Semester Rule: when a course at any level is approved for the regular year, but not offered within the last six fall/spring semesters
All 500-level courses are exempt from the Enrollment Rule, but subject to the Semester Rule. All thesis and individual instruction courses are exempt from the 6-10 regulation.
What happens to currently enrolled students when a degree program is changed?
Generally, a student should be allowed to complete the requirements of a degree program as they existed at the time of first registration in the program. With the consent of the department, however, after a revised program goes into effect, a continuing student may have the option of satisfying the requirements of the revised program, or even a blend of the requirements of the old and revised programs. A student who does not maintain continuous enrollment, if readmitted, may be expected to comply with the current requirements, not the original ones.
This is a revised version of a document prepared by Michael C. Loui in 1998.
