SPS Curriculum Process: Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
Approved: November 2018
There are two times a year that undergraduate and graduate curriculum changes can be officially conducted. The first university deadline is November 1 and the second is February 15, although the November deadline is preferable since it is connected to whether the revised curriculum is included in the physical/hard copy of the curriculum catalogues for the following Fall semester. The School-wide process below is designed to ensure that the process runs smoothly and efficiently while also providing enough time to give feedback. Please note that the process for undergraduate and graduate proposals is similar except for the process and contact for submission of final materials with undergraduate programs working with the SPS Curriculum Committee and the graduate programs working with the Graduate College (details below).
November 1 Deadline
Collaboration & Feedback
1. Program Leads in conjunction with program faculty are responsible for the quality and integrity of program curricula. Thus, they lead and monitor particular curriculum changes at the program, School, and university level.
2. Undergraduate Program Leads should contact the SPS Curriculum Chair by September 1 to inform him/her that the program will be submitting curriculum changes, and indicate whether they are minimal or extensive in nature so that the SPS Curriculum Chair can plan accordingly. Undergraduate program leads should share their changes with the advising team so they can necessary feedback. It’s up to the Graduate Program Leads to decide if they want to give the Graduate College a heads-up about upcoming curriculum changes.
3. By September 25, Program Leads should present their proposed curriculum changes to all SPS Program Leads and Faculty Director(s) by emailing sps-program-leads-group@boisestate.edu so there is an opportunity to receive and incorporate feedback from the Leads and Faculty Directors. If possible, Program Leads and Faculty Directors will discuss the proposals in person at a standing meeting; when not possible, they will discuss them electronically.
4. By October 1, Faculty Director(s) in consultation with Program Leads will either approve the curriculum or ask the Program Lead to consider potential revisions based on a written rationale that should be shared with the program related faculty. In this role, Faculty Director(s) will be taking into account any school-wide or university-wide considerations.
Submission of Formal Application and Materials
5. By October 15, and if the Faculty Director(s) have signed off on the curriculum, the undergraduate Program Lead should submit their final paperwork, including any necessary signatures (affected departments/programs, Dean’s Office, etc) to the SPS Curriculum Chair, who will have the SPS Curriculum Committee review the proposal for any logistical or administrative issues. The SPS Curriculum Chair will work with the Program Lead on any changes that need to be made.
6. By November 1, the graduate Program Lead should submit their final paperwork, including any necessary signatures (affected departments/programs, Dean’s Office, etc) to Dawn Ramirez, the Administrative Manager in the Graduate College, who will make any necessary changes.
7. By November 1, the SPS Curriculum Chair will submit the undergraduate curriculum proposal to the appropriate University contact. Dawn Ramirez in the Graduate College will process graduate curriculum applications to the Graduate Council.
8. Program Leads are then responsible for attending or sending a program representative to any University Curriculum Committee or Graduate Council meetings to discuss their proposals.
9. The University Curriculum Committee and the Graduate Council will either approve, deny, or request changes before the program curriculum is then included in the following year’s print catalogue.
February 15 Deadline
Collaboration & Feedback
1. Program Leads in conjunction with program faculty are responsible for the quality and integrity of program curricula. Thus, they lead and monitor particular curriculum changes at the program, School, and university level.
2. Undergraduate Program Leads should contact the SPS Curriculum Chair by December 1 to inform them that the program will be submitting curriculum changes, and indicate whether they are minimal or extensive in nature so that the SPS Curriculum Chair can plan accordingly. It’s up to the Graduate Program Leads to decide if they want to give the Graduate College a heads-up about upcoming curriculum changes.
3. By January 10, Program Leads should present their proposed curriculum changes to all SPS Program Leads and Faculty Director (s) by emailing sps-program-leads-group@boisestate.edu so there is an opportunity to receive and incorporate feedback from the Leads and Faculty Directors. If possible, Program Leads and Faculty Directors will discuss the proposals in person at a standing meeting; when not possible, they will discuss them electronically.
4. By January 15, Faculty Director/s in consultation with Program Leads will either approve the curriculum or ask the Program Lead to consider potential revisions based on a written rationale that should be shared with the program related faculty. In this role, Faculty Director(s) will be taking into account any school-wide or university-wide considerations.
Submission of Formal Application and Materials
5. By February 1, and if the Faculty Director(s) have signed off on the curriculum, the undergraduate Program Lead should submit their final paperwork, including any necessary signatures (affected departments/programs, Deans Office, etc) to the SPS Curriculum Chair, who will have the SPS Curriculum Committee review the proposal for any logistical or administrative issues. The SPS Curriculum Chair will work with the Program Lead on any changes that need to be made.
6. By February 15, the graduate Program Lead should submit their final paperwork, including any necessary signatures (affected departments/programs, Dean’s Office, etc) to Dawn Ramirez, the Administrative Manager, in the Graduate College who will make any necessary changes.
7. By February 15, the SPS Curriculum Chair will submit the curriculum proposal to the appropriate University contact. Dawn Ramirez in the Graduate College will process graduate curriculum applications to the Graduate Council.
8. Program Leads are then responsible for attending or sending a program representative to any University Curriculum Committee or Graduate Council meetings to discuss the proposal.
9. The University Curriculum Committee and Graduate Council will either approve, deny, or request changes before the program curriculum is then included in the following year’s print catalogue.
Helpful forms and resources
Please note that there are several steps and organizational elements that the UCC and Graduate Council require. It is helpful to talk to program leads & the SPS Curriculum Chair for a primer and best practices. Additionally, please review the undergraduate and graduate websites below.
University Curriculum Committee: https://www.boisestate.edu/academics-cm/university-curriculum-committee/university-curriculum-committee/
Graduate College Curriculum Requests: https://www.boisestate.edu/academics-cm/