The University of Memphis | Curriculum Development and Revision | ||||||
POLICIES |
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| Policy Statement |
| Policy Statement | The undergraduate, graduate, and Law School bulletins are extensions of the Policy Manual and are, thus, official statements of academic program policy. The Curricular Procedures Handbook describes the steps required in preparing and processing proposals, additions and modifications to the University curriculum. It also describes the specific involvement of faculty, administrative officers, councils, committees, Tennessee Board of Regents, and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission.
For purposes of this policy, curricular revisions include changes to existing courses, majors, concentrations, and certificates; changes to undergraduate, graduate, college, and University degree requirements; changes to admission and retention standards, and academic regulations; and the addition of new courses, majors, minors, concentrations, degrees, certificates, and academic units, including schools, departments, centers, bureaus, and institutes. Changes or additions to the University academic curriculum or to academic policies are to be included in the undergraduate and graduate bulletins only after approval in accordance with the actions described in the Curriculum Procedures Handbook. The Law School will develop and publish its own procedures for actions described in the policy. |
| Purpose |
| To provide guidelines for the curricular process at The University of Memphis. |
| Procedures |
| Approval Process | Requests will normally be initiated and approved at the level of the unit (department, school, division) responsible for the administration of the program or requirement. After unit approval (e.g., the departement committee) requests are reviewed by the college committee followed by the college dean. Prior to action by the provost, all undergraduate requests will be reviewed by the University Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and graduate requests by the University Council for Graduate Studies and Research. The provost's approval is the final approval necessary for all items except those which will be sent to the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR). For these items, the president's approval is required prior to submission to TBR.
In addition to the usual approvals, all curricular requests related to the University General Education Program, including new courses, revision to existing courses, and program requirements, must have the approval of the General Education Committee. |
| Tennessee Board of Regents and Tennessee Higher Education Commission Approvals | The following requests for actions require both University level approval and approval by the Tennessee Board of Regents and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission (THEC).
The following requests require TBR approval, but not THEC approval.
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| Letter of Intent | Prior to preparing a formal proposal for a new program or degree, for submission to the Tennessee Board of Regents, a letter of intent as described in TBR Guideline A-010 must be submitted by the dean of the college to the provost and from the provost to TBR. |
| Role and Composition of Departmental and Curriculum Committees | Departmental (unit) and college curriculum committees have two major responsibilities:
Curriculum committees at all levels are to be faculty committees, though membership is not restricted to faculty. The composition of departmental and college committees is left to the discretion of the individual units. Deans may not serve as chair of the college committee. |
| Deadlines and TBR & THEC Review Calendar | Deadlines for curricular requests will be announced by Academic Affairs at the beginning of each academic year. Normally, requests are to be considered at the University level only once a year, but may be considered at other times at the discretion of the provost or the provost's representative.
The Tennessee Board of Regents considers academic proposals at each of its quarterly meetings; the Tennessee Higher Education Commission considers academic proposals only at its Winter (January) and Summer (July) meetings. The number of proposals received at any one time may determine whether or not the TBR staff review of a particular proposal is completed in time for submission to the TBR at the desired time. Proposals are generally reviewed on a first-come basis. Should the review of a proposal not be completed in time for the next meeting of the Board, it will be carried over with priority to the subsequent meeting. |
| Proposal Formats | TBR and THEC formats are designed for developing and structuring proposals. They are formats, not forms, and are meant to serve as an outline for organizing information rather than to be mechanically completed. Similarly, because each format is designed for use with several types of proposals, the response should be tailored to meet the particular needs of the action being proposed, omitting what is not necessary while being careful to provide all the needed information. |
| Related Forms |
| Curricular Forms | http://academics.memphis.edu/currplan/currplan.htm |
| Links |
| Curricular Procedures Handbook | http://academics.memphis.edu/aa/curr/index.php |
| TBR Gideline A-010 |
| TBR Academic Affairs “Publications and Forms” | http://www.tbr.state.tn.us/policies/default.aspx?id=1738&terms=publications+and+forms |
| Revision Dates |
UM1279 - Issued: September 15, 2003 - supercedes policy number 1:2B:03:01, 2B:03:01A and 2B:03:01B |
| Subject Areas: |
| Academic | Finance | General | Human Resources | Information Technology | Student Services/Affairs |
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