[University of Maryland Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost logo] Office of Academic Planning and Programs Guide to Preparing Academic Program Proposals 2024-2025 September 6, 2024 Office of Academic Planning and Programs Guide to Preparing Academic Program Proposals Table of Contents I. Introduction Page 3 II. The CourseLeaf Curriculum Management (CIM) System Page 4 III. Proposal Instructions – Common Actions Page 5 A. Modifying an Existing Program (degrees, certificates, minors) Page 5 o Modify the curriculum o Add or remove an “informal” area of specialization, track, or field o Add or remove a “formal” Area of Concentration o Rename a program o Split or merge a program o Offering an existing program online or off-campus Page 8 o Changing the term structure from semester to non-semester B. Creating, Suspending, or Discontinuing Programs Creating a new academic program (degree program or certificate) Page 11 Creating a new Master of Professional Studies or Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Professional Studies Page 18 Creating a new minor Page 22 Suspending or discontinuing an existing academic program Page 23 C. Creating Linked Programs Establishing a combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Program Page 24 Establishing a dual Master’s Program Page 26 Program arrangements with other universities Page 28 III. Reference Page 29 College/School PCC contacts Page 29 Requirements for Academic Awards Page 31 Academic Programs Glossary Page 35 12-Week Term Memorandum of Understanding Page 38 Page 3 Introduction These guidelines are for submitting academic program proposals, a process commonly referred to as the PCC (Programs, Curricula, and Courses) process. The guidelines are based on academic policy as well as the experiences of campus review committees and their information needs. Our goal is to provide the most efficient proposal process for both those submitting the proposals and those reviewing the proposals. By incorporating questions that the committees have frequently asked, we hope to minimize having to return proposals for more information. We are also hoping to avoid the confusion sometimes evident in committee presentations and discussions when basic elements of a program are not understood. The program approval process is an online process. We use the CourseLeaf Curriculum Management System (a.k.a. CIM, pronounced Kim), found at https://courseleaf.umd.edu/programadmin/. The questions and information prompts that are necessary to complete any program proposal type are built into the CIM system. All academic program proposals (with a few, rare exceptions) must be submitted through the CIM system. This manual is not intended to be an alternative to this system, but rather a document that provides more insight into the proposal process. This manual also provides the public with information on the structure, content, and requirements for PCC proposals, although only faculty and staff may access the CIM system. The following guidelines apply to all proposals: 1. Be concise, and write for a general university audience. The proposal will be reviewed by members of the faculty, students, and staff from across campus. For example, you may need to spell out or otherwise explain acronyms (for example, accreditation organizations) that may not be known outside the program’s field of study. 2. Be specific and careful in your use of terminology. Please make sure you identify your program accurately by name and degree type, and use the correct nomenclature for Areas of Concentration or informal areas of specialization. (See Glossary on page 34) 3. Review the basic requirements of the degree, certificate, or minor program. (See Requirements for Academic Awards on page 30) Certain PCC proposal types do not go through CIM. The CIM system does not handle proposals to create, modify, or discontinue academic units. Also, CIM is not used for non-credit post-baccalaureate programs or creating linked programs with other universities. For information on submitting these types of proposals, please contact pcc-submissions@umd.edu. For any other information on the PCC process, please contact: Prof. William Reed, Assistant Provost for Academic Planning wlr@umd.edu 301-405-6011 Mike Colson, Senior Coordinator for Academic Programs mcolson@umd.edu 301-405-5626 Page 4 The CourseLeaf Curriculum Management (CIM) System In fall 2019, the CIM system was implemented to replace the previous paper process. The CIM system is integrated with the CourseLeaf Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs and acts as an inventory system for different program types. Integration with Catalog. When an academic program proposal is approved through the PCC process, the CIM system will automatically update the program information in the next version of the catalog. This eliminates the need to enter the same program information twice (once in the proposal and then a second time in the catalog). Because of this direct relationship between the catalog and CIM, when you view a program in CIM, you will see that the curriculum requirements are formatted in the way that they are formatted to appear in the catalog. How does this affect the PCC process? First, if you try to change the program description, course requirements, or learning outcomes when engaged in the yearly catalog review, you will be redirected to CIM to submit a proposal. (Some of these changes will not require the full PCC review; contact our office if you have any questions about the approval process about a particular change). Second, the course requirement format in CIM will be the same format that will appear in the catalog entry for the program. Courses requirements must be in a formatted table format. Our office can help with formatting the requirements efficiently, and instructions are also available on our help site: https://provost.umd.edu/internal/courseleaf-curriculum-management-cim. Third, the section of the proposal form where you edit the course requirements (the Catalog Program Requirements edit-box) includes all aspects of the program requirements that appear in the catalog, including core requirements, program electives, and specializations. If you are only changing the requirements for one aspect of the program (such as a specialization), do not change the other course requirements. It may be tempting to erase everything and focus only on the new specialization requirements, but by doing so you are proposing to remove those other core or elective course requirements from the whole program and restoring the information will delay the approval process. The system will show in red strike-through text what you are eliminating from the program requirements. Program Inventory. The CIM system also acts as an inventory of program types, which allows us to better track certain kinds of program or program attributes. For this reason, we also have specific procedures for treating certain types of program modifications: * New online or off-campus programs of existing programs will be treated as new program proposals so that these programs can be coded separately from on-campus programs. * The term-structure for programs is also tracked in the program information. Changing the term structure for the program (e.g., going from a standard semester to a 12-week format) will now require a proposal to be submitted in CIM. Page 5 Modifying an Existing Program Changes to an existing academic degree program can include: * Modifications to the curriculum of a degree, certificate, or minor program, such as updating course requirements or reorganizing course sequences. * Changing graduate exams, candidacy, or dissertation requirements. * Adding, removing, or modifying formal Areas of Concentration or informal areas of specialization/tracks/fields. * Renaming the program. * Creating, modifying, suspending, or discontinuing an Honors option for a Bachelor’s program. * Creating a “stackable” link between existing programs. * Changing the delivery option for a program by: * Adding an online delivery option (when more than 50% of the program will be offered in an online format). * Adding an off-campus site (when coursework at that off-campus location is advertised as leading to a degree or graduate certificate, or when more than 1/3 of the required coursework for a bachelor’s program or graduate certificate is offered at a different location). * Changing or offering a new term-structure for the program. Modification proposals should include the following: * Description and Rationale for Modifications. Be sure to specify whether modifications apply to the entire program or to a particular specialization, concentration, or offering (e.g., online offering) of the program. If adding a new concentration or specialization, explain why this concentration or specialization should be offered through your program. * New Course Requirements. Provide comments on the courses or other requirements selected for the revised curriculum. Typical comments may be clarifications of why certain courses are being replaced or added. VPAC and PCC: Individual course proposals to create, modify, or retire courses must also be submitted through the course proposal review (VPAC) process via the CIM system’s course module: https://courseleaf.umd.edu/courseadmin/. For example, even if an explicit statement in a program proposal indicates that a specific course will be restricted to students in that program, a course proposal with that restriction statement must go through the regular course review process and approved before that restriction can take effect. These course proposals should be submitted at the same time that the program proposal is submitted, because it is helpful for program reviewers to see the course proposal details and it is important for the course information not to lag behind the program information. Our office will hold a course proposal until the program proposal is approved if the course change would affect the curriculum before the program change is approved. For example, a course proposal to retire one of a program’s required courses would not be approved until a program proposal that includes removing the course from the curriculum has been approved. Once the program proposal is approved, however, we will move the related course proposals forward for VPAC approval as soon as possible, typically for the next VPAC meeting. * Sample Plan. Provide a term by term sample plan that shows how a typical student would progress through the program to completion. CIM provides a plan of study formatted table that provides a concise, readable sample plan that can be used for the program proposal. For undergraduate programs, please attach a new version of the four-year plan in the format provided by the Office of Undergraduate Studies at https://www.4yearplans.umd.edu/. * If the proposed curriculum relies on courses offered by other departments or colleges, please attach documentation of support from the appropriate unit(s), preferably specifying the number of seats available and the duration of the proposed arrangement. * For term-structure changes, identify the term structure that will be used for the program: traditional semester, approved campus 12-Week Term (see https://www.provost.umd.edu/calendar), or