In general, there are five potential stages of review for new or revised graduate programs:

• College level
• External review
• University level (Graduate Council and UO Senate)
• Board of Trustees and state level
• Regional accreditor (NWCCU)

The nature of the proposal will determine which stages of review are required. Refer to the chart below for guidance.

Required Approvals for Curricular Changes

New Programs or Locations

Type of Change	College level	Graduate Council/Senate	Board of Trustees and state level	External review	NWCCU
New graduate degree program	X	X	X	X	X
New location for an existing degree or certificate program (including, in some cases, online delivery of an existing on-site program)	X	X	X		X
New graduate certificate program	X	X
New graduate specialization	X	X
New graduate microcredential	X	X

Substantive Change to Existing Degree Program

Type of Change	College level	Undergraduate Council	Graduate Council/SEnATE	Board of Trustees and state level	External review	NWCCU
Significant revisions to degree requirements or curricular design	X		X
Discontinuation of degree, certificate or microcredential	X		X
Change to degree type awarded	X		X
Name change for degree, certificate, or microcredential	X		X
New Accelerated Master's Program (AMP) using existing courses	X	X	X

Other Curricular or Program Changes

Type of Change	College level	Graduate Council	Board of Trustees and state level	External review	NWCCU
Discontinuation of graduate specialization	X
Discontinuation of track or concentration for existing major	X
Name change for track, concentration, or specialization	X
Minor revisions to degree requirements or curriculum	X

Minor Revisions

Minor revisions might include small changes to:

• Number of credits
• Required courses
• Minimum grade requirements
• Restrictions

Whether a change is minor or not is determined by the Office of the Provost, the Division of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council.

At any stage prior to final approval, it may be determined that changes identified as minor are, in fact, significant and subject to Graduate Council review.

All changes should be submitted to and discussed with the associate vice provost for academic excellence in the Office of the Provost and/or the assistant vice provost in the Division of Graduate Studies as soon as possible to determine the level of review required.

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Proposal Procedures

The Office of the Provost has implemented CourseLeaf, a software tool which supports the development and review of course and program proposals. Please submit all new program proposals or edits to current programs on the program page in CourseLeaf.

Questions about CourseLeaf may be directed to Ron Bramhall, associate vice provost for academic affairs (rcb@uoregon.edu) or Carolyn Vogt, UO curriculum coordinator (carolynv@uoregon.edu). 

In general, the flow of curriculum changes is as follows: 

1. Optional but recommended: Proposals may be informally shared with the Division of Graduate Studies and/or the Office of the Provost for initial feedback in advance of formal submission.

2. Submit proposal in Courseleaf. 

3. Gain department-level approval.

4. Gain college-level approval.

   • If new degree program, coordinate with Division of Graduate Studies to set up external review. The report from the external review team is required before the proposal goes to Graduate Council.

5. Graduate Council Review

   • If Graduate Council review is required, the Office of the Provost will work with the Division of Graduate Studies to get it on an upcoming agenda.

     For programs that require Graduate Council review, they will be placed into one of two categories:

     • Expedited Review: No discussion by Grad Council, vote only
     • Full Review: Discussion and vote by Grad Council

   • Graduate Council will either vote on the proposal, or ask for revisions.

   • If revisions are necessary, a deadline for revised proposal will be communicated to the proposer.

   • Once approved by the Graduate Council, the Office of the Provost will coordinate final UO Senate approval and the changes will appear in the next curriculum report.

6. For minor changes not requiring Graduate Council review, the Office of the Provost will include the changes in the next curriculum report.

Graduate Program Approval Process Flowchart

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Graduate Council Deadlines

See the Graduate Council page for meeting dates and deadlines. 

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Contacts