1. Definitions, Process and Timeline
Campus – UM System – MDHE Degree Program Proposals, Certificates and Changes
Definitions, Process and Timeline

2. New Degree Programs – 6 Phases @ System before MDHE
Preliminary Proposals submitted to system:
Conversation with Dr. Graham:
Full Proposal
submitted to system:
IF a Doctoral -External Review:
Final Proposal sent out for Campus Review:
Board of Curators:
Must use UM template
Must come through Provosts office
Must show campus approval
Dr. Graham will review, make notes and then have a call with the author to go through what they should focus on and what to leave out etc. in the full proposal.
Must use template
Must come through Provosts office
Must show continued campus approval
Likely to be some back and forth
Only Doctoral programs have to go for external review
Author provides 5-7 names from external institutions for AA to contact
Reviewers have about 4 weeks.
Campuses have 21 days to comment
During this time author may wish to fine tune for Board review – AA to advise
As long as campus review comes back clean and is complete 3 or more weeks prior to next BOC meeting, program will be submitted to BOC in next meeting.

3. New Degree Programs – From System through MDHE and back
Once you enter the information in the form you’ll save it and send to me.
I’ll do some processing on my end and send it on to MDHE.
MDHE will do their thing (timeline below) and send approval back to me.
Once the BOC approves the program I will notify you so you can go through the next step – entering (or having the author) the information that MDHE requires for new programs (images on next slide)

5. Program Changes – Definitions
What constitutes and “Program Change” that must pass through System and MDHE?
Change to Title/Nomenclature
Change to CIP Code
Deleting or Inactivating a Program
Adding or Removing Options/Emphasis Areas
Change of Address
Closing a Delivery Location
Combining Programs
Creating a Certificate Program
Change to Curriculum

6. Change to Title/Nomenclature:
Title indicates the name of an existing program, option or certificate –
Ex. BS Parks, Recreation and Tourism TO BS Parks, Recreation and Sport
Nomenclature indicates the type of degree –
Ex. Master of Entrepreneurial Real Estate (MERE) TO MS Entrepreneurial Real Estate

7. Change to CIP Code:
CIP codes (Classification of Instructional Program) are determined and tracked by the National Center for Education Statistics.
Possible reasons for a CIP Code to change:
The program alters and better fits within a different category
A CIP Code is removed from the Inventory by NCES.

8. Deleting or Inactivating a Program:
Degree Programs and Certificates may be Deleted OR Inactivated.
Deletion removes the program completely – there should not be students in the program if it is being deleted.
Inactivating a program generally happens if it is being phased out. There is a 2 year inactivation period by HLC standards and 5 years by MDHE guidelines…
MDHE says that students in the program with less than 2 years of coursework left can complete but NO new students will be admitted.
A program can be reactivated from Inactivate Status (if done so within the 5 year window) but if Deleted must be created fresh.

9. Adding or Removing Options/Emphasis Areas:
Options/Emphasis Areas may be created or removed to accommodate changes to a program.
If more than 4-5 courses are being created for a new option it may be deemed necessary to create a new program.
Options will ALWAYS have the same CIP Code as the Parent Program they are apart of as they should be closely related to the Parent Program.
Options can NOT be inactivated – they either exist or they don’t.

10. Change of Address:
This refers to a change of address for a program’s delivery not to be confused with a change in the mode of delivery (online, campus etc.).
Mode of Delivery doesn’t need MDHE approval BUT System should be notified.

11. Closed Delivery Location:
This refers to a physical delivery location being closed – MDHE needs to know if there is new location.
If a location is closing with no replacement location there may be programs being deleted – those will need to be submitted as well.

12. Combination of Programs:
Refers to a mechanical combination of 2+ previously separate programs.
Ex.
MS Fisheries & Wildlife Sciences
MS Forestry
MS Parks, Recreation and Tourism
MS Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences
MS Natural Resources
Any curricular changes outside of elimination of duplicated requirements may be considered substantive and require further review.

13. Creation of a Certificate Program:
This refers to either an Undergraduate or a Graduate Certificate.
Undergraduate Certificates:
C0 = Single Semester Cert., completed in less than 1 year.
May be stand-alone or part of existing parent degree program.
C1 = One-year Cert., completed in one year but less than 2 years.
Developed from approved parent degree or it will have to complete New Degree Program documentation (just MDHE portion).
C2 = Two-year Cert., generally completed in 2 years but less than 4 years.
Graduate Certificates:
GRCT, Master’s level courses, but less than master’s degree.
Currently MDHE has no guidelines around length but any that are not associated with approved parent degree they will go through New Degree Program documentation.

14. Change to Curriculum:
If a change includes substantive curriculum/program goal changes, it may be necessary to show more documentation or go through the new program process.
What does substantive mean?
Examples include but are not limited to:
Change to overall credits or goals, deletion/replacement of courses, primary mode of delivery change, change to audience.
Rule of Thumb – if more than 10% of a program is changing it may be considered substantive.
Curricular changes required for accreditation, whether substantive or not, do not have to go through MDHE approval.

15. How to correctly submit your changes:

16. What to submit under all the different categories:

17. Form PC

18. Turn-around Timeline for Form PC
Ex. Everything Jessi received through Tuesday of this week will be submitted to MDHE for September review/approval and those that submitted will be notified in October.
Anything received after Tuesday this week will be submitted in September, reviewed/approved in October and notifications will go out in November. And so on.
This assumes that everything has been submitted correctly
and no back and forth has been required.