a non-standard term. If you are using a 12-Week Term, you must follow the procedures listed in the 12-Week Term Memorandum of Understanding (attached to the end of this manual). Non-standard terms (i.e., those that are not semester or 12-week terms) should also follow the same guidelines as the 12-Week term Memorandum of Understanding. You will need to indicate whether relevant offices, such as the Registrar’s Office and International Scholar & Student Services, have been notified and can support the program. Non-standard terms need to fit within the university’s scheduling system calendar, and non-standard terms need to work with international student visa requirements. Since this a program modification, you will need to indicate how current students will be affected by this term-structure change. * Creating a “stackable” link between existing programs. A graduate certificate program’s coursework may be approved to transfer completely into an existing master’s program so that the student will earn both the certificate program and the master’s program. Both sets of requirements must still be met. To propose such an arrangement, modify the master’s program and indicate the certificate program in the section on linked programs. This information will be added administratively to the certificate program once the master’s program proposal is approved. Please contact Academic Planning & Programs for more information if you are planning to split or merge academic degree programs. These are complicated actions and cooperative planning is essential. Approval route for ordinary curriculum updates or for the addition/subtraction of informal areas of specialization: * Department/Program PCC * Department Chair or Program Director * College PCC * Dean (or representative) * Academic Planning & Programs initial review (for Limited Enrollment Programs this review will include review by the Enrollment Management Team) * (If graduate) Graduate Dean, based upon: o Recommendations provided by the Graduate PCC committee * Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula & Courses (Senate PCC) * Provost (or designee) final approval Approval route for renaming academic programs and for the renaming/addition/subtraction of formal Areas of Concentration: * Department/Program PCC * Department Chair or Program Director * College PCC * Dean (or representative) * Academic Planning & Programs initial review (which may involve other advisory committees such as the Academic Planning Advisory Committee or the Enrollment Management Team) * (If graduate) Dean of the Graduate School, based upon: 1. Recommendations provided by the Graduate PCC committee, with email notification to the full Graduate Council. 2. If the Graduate Council has substantial questions, the proposal will come before a regularly scheduled Council meeting. * Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula & Courses (Senate PCC) * University Senate * President * Chancellor * Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) * Provost (or designee) final verification After receiving the approval notification from the Office of Academic Planning and Programs, you may need to take some or all of the following steps to implement the modification. * Establish a major code through the Registrar’s Office. * Provide advising information for degree audit and academic planning purposes to the Registrar’s Office and Office of Undergraduate Studies or the Graduate School. Page 8 Creating New Versions of Existing Programs: Adding Online, Off-Campus, or New-Term Structure Options The CIM system serves as an inventory for different program types. As the university adds more types of innovative programs, it is important to be able to track and report this program information. Adding new versions of existing programs based on delivery method will require a new program proposal in CIM, with the end result being a separate program entity in CIM. Because these program types are based on existing programs, the approval process is shorter than the process to establish an entirely new degree or certificate program. The CIM system allows you to copy the information from the existing program into the new proposal in case much of the information is not changing (e.g., curricular requirements). Please note that the following information will also be necessary if you are proposing a new program that will be online, off-campus, or operate under a non-semester term structure. For both online and off-campus program offerings, the following information will be necessary: * Provide a rationale for offering the program in this new format. * Provide the curricular requirements for the new version. If they differ from the established program, please explain why. * Discuss how the program will be comparable to the existing program. How will the program be evaluated? * Describe the admission criteria and procedures. * Discuss how students will have reasonable and adequate access to the range of student support services (library materials, teacher interaction, advising, counseling, accessibility, disability support, technology, and financial aid) needed to support their learning activities. * Describe the resource requirements for the program and the source of those funds for at least the first two years of implementation. For online programs, the following information is also necessary: * Discuss the role of faculty in the development, oversight, and teaching of the online program. Elaborate on the resources available for training and supporting faculty in regard to instructional technology. * Discuss how courses will be taught using online technologies. Will courses be synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination of both? What technologies will be used to present material and evaluate the quality and authenticity of student work? How will these technologies be assessed? * Discuss how the program will provide students with clear, complete, and timely information on the curriculum, technological competence and equipment needed for the program, admissions criteria, financial aid resources, and cost and payment policies. * Indicate whether there will be any required in-person components of the program (e.g., orientation, a single course, etc.). * Units developing online programs should be familiar with the university’s intellectual property policy (https://policies.umd.edu/policy/59ff26e7-383c-4819-a89d-df9481ef720a/). Please indicate that the unit will comply with the university’s intellectual property policy. Please note: Online offerings of existing programs must also be approved by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) and Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), the university’s accrediting body. Please factor the time this additional review and approval may take when determining the launch date for the online program. For off-campus programs, the following information is also necessary: * Indicate the location and describe the suitability of the site for the off-campus program. * Describe the method of instructional delivery, including online delivery, on-site faculty, and the mix of full-time and part-time instructors (according to MHEC 13B.02.03.20.D(2), “At least ? of the classes offered in an off-campus program shall be taught by full-time faculty of the parent institution”). * Discuss the academic oversight for the off-campus program. * List similar programs that may be offered by other state institutions. Are any of these programs in the same geographic area as the proposed program? Please note: Off-campus locations must also be approved by MHEC and MSCHE. If the location is not already on MSCHE’s approve list of locations for the university (see https://www.msche.org/institution/0197/), contact pcc-submissions@umd.edu for more information. * If you are establishing a new version of the program with a different term-structure, you will be asked to identify the term structure that will be used for the program: traditional semester, approved campus 12-Week Term (see https://www.provost.umd.edu/calendar), or a non-standard term. If you are using a 12-Week Term, you must follow the procedures listed in the 12-Week Term Memorandum of Understanding (attached to the end of this manual). Non-standard terms (i.e., those that are not semester or 12-week terms) should also follow the same guidelines as the 12-Week term Memorandum of Understanding. Indicate whether relevant offices, such as the Registrar’s Office and International Scholar & Student Services, have been notified and can support the change. Non-standard terms need to fit within the university’s scheduling system calendar, and non-standard terms need to work with international student visa requirements. Approval route for new online or off-campus versions of existing programs: * Department/Program PCC * Department Chair or Program Director * College PCC * Dean (or representative) * Academic Planning & Programs initial review (which may involve other advisory committees such as the Academic Planning Advisory Committee or the Enrollment Management Team) * (If graduate) Dean of the Graduate School, based upon: 1. Recommendations provided by the Graduate PCC committee, with email notification to the full Graduate Council. 2. If the Graduate Council has substantial questions, the proposal will come before a regularly scheduled Council meeting. * Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula & Courses (Senate PCC) * Chancellor * Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) * Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) * Provost (or designee) final verification After receiving the approval notification from the Office of Academic Planning and Programs, you may need to take some or all of the following steps to implement the modification. * Establish a major code through the Registrar’s Office. * Provide advising information for degree audit and academic planning purposes to the Registrar’s Office and Office of Undergraduate Studies or the Graduate School. * If the program at the new location will be eligible for Federal financial aid, the location must be approved by the United States Department of Education. Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid for more information. Page 11 Creating a New Academic Degree or Certificate Program A PCC action is necessary to establish a new academic program, even if the curriculum already exists as a specialization or Area of Concentration within another degree program. Information for new degree proposals is specified by the University System of Maryland and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). Our office will work with units to prepare an abridged version of the CIM proposal for submission to the Board of Regents and MHEC in the required format after the CIM proposal has been approved by the University Senate. Below is a list of information needs for the proposal organized into different categories. The CIM proposal form will ask for this information, although not in this order. I. Mission and Purpose: Briefly describe the program and explain how it supports the Mission and Strategic Goals of the university. Why is the program necessary? II. Characteristics of the Proposed Program * Catalog description (indicate if there will be any Areas of Concentration or specializations). * Educational objectives of the program. * Describe any selective admissions policy or special criteria for students selecting this program. * General requirements for degree, including the total number of credits and their distribution. In an attachment, list the catalog information for each course (credits, description, prerequisites, etc.) The course requirements will need to be in the same format that will appear in the catalog entry for the program. For that reason, course requirements must be in a formatted table format (see https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mciCc4CordnahmO90gQhnj1lMCXqd7gJ6h3hR7nBFtA/edit). Our office can help with formatting the requirements efficiently. Please note: Any new course will ultimately have to go through the course proposal review process (see https://provost.umd.edu/leadership/changes-to-individual-courses) before it can be offered (i.e., approval of a program proposal does not mean the individual courses are automatically approved). * Discussion of how the curriculum was developed. * Sample plan showing how a typical student will progress through the program to completion. * Indication of whether the program will be offered online or off-campus. See above for the informational requirements for online and off-campus programs (the CIM system proposal will ask these questions based on the delivery method selection). * If you will not be using the traditional semester term structure, identify the term structure that will be used for the program: approved campus 12-Week Term (see https://provost.umd.edu/calendar) or a non-standard term. If you are using a 12-Week Term, you must follow the procedures listed in the 12-Week Term Memorandum of Understanding (attached to the end of this manual). Non-standard terms (i.e., those that are not semester or 12-week terms) should also follow the same guidelines as the 12-Week term Memorandum of Understanding. If you are using a non-standard term structure, indicate whether relevant offices, such as the Registrar’s Office and International Scholar & Student Services, have been notified and support the program. Non-standard terms need to fit within the university’s scheduling system calendar, and non-standard terms need to work with international student visa requirements. * Description of thesis and/or non-thesis options for graduate programs. * Expected student learning outcomes. In an attachment, provide the plan for assessing these outcomes. * Specific actions and strategies that will be utilized to recruit and retain a diverse student body. * Indicate any desired CIP Code (see https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/default.aspx?y=56). * Indicate if the program will be part of a “stackable” arrangement with another program. A graduate certificate program’s coursework may be approved to transfer completely into an existing master’s program so that the student will earn both the certificate program and the master’s program. Both sets of requirements must still be met. Discuss the stackable arrangement in the section on linked programs. III. Relationship to Other Units or Institutions * Will the curriculum of this program rely upon courses provided through other academic units? If so, please list both required courses and/or pre-requisites from other units, and include documentation from the chairs and/or deans of the appropriate units committing the necessary seats in support of the program. * Discuss any other potential impacts on other departments, such as with academic content that may significantly overlap with existing programs. Include documentation from the chairs and/or deans of the appropriate units indicating support of the program. * Will the program need to be accredited? If so, indicate the accrediting agency. Also, indicate if students will expect to be licensed or certified in order to engage in or be successful in the program’s target occupation. * Describe any cooperative arrangements with other institutions or organizations that will be important for the success of this program. * For new undergraduate degree programs, MHEC requires new bachelor's program proposals to include at least one program transfer agreement with a Maryland community college. The agreement will have to be provisionally agreed upon by the president, chief academic officer, or equivalent at both institutions. A final, signed copy must be submitted to MHEC no more than 30 days after both institutions have signed the agreement. Contact our office at pccsubmissions@umd.edu for more information as this process may take some time. IV. Faculty and Organization * Who will provide academic oversight for the program? In a separate attachment, indicate the faculty involved in the program. MHEC requires specific information about the faculty who will teach in the program, including (1) title; (2) degree, program and institution for highest degree attained; (3) full-time/part-time status; and (4) courses they may teach for the program. The attachment should be in this format: Faculty Information The following faculty members are projected to teach in the program. All faculty are full-time unless otherwise indicated. Name Highest Degree Earned, Program, and Institution UMD Title (indicate if part-time) Courses V. Resource Needs and Sources * Library resources required, to be determined in cooperation with the University Libraries. Please contact your departmental/programmatic library liaison or Daniel Mack at dmack@umd.edu, Associate Dean of Collections, to request a library assessment. A member of the Libraries’ staff will conduct an assessment and prepare a letter describing the collection needs. * New or updated facilities and equipment required, if applicable. * Discuss the instructional resources (faculty, staff, and teaching assistants) that will be needed to cover new courses or needed additional sections of existing courses to be taught. Indicate the resources that will be used for covering these costs. * Discuss the administrative and advising resources that will be needed for the program. Indicate the resources that will be used for covering these costs. The Maryland Higher Education Commission requires Resource and Expenditure tables to demonstrate that the university is prepared to commit the resources required for the new program. Our office will work with you to complete these tables. A template can be found at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1V6iSZG05edMitWP6CAOXjCoGO58Gf6VXxPaacKfrhZ4/ to help you estimate expenses. Please complete and attach as an attachment the tables to show how the university as a whole will provide the necessary resources, and provide whatever additional detail is necessary to explain how resources will be reallocated within the department and college. MHEC Budget Tables MHEC TABLE 1: RESOURCES Resources Categories (Year 1) (Year 2) (Year 3) (Year 4) (Year 5) 1.Reallocated Funds 2. Tuition/Fee Revenue2 (c+g below) a. Number of Full Time Students b. Annual Tuition/Fee Rate c. Annual Full Time Revenue (a x b) d. Number of Part Time Students e. Credit Hour Rate f. Annual Credit Hours g. Total Part Time Revenue (d x e x f) 3. Grants, Contracts, & Other External Sources 4. Other Sources TOTAL (Add items 1 through 4)   Notes: 1. Whenever reallocated funds are included among the resources available to new programs, the following information must be provided in a footnote: origin(s) of reallocated funds, impact of the reallocation on the existing academic program(s), and manner in which the reallocation is consistent with the institution's strategic plan. 2. The Tuition/Fee figure should be a realistic percentage of tuition and fees which will be used to support the new program. Factors such as indirect costs linked to new students and the impact of enrolling continuing students in the new program should be considered when determining the percentage. 3. Whenever external funds are included among the resources, the following information must be provided in a footnote: source of the funding and alternative methods of funding the program after the cessation of external funding. MHEC TABLE 2: EXPENDITURES Expenditure Categories (Year 1) (Year 2) (Year 3) (Year 4) (Year 5) 1. Total Faculty Expenses (b + c below) a. # FTE b. Total Salary c. Total Benefits 2. Total Administrative Staff Expenses (b + c below) a. # FTE b. Total Salary c. Total Benefits 3. Total Support Staff Expenses (b + c below) a. # FTE b. Total Salary c. Total Benefits 4. Equipment 5. Library 6. New or Renovated Space 7. Other Expenses TOTAL (Add items 1 through 7)   VI. Implications for the State (Additional Information Required by MHEC and the Board of Regents) MHEC and the Board of Regents will also review the program to make sure that sufficient demand exists for the program and that the new program will not negatively impact another state institution. The following items need to be included in the proposal for the sake of the MHEC and Board of Regents’ reviews. Please note: for new Post-Baccalaureate Certificate programs derived entirely from an existing master’s program’s core courses, proposals will not be evaluated for state need or unnecessary duplication of programs at other state institutions. For these proposals, only include information for item 2 below, and include the full curriculum of the existing master’s program. 1. Explain how there is a compelling regional or statewide need for the program. Argument for need may be based on the need for the advancement of knowledge and/or societal needs, including the need for “expanding educational opportunities and choices for minority and educationally disadvantaged students at institutions of higher education.”  Also, explain how the need for the program is consistent with the Maryland State Plan for Postsecondary Education (see https://mhec.maryland.gov/Pages/2021-2025-Maryland-State-Plan-for-Higher-Education.aspx). 2. Present data and analysis projecting market demand and the availability of openings in a job market to be served by the new program. Possible sources of information include industry or disciplinary studies on job market, the USBLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (https://www.bls.gov/ooh/), or Maryland state Occupational and Industry Projections (http://www.dllr.state.md.us/lmi/iandoproj/) over the next five years. Also, provide information on the existing supply of graduates in similar programs in the state (use MHEC’s Office of Research and Policy Analysis webpage, http://mhec.maryland.gov/publications/Pages/research/index.aspx, for Annual Reports on Enrollment by Program) and discuss how future demand for graduates will exceed the existing supply. As part of this analysis, indicate the anticipated number of students your program will graduate per year at steady state. 3. Identify similar programs in the state. Discuss any differences between the proposed program and existing programs. Explain how your program will not result in an unreasonable duplication of an existing program (you can base this argument on program differences or market demand for graduates). The MHEC website can be used to find academic programs operating in the state: http://mhec.maryland.gov/institutions_training/pages/HEPrograms.aspx. Please note that MHEC or USM may require us to secure agreement from the institution before allowing the proposal to go forward. 