Academic Affairs

Overview of the Process

The creation of a new program or revision to an existing academic program or course can be initiated from various sources and should be part of an outcomes assessment process. The need for change can be a result of student demand, market trends, accreditation compliance, etc. The change can initiate from the departmental faculty, program committee or program director.

After approval at the departmental level, a new or revised program, is then approved by the appropriate committee, either the Undergraduate Academic Program Committee (UAPC) or the Graduate Academic Program Committee (GAPC) prior to going to the entire faculty for approval. (In the case of a program revision that does not materially affect any program of a department or the college, the UAPC and/or the GAPC can act on the proposal on behalf of the CBA faculty.) The Graduate College must approve CBA masters and doctoral programs except for the MBA. The University Senate receives all new or revised academic programs for either approval or review. The university's Office of Academic Affairs will determine if new programs and major programmatic revisions require further approval by or notification to the Board of Trustees and/or the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE).

After approval at the departmental level, new and revised courses (including prerequisite changes), must be approved by the appropriate standing committee, the UAPC and/or GAPC. The entire CBA faculty only needs to act if the change or addition affects an existing program, is part of a new program, or if it affects the college. The Graduate College must approve 400- and 500-level courses that are part of a general program revision. (Course changes and new courses which do not affect graduate degree requirements are not reviewed by the Graduate College.) The University Senate must approve courses which affect new or revised degree programs or that request specific types of credit such as general education or cultural diversity credit.

The Office of Academic Affairs coordinates the approval process on behalf of the university. They establish deadlines for submission of changes each year. Typically, the deadline for submitting programmatic items is early December, for implementation in the fall (providing IBHE approval is not needed.). The deadline for submitting new courses for the following fall is also early December.

The Senate Committee on Educational Policy, SCEP, is the committee that reviews all programmatic requests and makes recommendations to the full Senate.

The Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Research (SADAAR), along with the Director of Academic Administration (DAA), coordinate the process at the college-level. At the department level, the process could be coordinated by the program director, director of graduate studies, a departmental committee, or the head.

Procedure for Requesting New Academic Programs or Revisions to Existing Academic Programs

• The sponsor of a new program or a revised course must prepare the proposal according to the format specified by the university's Office of Academic Affairs. New program requests are prepared in consultation with the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Research. Programmatic revisions should follow the outline, "Format for Academic Program Changes". New courses or changes to existing courses as part of the academic proposal must be included and be prepared and submitted through CRS (Course Request System).

• Once the New Program Request or Academic Program Change proposal is prepared, the sponsor of the request needs to obtain approvals at the department level, if necessary. Departmental level approval would be required for departmentally-sponsored graduate programs and changes to the undergraduate major requirements. For the Ph.D. in Business Administration and Masters in Business Administration, the Ph.D. Program Committee and the MBA Program Committee, respectively, should be consulted.

• After the program is approved at the departmental level, the sponsor needs to forward the proposal to the chairperson of the UAPC or GAPC for consideration at the next meeting. It is advisable that the sponsor attend the meeting where the proposal is being considered to answer any questions committee members may have.

• After the UAPC or GAPC has approved the program, the chairperson of that standing committee needs to present the new or revised program for faculty vote during the committee presentation at the next scheduled CBA Faculty Meeting.

• (NEW FALL 2002) For new programs, once college-level approval is obtained, the Dean needs to seek approval from the Provost to request that the program go forward through university approval channels. The Director of Academic Administration (DAA) prepares the necessary documentation on the Dean's behalf. For revised programs, the DAA forwards the proposal to the university's Office of Academic Affairs, on behalf of the Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Research (SADAAR) to initiate campus-level approval. The DAA submits any course approvals through the Course Evaluation System (CRS).

• The Office of Academic Affairs will notify the program sponsor and the SADAAR when campus-level approvals have been obtained. It is sometimes necessary for the SADAAR, or academic program director to attend the SCEP meeting to respond to any questions and concerns. That committee may request revisions or clarifications to the program proposal prior to voting on it.

Procedure for Requesting New Courses or Revisions to Existing Courses

• The requestor of a new or revised course must prepare the request in CRS format. CRS (Course Request System) is the university web-based system used for the request and approval to course changes. New or revised courses typically originate in the academic department. The administrative support person in the academic department is the CRS contact. The web contains some useful information in preparing a new or revised course: Course Numbering System, Contact/Credit Hour Formula and Differential Contact/Credit Hour Formula.

• Once the course request is prepared, the sponsor of the request needs to obtain the necessary approvals at the departmental level. Depending on the policy established by the individual academic department, approval at this level could consist of a departmental committee, entire faculty, or department head.

• After the course is approved at the department level, the course needs to be submitted to the college-level through the CRS system. Automatic e-mail notification is sent to the Director of Academic Administration (DAA) after the department approves the course in the system.

• Temporary Courses: A department can offer a course which has not been officially approved through college an university channels on a one-time only basis. Requesting temporary approval for a course is done through CRS noting "temporary" approval for a specified term. Courses requested for temporary approval must be approved by the department, SADAAR and the UIC Office of Academic Affairs. The deadlines for temporary approval requests differ from those for permanent course approval and usually coincide with departmental timetable submission deadlines.

• The departmental representative on the UAPC and/or GAPC needs to sponsor the course for committee consideration at the next meeting. UAPC approval is required for 100, 200, 300 and 400-level courses. GAPC approval is required for 500-level courses and for 400-level courses that carry graduate credit.

• If the course addition or change affects an existing academic program or is part of a new program, approval at the faculty level is required. The chairperson of the appropriate college standing committee (UAPC OR GAPC) needs to propose the course for faculty vote during the committee presentation at the next scheduled CBA Faculty Meeting. [Courses which are part of a new academic program can be considered by faculty vote as part of the entire curricular proposal.] If the course addition or change does not materially affect any academic program of a department or the college, only approval at the level of the UAPC and/or GAPC is required.

• Once approved, the DAA approves the course through CRS to initiate university-level approval.

• Once the course is approved at the campuslevel, it is added to the departmental course inventory in the ISIS system.