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  4. How to Submit a Proposal

How to Submit a Proposal

How to Submit a Proposal | Course or Academic Program Proposals

When is submitting a proposal necessary?

Any change to the curriculum that would require a change to the Undergraduate or Graduate catalog must go through the university’s course and program approval process. 

Once a faculty member begins a course or program approval process (i.e., filling out and submitting the appropriate form) the approval process workflow is automatic and your proposal will move forward automatically through various committees. Once you submit a proposal there is no need to do anything else, unless you are contacted by your Department C&C Committee Chair.

What does an approval process look like for a typical SFA course or SFA program?

Once a faculty member submits a course or program proposal, it typically travels through the following workflow of approvals:

  1. Department C&C Undergraduate or Graduate Committee
  2. Department Faculty Vote (then other departments, if cross-listed)
  3. School of Fine Arts C&C Committee (or SFA Associate Dean of Graduate Studies)
  4. School of Fine Arts Faculty Vote (then other schools, if cross-listed)

    Some course or program approvals are complete at this stage, and will make their way to the Registrar for final approval. Others, such as courses that have Common Curriculum designations or are designated at the 2000-level or below, will make their way through various University Senate Common Curriculum Committees before final approval with the Registrar. The most vetted course approval process (Common Curriculum designation) would add these additional approval steps:

  5.  University Senate (Common Curriculum Committee & Subcommittees)
  6. University Senate (C&C Committee)
  7. University Senate
  8. Registrar

 

The following is a step-by-step approval process for a typical SFA course or programmatic change. Remember, once a faculty member begins a course or program approval process (i.e., filling out and submitting the appropriate form) the approval process workflow is automatic and your proposal will move forward automatically through various committees. Once you submit a proposal there is no need to do anything else, unless you are contacted by your Department C&C Committee Chair.

Step 1: Consult with your Department’s C&C Committee Chair

Consult with your department’s C&C Committee chair, or with the chair of the School of Fine Arts C&C Committee if you have any questions about the timing or content of your proposal. The faculty member is responsible for much of the content of a proposal, however your Department C&C representative will be responsible for many of the steps.

Be aware of the approval timeline required not only by your department’s C&C Committee and Faculty, but the SFA C&C Committee and Faculty, University Senate Committees (in some cases), and the Registrar’s annual catalog copy deadline (early February for undergraduate catalogue copy and early March for graduate catalog copy).

Course Approval Process (Undergraduate and Graduate)

Academic Program Approval Process (Undergraduate)

Academic Program Approval Process (Graduate)

Step 2: Complete or download/complete the appropriate forms

 For Undergraduate & Graduate Courses: To submit a course action request (CAR) for an undergraduate or graduate course (to add, revise, or delete a course), see the Course Action Request Form.

For Undergraduate Program Changes: To submit a proposal for a change to a School of Fine Arts (SFA) undergraduate academic program (e.g., add or change a major or minor, changes to catalog copy of your academic program), download and complete the appropriate form on the SFA’s C&C Forms page.

For Graduate Program Changes: To submit a proposal for a School of Fine Arts (SFA) graduate academic program, see the Graduate School’s GPAR electronic workflow system.

Step 3: Obtain Department approval

Route the proposal to your Department C&C Committee chair. The CAR and GPAR systems will automatically route the proposal for you. In the case of Undergraduate Program changes (e.g., add or change a major or minor, changes to catalog copy of your academic program) e-mail the appropriate form to your Department C&C Committee chair.

Please note that it is important to confer with other Departments whose curricula may be affected by your proposal, and to record the substance of the conferral(s) in the indicated area of the CAR, GPAR, or Program Changes forms. For example, adding a course from another department as a major requirement in your department may affect enrollment. Failure to do so will delay the approval process.

Step 4: Department C&C Meeting

After receiving your proposal, the chair of your Department C&C Committee will acknowledge receipt and will check your proposal to ensure all information is included. If so, your proposal will be added to the next agenda for the committee. If your proposal is reviewed by your Department C&C Committee and approved, it will then be reviewed and voted on by your Department’s faculty.

To receive Department approval, your proposal must be approved by your Department C&C Committee, and approved by your Department’s Faculty (via a full faculty vote). If your proposal requires SFA approval, the SFA C&C Committee requires approval by both your Departmental C&C Committee and your Department’s Faculty. The SFA C&C Committee will not review proposals if they do not include the dates in which departmental approvals were obtained.

Step 5: Obtain School approval (as necessary)

In order to be reviewed at the next scheduled SFA C&C Committee meeting, proposals must be received by the SFA C&C Committee chair at least one week in advance of the SFA C&C Committee meeting. If you miss this deadline, your proposal will be added to the agenda for the next SFA C&C meeting.

Proposals routed through the CAR or GPAR systems will be advanced by your Departmental C&C Committee chair and automatically routed to the SFA C&C Committee chair. All proposals generated outside the CAR or GPAR system should be e-mailed by the Departmental C&C Committee chair to the SFA C&C Committee chair, using the following guidelines:

  1. The Department C&C Chair will route the approved proposal to the SFA C&C Chair.
  2.   The body of the e-mail should indicate what proposal is being submitted.
  3.   Attach the proposal to the same e-mail as a Word document.

Please remember, the SFA C&C Committee requires approval of your proposal by both your  Departmental C&C Committee and your Department’s Faculty (via a full faculty vote). The SFA C&C will not review proposals if they do not include the dates in which departmental approvals were obtained.

Step 6: SFA C&C Meeting

After receiving your proposal, the chair of the SFA C&C Committee will acknowledge receipt and will check your proposal to ensure all information is included. If so, your proposal will be added to the next agenda for the committee. If your proposal is reviewed by the SFA C&C Committee and approved, it will be automatically sent forward for SFA Full Faculty vote.

Step 7: Follow-up and Final Approvals

After your proposal has been approved by the SFA C&C Committee and SFA Faculty, it will be routed to the Registrar or, when required, Senate-level committees. Many course proposals and program change proposals require approval by additional committees, such as Common Curriculum Committees or Senate C&C. As always, consult with your Department or SFA C&C Committee chairs if you have any questions about the routing of your proposal.