4. Discuss the possible impact on Historically Black Institutions (HBIs) in the state. Will the program affect any existing programs at Maryland HBIs? Will the program impact the uniqueness or identity of a Maryland HBI? The approval route for new academic programs is: * Department/Program PCC * Department Chair or Program Director * College PCC * Dean (or representative) * Academic Planning & Programs initial review (which may involve other advisory committees such as the Academic Planning Advisory Committee or the Enrollment Management Team) * Note: New degree proposals will be circulated to all college deans for their information and comment before they move forward to campus-level review committees. * (If graduate) Dean of the Graduate School, based upon: 1. Recommendations provided by the Graduate PCC committee, with email notification to the full Graduate Council. 2. If the Graduate Council has substantial questions, the proposal will come before a regularly scheduled Council meeting. * Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula & Courses (Senate PCC) * University Senate * President * Board of Regents (Education Policy and Student Life Committee and Full Board) * Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) – Following an administrative review, MHEC sends program proposals (degrees, certificates, and Areas of Concentration) to other institutions in the state for comment. Institutions have an initial 30-day window to review and respond to programs that are believed to be outside of the scope of the proposing institution’s mission or to programs that are believed to be unreasonably duplicative. * Provost (or designee) final verification Note: For new undergraduate degree programs, a final, signed copy of a program transfer agreement with a Maryland community college must be submitted to MHEC no more than 30 days after both institutions have signed the agreement. Please note that once the proposal is approved by the Senate PCC committee, the Office of Academic Planning and Programs will take the lead in submitting the proposal to the University Senate, the USM Board of Regents, and to MHEC. With your input, we will reshape the proposal to fit the format and content elements required by MHEC. You should expect to have a representative of the program attend the University Senate and Board of Regents Education Policy and Student Life Committee meetings to answer questions on the proposal. After receiving the approval notification from the Office of Academic Planning and Programs, you may need to take some or all of the following steps to launch the program. * Establish a major code through the Registrar’s Office. * Coordinate admission information or procedures with either the Office of Undergraduate Admission or the Graduate School. * Coordinate any special payment arrangements with the Student Financial Services and Cashiering office. * Provide advising information for degree audit and academic planning purposes to the Registrar’s Office and Office of Undergraduate Studies or the Graduate School. Page 18 Creating a New Master of Professional Studies or Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Professional Studies The university has an established means of developing professional certificates and master’s degrees intended as credit-bearing awards for professionals seeking additional training. The Master of Professional Studies and the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Professional Studies (commonly referred to as the Graduate Certificate of Professional Studies) were created to foster mutually beneficial partnerships between the university and important external constituencies in business, government, and non-profit organizations. Both the master’s program and certificate program exist on the Maryland state academic inventory under the title Professional Studies. The official name for the degree and certificate, therefore, is Professional Studies, but the entire curriculum is devoted to the specific topic, or iteration, of the Professional Studies program. The degree, along with the specific topic, will appear on both the transcript and diploma. The Professional Studies program is officially under the academic oversight of the Graduate School, but the individual Professional Studies iteration will be linked to both the Graduate School and the offering unit, which will be designated as primary. These professional awards allow the university to respond quickly to opportunities to offer customized programming without modifying or compromising the integrity of existing graduate research degrees. Because the Professional Studies programs are already on the Maryland state academic inventory, proposals for new Professional Studies programs do not have to be approved by the Board of Regents or Maryland Higher Education Commission. The proposals follow the usual approval route through the department, college, and the Graduate PCC and Senate PCC committees, but then the request for final approval goes directly to the University System of Maryland Chancellor’s Office. Unless your unit has received prior approval otherwise, academic units must work with the Office of Extended Studies on the administration of these programs. Professional Studies programs are self-support programs, meaning that tuition and/or other revenue must cover all expenses. Courses for these programs may not be taught by faculty as a part of their regular teaching or work load. The Master of Professional Studies and the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Professional Studies must conform to all university admissions and degree requirements for master’s degrees and post-baccalaureate certificates, respectively, and all faculty who teach courses must be members of the Graduate Faculty. Please note that these programs were intended to facilitate study in multi-disciplinary areas in which the university does not already offer degrees. The Master of Professional Studies and the Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies should not replicate existing degree programs. Proposals for new iterations of these awards should include the following: Purpose and Need * A justification for the program, including evidence of student interest. Characteristics of the Proposed Program * A catalog description. * A listing of educational objectives. * Admissions policy or criteria. * A full listing of courses required for the program. In an attachment, list the catalog information for each course (credits, description, prerequisites, etc.) The course requirements will need to be in the same format that will appear in the catalog entry for the program. For that reason, course requirements must be in a formatted table format (see https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mciCc4CordnahmO90gQhnj1lMCXqd7gJ6h3hR7nBFtA/edit). Our office can help with formatting the requirements efficiently. Please note: Any new course will ultimately have to go through the course proposal review process (see https://provost.umd.edu/leadership/changes-to-individual-courses) before it can be offered (i.e., approval of a program proposal does not mean the individual courses are automatically approved). * The inclusion of courses other than those from the initiating unit(s) requires evidence of support from the appropriate Chair and/or Dean. * A discussion of how the curricular requirements were determined, if not already discussed in the purpose and need for the program. * A sample plan showing how a typical student would progress through the program to completion. * Specific actions and strategies that will be utilized to recruit and retain a diverse student body. * Indicate if the program will be part of a “stackable” arrangement with another program. A graduate certificate program’s coursework may be approved to transfer completely into an existing master’s program so that the student will earn both the certificate program and the master’s program. Both sets of requirements must still be met. Discuss the stackable arrangement in the section on linked programs. Student Learning Outcomes and Assessment * Expected student learning outcomes and a discussion of how these outcomes will be assessed. Organization * A listing of members of the program’s oversight committee. The committee should be composed of a full member of the graduate faculty from the “core” area who will serve as the Graduate Director, two other members of the graduate faculty, and an administrative manager. The Oversight Committee must have the approval of their respective department chairs. This committee will provide the academic and administrative oversight for the duration of the degree or certificate program. * Indication of who will provide administrative services for the program. Faculty * A listing of faculty who will teach in the program, including their professional rank/title. Note: Faculty selection and appointments are made by the academic unit. The faculty may include tenure track faculty, professional track faculty, retired faculty, and professionals in the field. All faculty must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate School to teach. See the Policy on Appointment of Graduate Faculty (https://academiccatalog.umd.edu/graduate/policies/faculty-members) for more information. UMD faculty who teach in the program will be compensated using overloads. A faculty member can only be paid for teaching courses above their regular appointment if they have met the requirements of the position and the supervisor has approved the overload. The overload is submitted via PHR. Teaching on an overload basis requires approval each year. Faculty members who buy out of an on-load course (e.g. with research grant funds) would have to consult with a college and agency official to determine if they can be paid for teaching an overload course. For complete information regarding the UMD overload policy, visit: https://provost.umd.edu/leadership/overload-guidelines. Additionally, programs must follow Maryland Higher Education Commission Code of Maryland (COMAR) regulations. In particular, COMAR 13B.02.03.11 requires that at least 50% of the total semester credit hours within the proposed program be taught by full-time faculty. For off-campus programs, COMAR 13B.02.03.20 states that at least 1/3 of the classes offered in an off-campus program shall be taught by full-time faculty of the parent institution. Program Delivery For online delivery * Discuss how courses will be taught using online. Will courses be synchronous, asynchronous, or a combination of both? What technologies will be used to present material and evaluate the quality and authenticity of student work? * Discuss the faculty involvement in the development of the program and in the oversight of the program. Discuss the resources available for training and supporting faculty in regard to instructional technology. Indicate any other unit or vendor that will be used to administer or deliver the program. * Discuss of how students will have reasonable and adequate access to the range of student support services (library materials, teacher