Program Review & Assessment
- Program Reviews
- Assessment
- Administrative Review for New Programs
- Data & Reports
Administrative Review of New Academic Programs
Proposals for new undergraduate and graduate programs are submitted through the Administrative Review of New Academic Programs process. Undergraduate proposals reviewed by the Undergraduate Council (UGC) and graduate proposals by the Graduate Council (GC). To learn more about the process for graduate programs, [click here]
UGC is responsible for assessing the academic quality of the program and ensuring that adequate resource requirements are in place. The WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), our institutional accrediting body, requires that all new programs (including graduate programs and undergraduate majors) undergo a screening process to determine if they constitute a substantive change, which would trigger further review by WSCUC. To streamline this process, the following administrative procedure has been established to facilitate WSCUC screening and ensure consistent documentation of resource implications to inform the Academic Senate’s review.
Proposals to establish new undergraduate (and graduate) academic programs (majors, minors, specializations, certificates) and for the approval of new remote degree programs will go through three phases:
Phase One: Preparation and Planning Process
Phase Two: Collection of Proposal Requirements
Phase Three: Automated Administrative Routing and Endorsement Process
**Please note that curricular revisions do not require this additional administrative review process unless they require substantial additional resources (FTE/teaching materials) that the department/program is unable to self-fund or represent curricular changes of 25% or more.
Phase One: Preparation and Planning Process
The Planning Process for Undergraduate Programs:
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For distance education or hybrid programs, please review [this document] that provides key definitions and important information about distance education, particularly regarding state authorization of distance education programs. Additionally, you will need to schedule a meeting with the Teaching and Learning Commons' Digital Learning Hub to discuss platform options, assessment strategies, identity verification, and best practices for distance education.
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For all new academic proposals, a meeting with the Divisional/School Dean (or College Provost) is required to discuss the draft proposal, resource requirements, and any additional resource commitments. The Dean (or Provost) confirms the necessary resources (e.g., space, faculty, administrative support), and any additional commitments are documented with a formal letter, which is included in the proposal and communicated to the appropriate academic VC(s).
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For all new academic proposals, a meeting with the Resource Administration Office(s) of the appropriate academic Vice Chancellor(s) is required to finalize budget details and discuss any additional resource commitments (e.g., space, faculty, administrative support) before routing. Any additional commitments from the academic VC(s) are documented with a formal letter, which is included in the proposal and communicated to the Divisional/School Dean (or College Provost).
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Once the planning process is complete and all necessary meetings and discussions have taken place, the proposal is then approved by the Divisional/School Dean (or College Provost).
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Once the proposal and required documents are approved for submission, the final proposal is submitted through the automated Administrative Review Form (Phase Three), where all required approvers review and approve it. After EVC approval, the proposal, along with a system-generated cover sheet indicating all necessary sign-offs, is forwarded to the Academic Senate for review.
Programs should allocate at least one month for the above steps, with additional time if revisions are needed.
Phase Two: Collection of Proposal Requirements
Proposals to establish new undergraduate academic programs (including any programs requiring Senate review, such as majors, minors, specializations, and certificates) and for the approval of new distance education programs must include the following documents:
- Academic Senate Required Materials:
- Details required for new undergraduate program proposals can be found in section B of the following Academic Senate document: https://senate.ucsd.edu/media/518371/ugc-proposal-procedures-for-new-majors-and-minors.pdf
- Additional information concerning the planning process and systemwide review can be found in the University of California Compendium: Universitywide Review Processes for Academic Programs, Academic Units, & Research Units: https://www.ucop.edu/institutional-research-academic-planning/_files/compendium_sept2014.pdf
- Required WSCUC Screening Form:
All Institutions planning to implement new degree programs or new specializations must submit a screening form to determine if a Substantive Change review and approval is required prior to implementation. The Division of Undergraduate Education will submit all relevant information to our accrediting agency (WSCUC) and will communicate with the Department regarding any necessary next steps. For questions or guidance on the form, please reach out to Hailey Caraballo at hlcaraballo@ucsd.edu.
- Budget Proposal:
A budget proposal must be developed in collaboration with the Resource Administration Office of the lead academic Vice Chancellor and in consultation with the Resource Administration Offices of any other involved academic Vice Chancellors. For self-supporting programs, see http://academicaffairs.ucsd.edu/sso/SAPD/Resources/FinancialModelTool
- Documenting Letters:
Letters documenting any additional resource commitments from the Divisional/School Dean and/or academic VC(s).
Phase Three: Automated Administrative Routing and Endorsement Process
When the proposal is ready to submit, the unit will submit all documents to the Automated New Academic Program Administrative Review Form:
New Academic Programs: Administrative Review Form
The system automatically routes the proposal to all necessary reviewers and generates a status log, which is accessible to the Academic Senate and the original submitter.
The log tracks routing and approvals in the following order:
- Department Chair
- Divisional/School Dean
- Undergraduate Dean
- Appropriate academic Vice Chancellors (EVC-AA, VC-HS, and/or VC-MS, depending on program specifics)
- For online and/or hybrid programs, approval from the Digital Learning Hub within the Teaching and Learning Commons is required before routing to the Divisional/School Dean.
- Interdisciplinary programs must be reviewed and approved by each relevant Dean and Chair, with signatures obtained accordingly.
Once the form is submitted to the Senate, the following occurs:
- The Undergraduate Council communicates with the Department Chair regarding approval, questions, or concerns about the proposal.
- If approved by the Undergraduate Council, the Senate works with the Registrar to implement the program.
- The Dean of Undergraduate Education initiates the WSCUC substantive change screening process.
- If the WSCUC screening determines that a substantive change review is required, the Dean of Undergraduate Education oversees the review application and communicates any next steps to the Department Chair.
Departments should plan on approximately one month for this review. Please note that additional time may be required if significant revisions are required.