Board Policies
Chapter 3 - Educational Policies
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3.14 Academic Program Approval

Part 1. Definitions.

Program or major: A combination of courses and experiences for credit leading to a degree, diploma, or certificate and designed to accomplish objectives such as 1) preparation for advanced study, 2) qualification for an occupation or range of occupations, and/or 3) increase of knowledge and understanding in an area. A program or major must be offered by a college or university. Accomplishment of program objectives requires a set of structured learning experiences, defined by a college or university, that constitutes a major or is certified by a credential.

Part 2. Approval Criteria.

A program or major shall be approved by the Chancellor or designee before it is offered by a college or university. Approval by the Chancellor or designee requires that the program or major proposal demonstrates:

a. need and appropriate location(s) to address unmet student and occupational demand,

b. resource sufficiency, i.e., capability of the system and institution(s) to provide necessary human, physical, and financial resources to support the program or major, and

c. mission relevance, i.e., contribution to the institutional and system missions.

Institutions shall include information on transfer of credit in applications for new programs. The Chancellor or designee may approve a program or major with conditions, e.g., a specified termination date.