interaction, advising, technical support) needed to support their learning activities. Also, discuss how the program will provide students with clear, complete, and timely information on the curriculum, technological competence and equipment needed for the program, admissions criteria, financial aid resources, and cost and payment policies. * The proposal must clearly delineate intellectual property ownership and usage rights for materials that may be developed for courses in the program. For off-campus delivery * Identify the location for the program offering and discuss the reason for offering the program in that location. * Describe the method of instructional delivery, including online delivery, on-site faculty, and the mix of full-time and part-time instructors. Discuss the resources available for supporting faculty at the location. * Describe the academic oversight, quality control, and evaluation of the off-campus program’s effectiveness. For non-standard terms * For non-standard terms, identify the term structure that will be used for the program: approved campus 12-Week Term (see https://provost.umd.edu/calendar) or a non-standard term. If you are using a 12-Week Term, you must follow the procedures listed in the 12-Week Term Memorandum of Understanding (attached to the end of this manual). Non-standard terms (i.e., those that are not semester or 12-week terms) should also follow the same guidelines as the 12-Week term Memorandum of Understanding. If you are using a non-standard term structure, indicate whether relevant offices, such as the Registrar’s Office and International Scholar & Student Services, have been notified and support the program. Non-standard terms need to fit within the university’s scheduling system calendar, and non-standard terms need to work with international student visa requirements. Other Issues * Are students in other programs permitted to enroll in courses in this program? Can students substitute courses from other institutions? * What are the protocols for students unwilling or unable to follow courses in sequence? Would they have to wait for the next cycle or next cohort? * What is the exit strategy if the program proves not to be viable? How are canceled courses handled? Resource Needs and Sources * Library resources required, to be determined in cooperation with the Libraries. Please contact your departmental/programmatic library liaison or Daniel Mack at dmack@umd.edu, Associate Dean of Collections, to request a library assessment that will be added as an attachment. * Discuss the adequacy of physical facilities, infrastructure and instructional equipment. * Discuss the instructional resources (faculty, staff, and teaching assistants) that will be needed to cover new courses or needed additional sections of existing courses to be taught. Indicate the source of resources for covering these costs. * Discuss the administrative and advising resources that will be needed for the program. Indicate the source of resources for covering these costs. * Use the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) commission financial tables to describe the program’s financial plan for the next five years (see above, Creating a New Academic Degree or Certificate Program). Approval route for new iterations of the Master of Professional Studies and the Graduate Certificate: * Department Chair(s) or Program Director(s) * College PCC * Dean(s) * Graduate PCC and Dean of the Graduate School * Senate PCC * Chancellor of the University System of Maryland * Provost (or designee) verification After receiving the approval notification from the Office of Academic Planning and Programs, you may need to take some or all of the following steps to launch the program. * Establish a major code through the Registrar’s Office. * Coordinate admission information or procedures with the Graduate School. * Coordinate any special payment arrangements with the Student Financial Services and Cashiering office. * Provide advising information for degree audit and academic planning purposes to the Graduate School. Page 22 Creating a New Minor Proposals to establish new undergraduate minors should include the following items: * Catalog description. * Justification for the minor as a coherent field of study. * Potential student audience and anticipated number of students to be served by the minor at steady state. * A complete list of courses (including prerequisites) and other requirements. * If the curriculum of this program will rely upon courses provided through other academic units, please list both required courses and/or pre-requisites from other units, and include documentation of support from the chairs and/or deans of the appropriate units committing the necessary seats in support of the program. It may be helpful to specify the number of seats and the expected duration of the arrangement. * A list of the expected learning outcomes and indication of how these outcomes will be assessed. * A complete list of faculty overseeing the minor. In situations where administrative staff will provide essential support, a faculty oversight structure must be in place at proposal stage and continue for the duration of the minor. * Admission procedure and criteria. * Indication of who or what office has advising responsibilities for students in minor. * Explanation of how the program’s costs will be covered. Approval route to create a new minor: * Department/Program PCC * Department Chair or Program Director * College PCC * Dean (or representative) * Academic Planning & Programs initial review * Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula & Courses (Senate PCC) * Provost (or designee – Associate Provost for Academic Planning and Programs) final approval After receiving the approval notification from the Office of Academic Planning and Programs, you may need to take some or all of the following steps to launch the program. * Establish a code for minor the through the Registrar’s Office. * Provide minor catalog information to the Registrar’s Office. Page 23 Suspending or Discontinuing an Existing Academic Program In the event that a program has become obsolete through lack of student interest or changes in the field, a unit may request that the program be suspended for a maximum of three years to determine its future direction (during which time no new students are accepted into the program) or that the program be completely discontinued. Both requests require a PCC proposal that provides a brief justification explaining why the program should be suspended or discontinued. The proposal should also state the number of currently enrolled students and specify what will happen with students currently enrolled in the program. Approval route to suspend or discontinue a program: * Department/Program PCC * Department Chair or Program Director * College PCC * Dean (or representative) * Academic Planning & Programs initial review (which may involve other advisory committees such as the Academic Planning Advisory Committee (APAC) or the Enrollment Management Team) * (If graduate) Dean of the Graduate School, based upon: 1. Recommendations provided by the Graduate PCC committee, with email notification to the full Graduate Council. 2. If the Graduate Council has substantial questions, the proposal will come before a regularly scheduled meeting. * Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula & Courses (Senate PCC) * University Senate * President * Chancellor * Notification to Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) * Provost (or designee) verification After receiving the approval notification from the Office of Academic Planning and Programs, you may need to take some or all of the following steps to suspend or discontinue the program. * Work with Registrar’s Office to determine final admission or final registration terms. * Coordinate admission information with either the Office of Undergraduate Admission or the Graduate School. Page 24 Establishing a Combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Program A structured bachelor’s/master’s program is an articulated curriculum combining an existing undergraduate program and an existing master program at the University of Maryland, offered by the same or by different departments. Such a program is to be designed for students whose academic performance is exceptional and should be an integrated learning experience rather than merely the completion of a certain number of graduate and undergraduate credits. In November 1989, the Board of Regents delegated authority for the establishment of guidelines for combined programs to the individual institution. The following campus guidelines for combined bachelor’s/master’s programs were approved by the Graduate Council on February 28, 2001, by the University Senate on April 9, 2001, and by the President on May 10, 2001. Necessary features of a structured bachelor's/master's program include the following: 1. There must be specific requirements for admission to the combined program that speak to the exceptional performance of the students to be admitted. At a minimum, students accepted for the program must be clearly admissible to the graduate program portion. 2. The program should be designed so as not to unduly delay the students' receipt of their bachelor's degrees. Taking graduate credits should not unduly limit the breadth of the student's experience through premature specialization. 3. All requirements of the bachelor's program and of the master's program must be completed to receive the two degrees. Where appropriate, graduate courses taken while an undergraduate may substitute for courses required in the undergraduate major program. 4. The students may be offered deferred admission to the graduate school at the end of the junior year program, subject to completion of the senior year program in a timely fashion and with a specified level of achievement. Formal admission to the graduate school will require completion of all requirements for the bachelor's degree. 5. The credits to be double-counted will be designated as applicable to the graduate program after the student receives the bachelor's degree and matriculates in the Graduate School. This designation will be canceled if the student withdraws from the graduate program before completing the master's degree. A structured bachelor's/master's program may normally include up to nine credits of graduate level courses (600 level and above) that are counted both for the bachelor's program and the master's program. More than nine double-counted credits may be allowed if both of the following conditions are satisfied. 1. The additional graduate credits applied to the undergraduate program do not unduly limit the breadth of the student's experience through premature specialization. This condition may be satisfied, for example, if the graduate credits substitute for courses required in the undergraduate program that would have been taken in any case, but at a less advanced level. 