EIU Curriculum Approval

Revising or Adding Programs

If you are requesting revisions to an existing program or approval for a new one, follow the process detailed in the chart above.

Revising a Program

Programmatic revisions take many forms, including changing a program's name and course prefix, adding and deleting required and elective courses, updating course titles and credit hours, and so on.

• Prepare a request that includes both the current catalog copy and the proposed revised copy (side by side or one after the other).Use font colors and strike-outs to clearly identify what you have changed. See note 1 below.
• Include a cover page that summarizes the requested changes and explains why they are needed.
• Clearly note when the revised program goes into effect (e.g., Fall 2018). See note 2 below.
• Identify the dates on which the proposed revisions were approved by the department and college curriculum committees.
• Submit your revised program proposal or executive action request (See note 1 below) to CAA (undergraduate programs except those preparing teaching professionals) or CGS (all graduate programs), and, if applicable, COTE (undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare teaching professionals). (Graduate programs that prepare teaching professionals must be submitted to both CGS and COTE.) See note 3 below.

Notes

1. COTE bylaws make no provisions for revising programs through executive action. However, CAA allows the following minor changes to undergraduate programs to be requested via executive action:
   • Additions or deletions of electives in majors, minors, and concentrations.
   • Changes to the titles of existing concentrations.
   CGS also allows minor changes to graduate programs to be requested via executive action. Contact the Dean of the Graduate School if you have questions.
2. CAA requires that key revisions to degree programs (changes in admission, course, and credit hour requirements for majors, options, minors, and concentrations) become effective in the subsequent fall semester. This is a good practice to follow with all program revisions. When in doubt about when to make a program revision effective, please consult your college's certifying officer.
3. The individual who submits requests for programmatic revisions to the University councils may vary from college to college. Consult your dean, college curriculum committee chairperson, or certifying officer for information about the process at work in your college.
4. Program revisions originating in units which do not have departmental curriculum committees (for example, AFR, BGS, SOS) are vetted through an advisory committee prior to being sent to the appropriate college curriculum committee (or that college’s dean, if no college curriculum committee exists).
5. Department chairs should contact Dustin White, EIU Marketing and Communications, to update the Majors and Minors website (https://www.eiu.edu/majors/) or to request access to log in and update/edit information about their own major. Contact Dustin via email at wdwhite@eiu.edu.

Adding a New Program

To request approval of a new major, certificate, option, minor, or concentration, prepare a full catalog description of this program, using the degree program sections of the undergraduate and graduate catalogs as your guide.

• Include a cover page that summarizes the new program and explains why it is needed.
• Clearly note when the revised program goes into effect (e.g., Fall 2029).
• Submit your new program proposal to CAA (undergraduate programs except those preparing teaching professionals) or CGS (all graduate programs), and, if applicable, COTE (undergraduate and graduate programs that prepare teaching professionals). (Graduate programs that prepare teaching professionals must be submitted to both COTE and CGS.) See note 4 below.
• The VPAA's Office must report new options, minors, and concentrations to the Illinois Board of Higher Education after they are approved on campus, but no individual approval is required. However, if your request is for a new major or certificate program, you will need prior approval from the IBHE to offer it, and possible HLC approval. See notes 1, 2, and 3 below.

Notes

1. If the new major or certificate program is closely related to an existing major, we can request its approval through an abbreviated process called the Reasonable and Moderate Extension (RME). The RME is the appropriate form via which to request a BA in Chemistry, for instance, since we already have an approved BS in Chemistry; to request an MS in Dietetics, since Dietetics already is an approved option in the MS in Family and Consumer Sciences; or to request a post-baccalaureate Certificate in Reading Improvement, since we already have an approved concentration in reading in the MSEd for Elementary Education. If your new program will require approval via the RME process, please prepare it using the RME format. (Save time by using this form when you prepare your request for the department and university council(s). ) If you have questions about this process, contact the VPAA Office. NB: It may take as long as 6 months for IBHE staff to approve an RME. Set your program's effective date accordingly.
2. Requests for all other new programs must be submitted as New Program Requests (NPR) and formally approved by EIU's Board of Trustees, the IBHE Board, and possibly the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The NPR is a lengthy, highly detailed report that includes a strong rationale, a complete catalog copy, an assessment plan, and a quality assurance plan. The report must also include employment projections, cost analysis, available facilities, faculty qualifications/CVs, all course descriptions and information on similar Illinois programs. It is crucial to highlight (1) what makes EIU’s new program unique and (2) what distinguishes the program from other institutions. Contact the VPAA Office for details. NB: It will take about 6 months for you to write the proposal and seek its approval on campus, as many as 6 months for IBHE approval, and up to 6 months for HLC approval (if needed). Set your program's effective date accordingly.
3. Need for HLC approval can be determined by contacting EIU’s Accreditation Liaison Officer (ALO). If required, the ALO will submit the HLC application after consultation with the Provost and department(s) responsible for the new program. The HLC application is similar in many ways to the IBHE application, and rarely requires additional information not already contained in the IBHE application.
4. The individual who submits requests for program additions to the university councils may vary from college to college. Consult your dean, college curriculum committee chairperson, or certifying officer for information about the process at work in your college.
5. Department chairs should contact Dustin White, EIU Marketing and Communications, to update the Majors and Minors website (https://www.eiu.edu/majors/) or to request access to log in and update/edit information about their own major. Contact Dustin via email at wdwhite@eiu.edu.