System Procedures
Chapter 3 - Educational Policies
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Procedure 3.36.1 Academic Programs

Part 1. Purpose and Applicability.

Subpart A. Procedure Purpose. The purpose of academic program procedures is to establish standards, processes and conditions that enable consistent implementation of academic program policy.

Subpart B. Applicability. These procedures apply to policy 3.36 – Academic Programs.

Part 2. Definitions. The following definitions have the meanings indicated for all Board policies unless the text clearly indicates otherwise.

Subpart A. Academic award. Academic award means a certificate, diploma or degree.

Subpart B. Academic program. Academic program means a cohesive arrangement of college level credit courses and experiences designed to accomplish predetermined objectives leading to the awarding of a degree, diploma, or certificate. Most academic programs include a general education component. The purpose of an academic program is to:

increase students' knowledge and understanding in a field of study or discipline,

qualify students for employment in an occupation or range of occupations, and/or

prepare students for advanced study.

Subpart C. Academic program characteristics.Academic program characteristics are attributes that operationally describe an approved academic program and include:

name,

academic award,

federal Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) code,

credit length,

location(s),

emphases, if any,

articulation or collaborative agreements, if any, among institutions and parties, and

status (active, suspended, closed).

Subpart D. Academic program closure. Academic program closure means a change in status which permanently closes the academic program to new enrollment.

Subpart E. Academic program curriculum component. Academic program curriculum component is a program element with set requirements.

Emphasis. Emphasis means a focused component of an academic program.

Major. Major means a curriculum component of an academic program intended to provide in-depth study in a discipline, a professional field of study or an occupation. A major may include an academic program emphasis.

Minor. Minor means a curriculum component of limited depth and/or breadth within a baccalaureate academic degree program.

Other components. Other components of an academic program may include electives, required courses, and general education.

Subpart F. Academic program inventory. Academic program inventory means the official list of academic programs offered by system colleges and universities.

Subpart G. Academic program redesign. Academic program redesign is a change to an academic program characteristic.

Subpart H. Academic program reinstatement. Academic program reinstatement is a change from suspended to active status.

Subpart I. Academic program relocation. Academic program relocation occurs when an active academic program is closed at its present location and approved for delivery at a different location.

Subpart J. Academic program replication. Academic program replication occurs when an active academic program is offered at an additional location.

Subpart K. Academic program suspension. Academic program suspension is a change in status which temporarily closes the academic program to new enrollment.

Subpart L. Advisory committee. Advisory committee means a group established to provide guidance on academic program development and improvement including need, design, accountability, and closure.

Subpart M. Articulation agreement. Articulation agreement means a formal agreement between two or more educational entities to accept credits in transfer toward a specific academic program.

Subpart N. Collaborative agreement. Collaborative agreement means a formal agreement between two or more parties, at least one of which is a system college or university, to co-deliver an academic program. One or more colleges or universities signing the agreement may confer the award.

Subpart O. Course. Course means a set of designed learning experiences with defined outcomes.

Subpart P. Credit. Credit means a quantitative measure of instructional time assigned to a course or an equivalent learning experience such as class time per week over an academic term.

Subpart Q. Curriculum. Curriculum means a coherent set of instructional experiences designed through established system college and university procedures to achieve desired student learning outcomes. Curriculum may refer to an academic program, an academic program element such as the major, an instructional unit, the general education component, or the entirety of offerings of a college or university.

Subpart R. Fine arts. Fine arts include disciplines of creative writing, dance, music, theatre or the visual arts in which artistic purposes are primary.

Subpart S. General education. General education means a cohesive curriculum defined by system college or university faculty to develop general knowledge and reasoning ability through an integration of learning experiences in the liberal arts and sciences.

Subpart T. Graduate course enrollment. Graduate course enrollment specifies which students are permitted to enroll in a graduate course.

Master's dual-enrollment. Master's dual-enrollment courses are open to undergraduate students and graduate students at the master's level.