2. The master's program requires substantially more than thirty credits. This condition will be deemed to be satisfied if the combined program, with double-counting, still requires 150 or more credit hours to complete. The proposal should include the following items. * Rationale for creating the combined program. * Admissions criteria and procedures. * Course requirements for the combined program. Include all course requirements for students participating in combined program. Include credits. Note the courses that will double-count, and the requirements for which they will be used (for example, graduate course requirement X will also count for an upper-level undergraduate restricted elective, or count specifically of undergraduate course requirement Y). * Explain why specific courses are being used to double-count for both degrees. * Provide a term by term sample plan that shows how a typical student would progress through the program to completion. A list of the expected learning outcomes and indicate how these outcomes will be assessed. Please note: whenever a new PCC modification proposal is submitted for either program, a proposal to update the curriculum for the combined bachelor’s/master’s program must also be submitted. Approval route to establish a combined bachelor’s/master’s program: * Department/Program PCC for both programs * Department Chair or Program Director for both programs * College PCC for both programs * Dean (or representative) for both programs * Academic Planning & Programs initial review (which may involve the Enrollment Management Team) * Dean of the Graduate School, based upon recommendations provided by the Graduate PCC committee * Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula & Courses (Senate PCC) * Provost (or designee) final approval After receiving the approval notification from the Office of Academic Planning and Programs, you may need to take some or all of the following steps to launch the program. * Provide advising information for degree audit and academic planning purposes to the Registrar’s Office and Office of Undergraduate Studies (for undergraduate programs) and the Graduate School. Page 26 Establishing a Dual Master’s Program Graduate School policy allows students to matriculate in only one graduate program at a time unless the student is enrolled in a formal dual degree program that has been approved by the university. This policy allows students in one master’s program to pursue concurrently a master’s degree in another field. The dual degree path is recommended only for the most academically gifted students who can handle the demands of two concurrent degree programs. The following guidelines govern this dual-degree policy: 1. The student must be admitted to both master’s programs. 2. The two programs must agree, in advance, on a joint course of study for the student. 3. No fewer than 30 unique credits should be completed in each degree. Programs proposing structured dual master’s degrees with fewer than 30 unique credits should articulate a compelling rationale for the exception (e.g., dedicated capstone or other courses for the dual-degree program that satisfy the learning objectives for both degrees). 4. No more than one-quarter of the total credit hours of both programs can double-count for the dual-degree program. Programs proposing to double-count more than one-quarter of the total credits should articulate a compelling rationale for the exception (e.g., substantial overlap in the curriculum of the individual degrees). 5. The student's GPA will be calculated as the combined GPA for both programs. Separate GPAs cannot be provided. The proposal should include the following items. * Current catalog description and course requirements for both master’s programs. * Rationale for creating the dual program. * Admissions criteria and procedures for dual program. * Course requirements for the dual program. Include all course requirements for students participating in combined program. Include credits. Note the courses that will double-count, and the requirements for which they will be used. * Explain why specific courses are being used to double-count for both degrees. * Provide a term by term sample plan that shows how a typical student would progress through the program to completion. Approval route to establish a dual master’s program: * Department/Program PCC for both programs * Department Chair or Program Director for both programs * College PCC for both programs * Dean (or representative) for both programs * Academic Planning & Programs initial review * Dean of the Graduate School, based upon recommendations provided by the Graduate PCC committee * Senate Committee on Programs, Curricula & Courses (Senate PCC) * Provost (or designee) final approval Please note: whenever a new PCC modification proposal is submitted for either program, a proposal to update the curriculum for the dual master’s program must also be submitted. After receiving the approval notification from the Office of Academic Planning and Programs, you may need to take some or all of the following steps to launch the program. * Establish a major code through the Registrar’s Office. * Provide advising information for degree audit and academic planning purposes to the Graduate School. Program Arrangements with Other Universities Although rare, the university also allows linked graduate program arrangements with other universities. MHEC allows for “Cooperative Programs,” where two or more universities collaborate on a program. Cooperative programs may be “Joint Degree” programs, in which there is substantial collaboration between the universities in terms of coursework, faculty resources, and facilities. Students graduating from Joint Degree programs will receive a single diploma with both universities’ names and seals. A second type of Cooperative Program is a “Primary Degree” program, where two or more universities collaborate on a program, but one university is designated as the primary institution and takes responsibility for the delivery of the program, admitting, advising, and graduating the students, and offers at least 2/3 of the course requirements. Proposals for Cooperative Degree programs are rare and so there is no proposal template for Cooperative Degree programs in CIM. For specific information about proposing either type of Cooperative Degree program, contact pcc-submissions@umd.edu. A unit may also link an existing program with another university’s existing program to allow for an overlap of some courses (for example, the Master of Business Administration and the Doctor of Medicine). The overlap of courses must fit in with the Graduate School’s policies for transfer of credit (see https://academiccatalog.umd.edu/graduate/policies/academic-record/). A Memorandum of Understanding with the participating universities must be included with the proposal information. Such program arrangements are rare and therefore do not have a proposal template in CIM. For information on submitting such a proposal, contact pcc-submissions@umd.edu. Page 29 PCC Contacts for Colleges and Schools Because all PCC proposals must first pass through College PCC Committees before coming to Academic Affairs, it is usually helpful to consult with your College PCC contact to discuss the proposal in advance. Please note: The Graduate School oversees the Master of Professional Studies and the Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Professional Studies, and the Graduate School representative serves as the college PCC contact for these programs, regardless of the department proposing to offer them. College Name Telephone Email AGNR Joseph Sullivan 301-405-1626 jsull@umd.edu ARCH Lindsey May 301-405-2372 lmmay@umd.edu ARHU Audran Downing (undergraduate) 301-405-2112 audran@umd.edu ARHU GerShun Avilez (graduate) 301-405-3776 avilez@umd.edu BMGT Brian Horick (undergraduate)301-405-2293 bhorick@rhsmith.umd.edu BMGT Michael Marcellino (graduate)301-405-0010 mmarcell@umd.edu BSOS Katherine Russell (undergraduate) 301-405-1692 krussell@umd.edu BSOS Isabella Alcañiz (graduate) 301-405-4156 ialcaniz@umd.edu CMNS Robert Infantino (undergraduate) 301-405-2908 infantino@umd.edu CMNS John Fourkas (graduate) 301-405-7996 fourkas@umd.edu EDUC Ebony Terrell Shockley 301-405-4959 eterrell@umd.edu ENGR Suzanne Ashour-Bailey 301-405-9973 sash1@umd.edu INFO Kate Izsak 301-405-1246 kworboys@umd.edu JOUR Alexander Pyles 301 405-6567 aapyles@umd.edu PLCY Nina Harris 301-405-0390 nharris@umd.edu SPHL Nicole Cousin-Gossett (undergraduate) 301-405-6389 cgossett@umd.edu SPHL Jennifer Bachner (graduate) 301-405-2438 jbachner@umd.edu GRAD Ryan Long (Fall 2024) 301-405-2298 rlong12@umd.edu GRAD Jason Farman (Spring 2025) 301-405-3644 jfarman@umd.edu UGST Lisa Kiely 301-405-0966 lkiely@umd.edu Page 31 Requirements for Academic Awards Minor * Minors ordinarily have between 15-24 credits, with at least 9 credits at the upper level. * No more than 6 credits may be “double counted” with a student’s major. Courses may not be used to fulfill requirements of two minors. * No more than 6 of the required credits (or 2 courses) may be taken at another institution, and at least 6 upper-division credits applied to the minor must be taken at UMD. * See also: Policy on Minors (https://provost.umd.edu/leadership/minors) Upper-Division Certificate * An upper-division certificate requires a minimum of 21 credit hours of coursework, with a core of at least 12 credit hours chosen from a limited list. * Non-core courses must be chosen from a specific list of acceptable electives. * No more than 9 credit hours may be “double counted” with the major. * At least 12 credit hours must be taken in upper-division courses. * No more than 3 credit hours may be taken in “Special Topics” or “Selected Topics” courses. * No more than 9 credit hours may be taken at other institutions. * See also: Policy on Certificates (https://provost.umd.edu/leadership/certificates) Bachelor’s Degree * Bachelor’s degrees require a minimum of 120 credit hours (including general education requirements). * A minimum 2.0 GPA is required for the award of a bachelor’s degree. * The final 30 credit hours ordinarily must be taken at UMD (However, credits from university-approved study abroad programs, and a maximum of 6 credits that are not part of such programs, may be included in the final thirty if approved in advance by the dean of the academic unit from which the student expects to receive the degree). * A minimum of 30 credits must be taken for the major. * At least 15 credits for the major must be at the 300 or above level. * Colleges and schools may impose additional requirements. * Other expectations include: 1. More than 120 required credit hours will require justification 2. Reasonable course loads, especially for first year students 3. A reasonable number of free electives (12 credits) or justification See also: * Undergraduate Catalog (https://academiccatalog.umd.edu/) * Code of Maryland Regulations 13B.02.02.16 (https://dsd.maryland.gov/regulations/Pages/13B.02.02.16.aspx) * General Education (http://gened.umd.edu/) Post-Baccalaureate Certificate * Minimum admissions requirements must be consistent with those of the Graduate School, and all students must be admitted to the Graduate School. * Certificates require a minimum of 12 credit hours of graduate-level work, with a minimum of 9 credit hours chosen from a limited list. * Non-core courses must be chosen from a specific list of acceptable options. * At least 9 credit hours must be earned at the 600 level or above. For a 12-credit certificate program, 