Mar 19, 2024  
2013-2014 General Catalog (Summer, Fall 2013) 
    
2013-2014 General Catalog (Summer, Fall 2013) ARCHIVED CATALOG: To search archives, MUST use search box to left. Current catalog: catalog.usu.edu.

Academic Programs, Required Approval


All new undergraduate majors, minors, and emphases, as well as name changes to existing majors, minors,and emphases, must be officially approved by both the Educational Policies Committee (EPC) and the Faculty Senate. New undergraduate majors; new certificates and diplomas; new associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees; and new K-12 school personnel programs must also be approved by both the USU Board of Trustees and the Utah State Board of Regents. The Board of Regents has delegated to the Board of Trustees the following program change proposals: approval of certificates, minors, emphases, and options within existing programs; cancellation of programs; and approval of name changes within existing programs.Therefore, following Board of Trustees approval, these delegated change proposals are submitted to the Board of Regents as information only items.


While not specifically stated anywhere within the Board of Regents’ policy, it is assumed that specializations within graduate degrees also come under the authority of the Board of Trustees. In any case, the EPC has given authority for institutional review of graduate degree specializations to the Curriculum Subcommittee.

The Board of Regents has designed different templates for each level of approval it requires—action,consent, or information. More specific information is available in the Board of Regents Policy Manual R401. Those submitting program proposals should verify that they are using the correct template. Those submitting program proposals that require approval only through the USU Board of Trustees should use the Regents template for an information item. Proposals must be submitted in both hard copy with signatures and electronic formats, as approved by EPC on Sepember 6, 2001.


For further information about submission of program proposals, see pages 26-36 of the Handbook for the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Educational Policies Committee of the Faculty Senate at: www.usu.edu/fsenate/epc/curriculum/EPC_CurriculumHandbook5_10_07.pdf

An undergraduate area of emphasis that has not been officially approved should be referred to as an option, concentration, or track.


Academic programs cannot be listed in the online version of the General Catalog until they have completed the approval process, as described above. Also, academic programs must complete the approval process before they can be listed on transcripts or diplomas.


When a new academic program has received final approval by the USU Board of Trustees and/or the Utah State Board of Regents, the Provost’s Office will officially notify the Registrar’s Office. At that time, the new program will be assigned a four-digit (alpha) program code for USU data management purposes. In consultation with the department having administrative responsibility for a new or renamed major, a CIP code (numeric) will be assigned to the major. The CIP code is used for state and national reporting purposes. These codes must be added to the USU database prior to students enrolling in the new or changed programs. CIP codes are not assigned to minors, emphases, or specializations.