Master's. Master's courses are open only to graduate students at the master's level.

Doctoral dual-enrollment. Doctoral dual-enrollment courses are open to graduate students at the master's and doctoral levels.

Doctoral. Doctoral courses are open only to graduate students at the doctoral level.

Subpart U. Liberal arts and sciences. Liberal arts and sciences include the humanities, mathematics, natural sciences, and social sciences.

Subpart V. Location. Location means a geographic place where an institution has been approved to deliver an entire academic program.

Subpart W. Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. The Minnesota Transfer Curriculum comprises transferable general education courses that reflect competencies adopted by the public higher education institutions in Minnesota.

Subpart X. Mission statement. A mission statement conveys an institution's broad intentions and distinctive character; describes its primary educational programs and their purposes; recognizes the diversity of its learners; identifies the students to be served, including particular constituents; defines a primary service area and communicates a commitment to the advancement of society's values and common purposes and the advancement of excellence in higher learning. Use of this definition is restricted to this procedure and related guidelines, if any.

Subpart Y. New academic program. New academic program means an academic program identified by curricular content and an academic award that is significantly different from other academic programs at a system college or university.

Subpart Z. Online academic program. Online academic program means an academic program that is delivered entirely or almost entirely over the Internet. When pedagogically necessary, limited portions of an online academic program may require face-to-face instruction, professional practice or applied activities that are not appropriate for online delivery.

Subpart AA. Preparatory Course. Preparatory course means a lower-division college level course, outside of an academic program, that compensates for insufficient high school or equivalent preparation.

Subpart BB. Prerequisite Course. Prerequisite course means a college level course within an academic program that all students must complete before enrolling in another college level course or a major.

Subpart CC. System colleges and universities. System colleges and universities are colleges and universities governed by the Board of Trustees.

Colleges. System colleges means community colleges, technical colleges, and consolidated colleges that are separately accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association. A consolidated college refers to community colleges and technical colleges that, under board direction, have formally organized into a single institution.

Universities. System universities confer academic awards through the graduate level and are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association.

Subpart DD. Task analysis. Task analysis means a process used to identify the knowledge, skills, tools, and abilities needed to perform an occupation.

Subpart EE. Undergraduate course level. Course level reflects the degree of difficulty, the breadth and depth of learning expectations or the sequential learning required of knowledge. Course content and level are determined by system college and university faculty through established procedures.

Developmental. Developmental course content prepares students for entry into college level courses. Developmental level course credits do not apply toward a certificate, diploma, or degree.

Lower-division. Lower-division course content prepares students for specific academic program outcomes or for upper-division undergraduate coursework at a university.

Upper-division. Upper-division course content builds upon or integrates knowledge gained in lower-division undergraduate courses. Content of upper-division courses is determined by the university faculty through established procedures.

Part 3. Authorized Academic Awards

Subpart A. System college and university award authority. A system college or university may change its institution type or confer academic awards for which it is not authorized by submitting an application to the chancellor and obtaining approval from the Board of Trustees. The application shall include demonstration of system college or university readiness and capacity to deliver the new award.

Subpart B. Academic award attributes.Academic awards shall have the following attributes.

Undergraduate certificate. An undergraduate certificate is awarded upon completion of a 9 to 30 credit academic program. An undergraduate certificate program may have an occupational outcome or address a focused area of study.

An undergraduate certificate shall not have emphases.

At least one-third of the credits in the academic program shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation by the faculty and approval by the president of the institution.

An undergraduate certificate program less than 9 or more than 30 credits in length may be approved when the certificate program prepares an individual for employment and the length or the designation as a certificate is (1) required by an employer, a licensing body or other regulatory agency, accrediting association, or board or (2) based on a formal task analysis conducted within the previous three years and the results endorsed by an advisory committee.

Diploma. A diploma is awarded upon completion of a 31 to 72 credit undergraduate academic program that prepares students for employment. A minimum of 24 credits shall be in occupational or technical courses.