3 credits may be earned at the 400 level; certificates requiring more than 12 credits may allow up to 6 credits at the 400 level. * All coursework must be completed at UMD. * A minimum 3.0 G.PA. is required for the award of a graduate certificate. * All requirements for the graduate certificate must be completed within five years. See also: * Policy on Certificates (https://provost.umd.edu/leadership/certificates) * Code of Maryland Regulations 13B.02.02.16 (https://dsd.maryland.gov/regulations/Pages/13B.02.02.16.aspx) Master’s Degree * Minimum admissions requirements must be consistent with those of the Graduate School, and all students must be admitted to the Graduate School. * Master’s degrees require a minimum of 30 credit hours. * At least 12 hours of course work is required at the 600 level or higher, and at least 12 credit hours must be earned in the major field. * M.A. and M.S. degrees require a thesis unless the program has an approved non-thesis option. With the thesis option, six of the 30 credit hours must be master’s thesis research credits (799). For the master's degree with the non-thesis option, a minimum of 18 credit hours in courses numbered 600 and above is required, as well as one or more scholarly papers, some portion of which must be written. * Other types of master’s degrees may have additional requirements. See also: * Graduate School requirements for master degrees (https://academiccatalog.umd.edu/graduate/policies/masters-degrees-policies/) * Code of Maryland Regulations 13B.02.02.16 (https://dsd.maryland.gov/regulations/Pages/13B.02.02.16.aspx) Doctoral Degree (Research and Scholarship) * The standard Research and Scholarship Doctoral Degree is the Ph.D. * Minimum admissions requirements must be consistent with those of the Graduate School, and all students must be admitted to the Graduate School. * There are no fixed total minimum credit hour requirements for the degree as a whole, but Ph.D. and D.M.A. programs require at least 12 semester hours of dissertation credits. The number of research and other credit hours required in the program varies with the degree and program in question. See also: * Graduate School requirements for doctoral degrees (https://academiccatalog.umd.edu/graduate/policies/doctoral-degrees-policies/) * Code of Maryland Regulations 13B.02.02.16 (https://dsd.maryland.gov/regulations/Pages/13B.02.02.16.aspx) Doctoral Degree (Professional Practice) * Professional practice doctoral degrees are specialized doctoral degrees that are aligned with a particular profession (for example, the Doctor of Audiology) and emphasize practice and skills in the profession and knowledge of the profession’s practices, rather than traditional scholarship. Other types of professional practice doctoral degrees offered by the university include the Doctor of Education and Doctor of Musical Arts. * Minimum admissions requirements must be consistent with those of the Graduate School, and all students must be admitted to the Graduate School. * Credit hour requirements for the degree include a minimum of 24 semester hours beyond the master’s degree and six hours of Doctoral Capstone credits under the course number 829. * Programs must have a mid-program evaluation to ensure that students are prepared for the final practice and capstone project. See also: * Graduate School requirements for professional practice doctoral degrees (https://academiccatalog.umd.edu/graduate/policies/professional-practice-doctoral-degrees-policies/) * Code of Maryland Regulations 13B.02.02.16 (https://dsd.maryland.gov/regulations/Pages/13B.02.02.16.aspx) Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Professional Studies * Academic units must work with the Office of Extended Studies on the administration of these programs, unless the unit has received prior approval otherwise. * Minimum admissions requirements must be consistent with those of the Graduate School, and all students must be admitted to the Graduate School. * The Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies must require at least 12 credits. * The Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies was intended to provide a means of adapting existing graduate programs for a specific purpose and professional audience. There should be a core of at least two courses drawn from a master’s core component, with at least two additional courses to form a coherent graduate certificate program. * The Graduate Certificate in Professional Studies must meet all other requirements for graduate certificates. 1. Certificates require 12 credit hours of graduate-level work, with a minimum of 9 credit hours chosen from a limited list 2. Non-core courses must be chosen from a specific list of acceptable options 3. At least 9 credit hours must be earned at the 600 level or above. For a 12-credit certificate program, 3 credits may be earned at the 400 level; certificates requiring more than 12 credits may allow up to 6 credits at the 400 level. 4. All coursework must be completed at the University of Maryland, College Park. 5. A minimum 3.0 G.PA. is required for the award of a graduate certificate. 6. All requirements for the graduate certificate must be completed within five years. See also: * Policy on Certificates (https://provost.umd.edu/leadership/certificates) * Original Master and Certificate of Professional Studies Program Proposal (https://umd.box.com/s/u1k8x9y1i8ravna5a4pbtw93rhiwp0jm) Master of Professional Studies * Academic units must work with the Office of Extended Studies on the administration of these programs, unless the unit has received prior approval otherwise. * Minimum admissions requirements must be consistent with those of the Graduate School, and all students must be admitted to the Graduate School. * The Master of Professional Studies degree requires a minimum of 30 credits. * The Master of Professional Studies degree was intended to provide a means of adapting existing graduate programs for a specific purpose and professional audience. There should be a core of at least four courses usually drawn from a current master's degree program, with areas of specialization and electives drawn from a variety of academic unit course offerings to create a coherent, multidisciplinary master's degree program. * The Master of Professional Studies must meet all other requirements for non-thesis master’s degrees: 1. At least 18 credit hours in courses numbered 600 and above is required, as well as one or more scholarly papers, some portion of which must be written. 2. At least 12 credit hours must be earned in the major field. See also: * Graduate School requirements for master’s degrees (https://academiccatalog.umd.edu/graduate/policies/masters-degrees-policies/) * Original Master and Certificate of Professional Studies Program Proposal (https://umd.box.com/s/u1k8x9y1i8ravna5a4pbtw93rhiwp0jm) Page 38 Academic Programs Glossary Academic college: An administrative unit that oversees one or more academic departments. It provides leadership and administrative and material support for the instructional, scholarly, advising, and outreach functions of its academic constituents. The College is the unit that awards undergraduate degrees. Academic college/school and department: A unit, such as a non-departmentalized College or School that serves the dual functions of Academic College and Department. Academic degree program: A curriculum leading to the award of a particular academic degree (e.g., B.S. in Aerospace Engineering.) Please note the distinction between the formal definition of the term and the casual use to refer to a topical area that may or may not reflect a formal academic degree program. Academic department: A unit that houses a faculty, and that ordinarily offers academic courses and academic programs within a single discipline or a small number of related disciplines. Academic program: An academic program is a defined by the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) as “a structured and coherent course of study with clearly defined learning objectives and intended student learning outcomes, requiring the completion of a specified number of credit hours from among a prescribed group of courses, leading to the award of a certificate or degree.” Academic programs must be approved by MHEC, which lists them on its inventory of approved programs. This includes bachelors, masters, and doctoral degrees, as well as both undergraduate and graduate certificates. Academic program home: A unit that administers an academic program but that has not been formally established as an Academic Department. These units normally do not serve as tenure homes for faculty. Area of Concentration (Formal): A formal curricular area within a degree program. An Area of Concentration (AOC) is defined by the Code of Maryland Regulations as “a sequential arrangement of courses within a program which at the (a) undergraduate level exceeds 24 semester credit hours; (b) master’s level exceeds 12 semester credit hours; and (c) Doctorate level exceeds 18 semester credit hours.” A proposal for a formal AOC must go to the Chancellor and MHEC for approval, and the emphasis is noted on the student’s transcript. Approved Areas of Concentration are listed on the MHEC program inventory. Area of specialization (Informal): An informal curricular area within a degree program. An informal area of specialization has no fixed requirements mandated by the Code of Maryland Regulations. Areas of specialization can be a particular number of credits in a designated field, a topical area, or some combination. Informal areas of specialization are approved at the campus level only and do not appear on the MHEC program inventory for the university. Academic award: A term that specifies the awards granted at the conclusion of academic programs approved by the Board of Regents and the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC). Academic awards include degrees (baccalaureate, masters and doctoral) and certificates (lower-division, upper-division, post-baccalaureate, post-master’s, and certificates of advanced study). Combined bachelor’s/master’s degree program: An articulated degree program that permits an academically talented undergraduate student to begin coursework for the master’s degree while still pursuing the bachelor’s degree, and to “double count” up to nine credits (or more, if certain conditions are satisfied) in both the bachelor and the master’s program. Combined bachelor’s/master’s degree programs may be developed individually for exceptional students, or a unit may establish a structured combined degree program. See also the UMD policy on combined bachelor’s/master’s programs at https://policies.umd.edu/policy/f2369524-cdf4-4be5-b281-a1d952ba18fc/. Discontinuance (Termination): Discontinuance is the permanent termination of an academic degree program. Currently enrolled students are still permitted to complete degree requirements. Dual graduate degree program: An articulated program that allows students to complete two related degree programs (such as the Master of Architecture and Master of Historic Preservation degrees) in a slightly accelerated fashion, usually by “double counting” a modest number of elective credits. Students receive two separate degrees upon successful completion of the dual degree program curriculum. Executive degree programs: Master’s level programs that are offered to specific cohorts of professionals who have attained a substantial level of experience within the field. These programs are typically offered in an accelerated format in a non-semester term structure. Examples include the executive track of the M.B.A. and the executive Master of Public Management (M.P.M.). Joint degree: A single degree offered cooperatively by two units (or two institutions). Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC): The post-secondary education regulatory agency for the state of Maryland. MHEC keeps an inventory (the Academic Program Inventory) of approved programs for each institution. Proposals that require changes to the inventory (for example, new degree or certificate programs, program title changes, program discontinuances) require MHEC approval. Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE): The accrediting agency for the University of Maryland. MSCHE must approve of off-campus locations, whether Additional Locations (50% or more of a program’s courses is offered at the location), or Other Instructional Sites (one or more courses, but less than 50% of a program’s courses, is offered at the location). MSCHE must also approve new online offerings of existing programs. PCC: Programs, Curricula & Courses committee. PCC committees exist at the departmental and college levels, as well as for the Graduate Council and the Senate. Professional degree programs: The term “professional” is used in multiple, distinct ways: 1. Professional entrepreneurial: These programs are entrepreneurial, meaning that the program is largely self-support in that it is mostly dependent on direct tuition and fee revenue. These programs result in academic awards, but are focused on providing career-specific training to working professionals, rather than to prepare graduate students for further study. Examples of such professional programs are the Master of Professional Studies, Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Professional Studies, Master of Engineering and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate of Engineering. 2. Doctoral (Professional Practice) degree: An academic degree program that prepares students for licensure or certification in a particular profession, often regulated or accredited by a governmental or government-approved body. The Maryland Higher Education Commission distinguishes Doctorate (Professional Practice) degrees from Doctorate (Research and Scholarship) degrees. Examples of UMD’s Doctorate (Professional Practice) degree include the Doctor of Audiology and the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. 3. “Professional” academic degree: These programs prepare students for certain professions, some of which may require licensure or certification. These programs are distinguished from research-oriented programs, and can be at the Bachelor’s (Bachelor of Landscape Architecture), Master’s (Master of Library and Information Science), or Doctoral (Doctor of Education) levels. These programs may have different requirements than similar programs at the same level. For example, requirements for the Doctor of Education differ from Ph.D. programs in education. Suspension: An academic program may be suspended for up to three years in order to determine its future directions. During the suspension, no new students may be admitted, but currently enrolled students must be allowed to satisfy degree requirements. University System of Maryland (USM): The state of Maryland’s public higher education system, led by the USM Chancellor, and overseen by the USM Board of Regents. Some academic proposals require approval by USM. The Chancellor will approve most proposals, such as new certificate programs, degree or certificate program title changes, and professional studies programs, but new academic degree programs require Board of Regents approval. Page 38 12-Week Term Memorandum of Understanding Purpose of the 12-week Project The 12-week calendar project was initiated to increase the ability of the University to support programs and courses that wish to use the non-traditional 12-week academic calendar rather than the standard 16-week semester calendar. The Student Information System (SIS) supports a large number of processes that are programmed to only accommodate the semester calendar. These include grade reporting, processing academic actions, reporting student enrollment and many others. The 12-week project aims to improve efficiency by automating these processes to decrease the number of manual processes needed to manage programs offered in 12-week calendars. Purpose of this document The purpose of this document is to inform our academic departments of the guidelines they must follow if they choose to utilize the 12-week calendar. Expectations Operating in the 12-week calendar requires a combination of automated and manual processes to be able to successfully perform the necessary actions needed to offer a program. Additionally, 12-week calendars have very short periods of time between one term and the next. As a result, a significantly greater level of coordination between key university units is required. Before making a decision to deploy in a 12-week calendar, units should ensure they have the administrative resources and capabilities to meet the guidelines. Programs need to offer enough courses each term for their students, especially international students. International students must maintain full-time status in all terms during their enrollment. Guidelines Admission and Registration Students enrolled in 12-week calendar programs will not have the same flexibility as full- semester students with regard to admittance and registration. The following rules apply: * Students can be admitted into 12-week calendar programs in the fall Term and spring Term; Admission deferrals also need to be admitted in fall Term and spring Term 3. * Students enrolled in programs using the 12-week calendar can only take courses that are offered in the 12-week term. * Students enrolled in semester programs are not permitted to take courses that are offered in the 12-week term. However, program directors may request a separate section of a 12-week term course to be scheduled in summer session (which uses the semester academic calendar). This is permitted in summer only because the start and end dates for summer “session” align perfectly with the start and end dates for summer “term.”  * Departments must select a single point of contact to receive email notifications when any student in the program has violated the registration policy. The student’s assigned advisor will not be notified * Students changing from a semester program to a 12-week term program must only be done in the fall term *  F1 & J1 International applicants must have an English test score that satisfies the full (including sub-sectional scores) English requirement. Grades and Academic Actions GPA calculations and academic actions in 12-week programs will be performed at the end of every term. Departments should be aware of the following: * Instructors should be mindful of the university's 48-hour requirement* for grade submission, particularly as the time between 12-week terms is shorter than the time between full semesters. * *For the fall term, the 48-hour requirement includes the weekend due to the Thanksgiving break that falls immediately prior to the start of the winter term.  * Programs must designate an individual that is responsible for reviewing academic actions and give their name and contact information to the Graduate School. *  After receiving notification of academic actions from Graduate School, Programs will have until noon the following day to respond before the action automatically goes into effect. * The Fall 12-week term ends right before our Thanksgiving break most years. As such, it is important that the contact person identified is available to assist during this time period. If the person identified is out of the office, a replacement must be chosen and Graduate School must be notified as soon as possible.  Communication Due to the constricted timeline for end of 12-week term processes, strict adherence to deadlines and communication between the Office of the Registrar, the Graduate School and the Department (Program unit) is imperative. Term dates are preset by the campus calendar and cannot be changed. Departments offering 12-week programs are responsible for communicating: * Registration dates and deadlines to students * Term dates and deadlines (especially when grades are due) to Department personnel *  Guidelines for 12-week programs to students International Student (F1 & J1) * International applicants must have an English test score that satisfies the full (including sub-sectional scores) English requirement. * International applicants can only be admitted for the fall term. * International students must maintain full-time status in all the terms without any breaks. * Curricular Practical Training (CPT): 12-week programs do not meet F-1 requirements for CPT, as students must be enrolled for a full academic year for 12 -week programs, and there are no academic requirements for internship in 12-week degree programs. * Optional Practical Training (OPT): students must be enrolled for a full academic year for 12 -week programs and be physically present in the United States for the particular academic year to qualify for this benefit. Student Guidelines for 12-week programs *  Students must maintain continuous enrollment (must enroll in consecutive terms) but can use petitions for a Leave of Absence or a Waiver of Registration. * Academic action will be performed at the end of every 12-week term. Course Scheduling * Courses should be scheduled and given room priority in their own department's classroom spaces (if these exist). 1. If space within the department is not available, the department should reach out to the College for other departmental classrooms within the College. 2. If there are no available rooms within the College, a general purpose classroom can be requested from Course and Classroom Scheduling Services (CCSS) in the Office of the University Registrar. The request must include a note from the Dean's office stating that there is no room availability within the College's departmentally-owned rooms. * Courses will be accommodated in General Purpose Classrooms (GPC) to the extent possible, and must adhere to Provost Scheduling Guidelines (see https://dev-registrar-umd.pantheonsite.io/sites/default/files/2023-04/provost-guidelines-for-class-scheduling.pdf). When there is a conflict between academic classes, priority will be given to standard semester courses.  1. CCSS will do its best to accommodate the instructors’ classroom preferences but no specific GPC assignment is guaranteed. Instructional design may be adjusted for optimal classroom learning in the assigned rooms. 2. To facilitate better classroom scheduling, course offerings should be spaced out during the week and not clustered only on particular days. 3. Winter and Spring 12-week term courses scheduled in GPC may be assigned to another GPC during Fall and Spring Final Exams week to accommodate final exams of semester courses.