Curriculum Proposal Process

All curriculum changes must be approved by the University Curriculum Committee. Changes in curricula produce reactions that may be far-reaching in their effects. It is, therefore, important that all proposed changes be studied carefully before they are made.

1. The academic unit seeking to propose a curriculum change should begin by communicating the nature of the change to all the faculty in the unit and affected departments. The opinions and support of faculty and affected departments on campus should be reflected in the proposed change, and proposals for curriculum changes should be forwarded only when they enjoy the support of the faculty of the unit.
2. The Dean and Chair reviews and recommends proposals for curriculum change based on the established need, available resources, and adequate funding of the academic unit. Recommended proposals for change should be forwarded by the Dean or Chair to the Associate Provost of Academic Affairs. All proposals must be submitted electronically in Word format. Proposals are due to the Office of the Provost on or before the second Tuesday of the month.
3. After evaluating and consulting with the proposal's sponsors and other interested parties, the Associate Provost will recommend that the proposal be accepted, rejected, or modified; the proposal and recommendation are then submitted to the Curriculum Committee.
4. Once the proposal has been reviewed and recommended by the Associate Provost, it will be assigned a number, receive a cover letter, and submitted electronically to the Curriculum Committee, as well as any administrative parties involved in the curriculum approval process.

5. The Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs may initiate proposals for curriculum change. The Provost and Vice President's proposals may be of two types: (a) those affecting existing instructional programs and academic units and (b) those bearing on the creation of new programs. Proposals of the first type should be submitted to the affected unit for its approval. Proposals of the second type should be submitted to the Academic Affairs Council for its approval. The position of the body is then included in the report forwarded to the Curriculum Committee.

6. The proposal will be discussed by members of the Curriculum Committee. Plan to attend the Curriculum Committee meeting when your proposal is scheduled to be discussed. If there are issues or questions, the committee may ask you to revise the proposal. Once the proposal has passed two (2) readings by the Curriculum Committee you will need to send the electronic copy considered by the Committee or a revised copy that includes changes recommended by the Committee to the Associate Provost. The Associate Provost will verify that any recommended edits have been made and forward the proposal to the President of Faculty Senate.

7. The proposal will be reviewed and considered by members of the Faculty Senate, and like the Curriculum Committee, they may approve or ask for additional revisions. Plan to attend the Faculty Senate meeting when your proposal is scheduled to be discussed. Once the proposal has passed two (2) readings by the Faculty Senate you need to send the electronic copy considered by the Senate or a revised copy that includes changes recommended by the Senate to the Associate Provost. The Associate Provost will verify that any recommended edits have been made.

8. The Associate Provost or his/her designee records the approved proposal for university records and then forwards the document to the Faculty Senate Webmaster for posting on the Senate website for faculty access and to the Registrar so that any changes to degree programs or requirements can be updated in their data base.

   Any curricular change that is to become effective the beginning of the Fall academic semester must receive final approval by the last Faculty Senate meeting of the Spring semester.

   It should be noted that additional levels of review and approval are required for academic units seeking to create a new academic program, new concentration, or new certificate (e.g., Board of Governors, West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, and/or Higher Learning Commission).