A diploma may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits when there are at least 30 credits in the major that are common to the emphases.

At least one-third of the credits in the academic program shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation by the faculty and approval by the president of the college.

A diploma program of more than 72 credits in length may be approved when the diploma program prepares an individual for employment and the length is (1) required by an employer, a licensing body or other regulatory agency, accrediting association, or board or (2) based on a formal task analysis conducted within the previous three years and the results endorsed by an advisory committee.

Associate in arts degree. An associate in arts degree is awarded upon completion of a 60 to 64 credit program in the liberal arts and sciences without a named field of study. It is designed for transfer to baccalaureate degree-granting institutions.

The degree requires completion of at least a 40 credit general education curriculum that fulfills the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum goal areas.

An associate in arts degree may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits each in liberal arts and science fields, provided there is an articulation agreement with a baccalaureate major offered by at least one system university.

At least 20 credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the college or university.

Associate in fine arts degree. An associate in fine arts degree is a named degree awarded upon completion of a 60 to 64 credit program in particular disciplines in the fine arts.

An associate in fine arts degree is designed to transfer in its entirety to a related baccalaureate degree program. At least one articulation agreement is required between the community college or the community and technical college and a system university awarding a baccalaureate degree in a related fine arts discipline, unless the chancellor grants an exception.

The degree requires a minimum of 24 general education credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. The chancellor may increase this minimum for selected disciplines.
- Art. An associate in fine arts degree in art requires the minimum of 24 general education credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
- Music. An associate in fine arts degree in music requires at least 30 general education credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.
- Theatre arts. An associate in fine arts degree in theatre arts requires at least 40 general education credits and completion of the entire Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.

An associate in fine arts degree shall not have emphases.

At least 20 credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the college or university.

Associate in science degree. An associate in science degree is awarded upon completion of a 60 to 64 credit transfer program in scientific, technological, or other professional fields designed to transfer in its entirety to a related baccalaureate program by way of an articulation agreement. An associate in science program proposed with greater than 64 credits requires special approval by the chancellor.

Associate in Science degrees may be awarded in either a broad or specific field of study.
- Broad Field. A broad field associate in science degree transfers to all system universities offering related baccalaureate programs through a statewide articulation agreement. Broad fields may include areas such as (1) agriculture, (2) business, (3) computer and information sciences, (4) education, (5) engineering, (6) engineering technologies, (7) environmental sciences, (8) health sciences, and (9) natural sciences.
- Specific Field. Specific field associate in science degrees may be designed for both transfer and employment. A specific field associate in science degree requires at least one articulation agreement between a community college, community and technical college, or technical college and a system university awarding a baccalaureate degree in a related discipline, unless the chancellor grants an exception.

The associate in science degree requires a minimum of 30 general education credits selected from at least six of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.

An associate in science degree shall not have emphases.

At least 20 credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the college or university.

Associate in applied science degree. An associate in applied science degree is awarded upon completion of a 60 to 72 credit program in a named field of study in scientific, technological or other professional fields. It prepares students for employment in an occupation or range of occupations. An associate in applied science degree may also be accepted in transfer to a related baccalaureate program.

The degree requires a minimum of 15 general education credits selected from at least three of the ten goal areas of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum. At least 30 credits shall be in the academic program's occupational or technical field of preparation. An associate in applied science program proposed with greater than 72 credits requires special approval by the chancellor.

An associate in applied science may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits each when there are at least 30 credits in the major that are common to the emphases.

At least 20 credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the college or university.

An associate in applied science degree more than 72 credits in length may be approved when the academic program prepares an individual for employment and the length is (1) required by an employer, a licensing body or other regulatory agency, accrediting association, or board or (2) based on a formal task analysis conducted within the previous three years and the results endorsed by an advisory committee.

Baccalaureate degree. A baccalaureate degree is awarded upon completion of a 120 to 128 credit program incorporating general education, major requirements and, as appropriate, a minor.

