Curriculum

Curriculum & Program Approval Process

Level I and II proposals are due to the Office of the Provost by Friday, September 13, 2019.

UM is required to report plans for new degrees on our Academic Program Plan. Programs not on the list will not be considered by OCHE/BOR.
Only required for new programs and centers. NOT required for certificates of less than 29 credits. NOT required for joint degrees if both programs are already approved and the curriculum is not signficantly different than if the dgrees were accomplished separately.
A short 3-4 sentence description of the program should be submitted as soon as a new proposal is considered to the Office of the Provost. (email jasminezink.laine@mso.umt.edu).
The short description will be added to the Academic Program Plan that is submitted to OCHE and available to other MUS institutions for their information and comment.
Deadlines: OCHE accepts updates to the Academic Program Plans once a year, in May.
- They are due to OCHE by May 15 and December 15 each year in order to be considered in the next fiscal year.
- Therefore, they must be to the Office of the Provost by May 1 or December 1.

Fill out this electronic Intent to Plan form.
- Only required for new programs and units/centers. They are NOT required for certificates with fewer than 29 credits.
The intended new degree/unit/center must already be on the Academic Program Plan.
These can be submitted at any point during the year and must be approved before a full proposal can be considered.
- Obtain required signature from Dean and submit to the Office of the Provost.
Intent to Plan forms will be submitted to OCHE by the Provost and reviewed monthly by all of the Chief Academic Officers in the MUS.
Following approval, the Provost's Office will notify the proposer that they may proceed to develop a full proposal and if any other campuses in the MUS need to be consulted.
Campuses will have up to 18 months for proposal development and campus governance review.
Review previously submitted Intent to Plan forms for guidance.

Level I and Level II changes require notification to/approval by the Montana Board of Regents. BOR forms are required in addition to Faculty Senate forms.
Specific directions are given to the right.
Submit to your Dean by late August. Deans should have at least two weeks' time to review draft proposals before they are sent to the Office of the Provost for review.
Course changes and small program modifications go directly to Faculty Senate for review.

Deliver hard copies of the forms that require signatures to the Office of the Provost.
- Also, email Word documents to jasminezink.laine@mso.umt.edu.
Proposals are due to the Office of the Provost by September 13, 2019.
Once the Provost approves and signs the paperwork, proposals will be submitted to the Faculty Senate Office for review.
Incomplete or incorrect proposals will be returned. Please follow the directions given to the right.

The curriculum review deadline is in the fall, typically late Sept/early Oct. Faculty Senate will only consider off-cycle proposals with extenuating circumstances.
Once the full proposal is approved by the Provost, it is sent to Faculty Senate for their review.
After review by the appropriate Curriculum Committee (ASCRC or Graduate Council), the full Faculty Senate will review their recommendation.
After Faculty Senate review is complete, the Provost's office will submit the proposal to OCHE for the next possible BOR meeting.
- Note that BOR and internal UM deadlines require submission quite in advance of the BOR meeting.
The Office of the Provost will notify the proposer once the change has final approval.
Review the curriculum proposal review flow chart for visualization of entire review process.