Programs, Curricula & Courses (PCC) Manual

Introduction
Table of Contents
Programs
Departments
Approval Routes and Times
Centers and Institutes
College Contacts

The Design of Academic Programs

Curriculum Changes
Faculty Governance
Off-Campus and
Distance Learning
Minors
Bachelor's Degrees
Honors Programs
Master's Degrees
Doctoral Degrees
Certificates
Combined Bachelor's /
Master's Degrees
Dual Master's /
Doctoral Degrees
Credentials
Master and Graduate Certificate of Professional Studies

Approved Programs

2007-08 Academic Planning and Programs Calendar (Please contact the Graduate School for information about Graduate PCC and Graduate Council meetings.)

IIIA. Some Typical Times Required for Approvals

Please note that the typical time frames described below refer to the amount of time typically required after a proposal reaches Academic Affairs. The time required for prior Department and College approval is in addition to these times.

• A proposal to establish a new academic program can be approved well within a year of submission to Academic Affairs, and sometimes much sooner. In particular, College-approved proposals submitted at the beginning of the fall semester stand a good chance of final approval in time for implementation the following fall. Achieving approval through the Senate level will require at least three months. From there, it goes to the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), which must act within two months. In favorable circumstances, the elapsed time from submission to Academic Affairs to final approval could be six months or even less. All these time estimates may be greatly extended for controversial cases or for adversarial situations.
• A proposal to modify an existing undergraduate program, if acceptable to the Senate PCC committee, can be approved within as little as a month or two of being submitted to Academic Affairs, if submitted between August and May when the PCC committee is active.
• A proposal to modify an existing graduate program, if acceptable to the two PCC committees concerned, can be approved within as little as three months of submission to Academic Affairs, if submitted between August and March. The difference is the need for approval by the Graduate PCC committee and the Graduate Council before being considered by the Senate PCC committee.
• A proposal to rename or discontinue an existing academic program, or to rename or reconfigure academic units often can be effective within about six months of submittal to Academic Affairs, if submitted at a favorable time of the year. Review by the Academic Planning Advisory Committee (APAC), by the PCC committee(s), and by the Senate will require a minimum of three months. In most cases review beyond the institution will be pro forma, but may take up to two additional months.
• A proposal to offer an already approved program at a new (off-site) location or through distance education can be approved by Academic Affairs within two weeks of its submission, or even sooner if Academic Affairs is kept fully informed about the proposal during the course of its development.

Note: Sometimes program proposals also require modification to individual courses, a process which is handled through VPAC . A course change proposal often can be approved within a month or two of being submitted to the Provost's office, if submitted between August and May when VPAC is active.

IIIB. Typical Approval Paths

For all of the actions listed below (except those marked with an asterisk), proposals must first receive approval from the following before being submitted to Academic Affairs for review:

• Departmental PCC Committee(s)
• Department Chair(s)
• College PCC Committee(s)
• Dean(s)

After review in Academic Affairs, programs take different approval paths, as follows:

Revised 9-10-06

Office of the Associate Provost for Academic Planning & Programs
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