The bachelor of arts degree is awarded upon completion of a curriculum with a major in the liberal arts or fine arts.

The bachelor of science degree is awarded upon completion of a curriculum with a major in a professional area other than the liberal arts or fine arts. The chancellor may approve academic programs culminating in a more specific baccalaureate degree type, for example, bachelor of applied science, bachelor of fine arts, bachelor of music, bachelor of science in nursing, bachelor of social work, or another designated type.

At least 40 of the required credits for the degree shall be at the upper-division level.

The degree requires at least a 40 credit general education curriculum, that fulfills all of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum.

A baccalaureate degree may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits each when there are at least 18 credits in the major that are common to the emphases.

At least 30 credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. These requirements may be decreased upon recommendation by the faculty and approval by the president of the university.

A baccalaureate degree more than 128 credits in length may be approved by the chancellor when the length is (1) required by an employer, a licensing body or other regulatory agency, accrediting association, or board or (2) consistent with nationwide common practice.

Graduate certificate. A graduate certificate is awarded upon completion of a 9 to 30 credit program in a focused area of study at the graduate level.

A graduate certificate shall not have emphases.

All credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the university.

Master's degree. A master's degree is awarded upon completion of a 30 to 54 credit program at the graduate level in a discipline or professional field.

The master of arts degree is awarded upon completion of a course of graduate studies in the liberal arts or fine arts.

The master of science degree is awarded upon completion of a curriculum with a major in a professional area other than the liberal arts or fine arts.

The chancellor may approve academic programs culminating in a more specifically named master's degree type, for example, master of arts in teaching, master of business administration, master of fine arts, master of public administration, or master of science in nursing.

At least one-half of the required credits, exclusive of a thesis, capstone, or similar culminating project, shall be credits restricted exclusively to graduate student enrollment.

A master's degree may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits when there are at least 18 credits in the major that are common to the emphases.

All credits shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the university.

A master's degree more than 54 credits in length may be approved by the chancellor when the length is (1) required by an employer, a licensing body or other regulatory agency, accrediting association, or board or (2) consistent with nationwide common practice.

Education specialist degree. An education specialist degree is awarded upon completion of a 60 to 72 credit program at the graduate level in the professional education field. The education specialist degree may be awarded to a holder of a master's degree after the successful completion of a course of graduate study of at least 30 semester credits.

An education specialist degree may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits each when at least 18 credits are required in the post-master's portion of the degree. No more than 16 credits of an education specialist degree may be master's dual-enrollment courses.

All credits beyond the master's shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award. This requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval by the president of the university.

Doctorate. A doctorate is awarded upon completion of an academic program of at least 72 credits in an applied professional field at the graduate level.

Minnesota State Universities are authorized to grant the doctorate in the following applied disciplines: audiology, business, education, nursing, psychology, and physical therapy.

At least 45 credits in graduate level courses shall be taught by the faculty recommending the award, including up to 12 credits for a dissertation or equivalent project . At least 36 of these 45 credits shall be in doctoral only courses. This 45 credit requirement may be decreased upon recommendation of the faculty and approval of the president of the university.

No more than 16 credits of the doctoral program may be master's dual enrollment courses.

A doctorate may have one or more emphases of at least 9 credits when there are at least 18 credits in the post-master's portion of the degree.

Part 4. Authority to Establish Academic Program Locations.

Subpart A. Approval of an academic program location. Location approval is required for a system college or university to deliver a new, replicated or relocated academic program at a location where it is not currently delivering any academic program. Location approval requires academic program approval and lease approval, when applicable.

The academic program application shall specify the location name, postal address and lease information as applicable. For a location not owned by the system, the location application shall include information regarding approval of the lease:

$2 million or more requires Board of Trustees approval,

$100,000 or more or for a time period longer than five years requires chancellor approval, or

under $100,000 requires notification to the chancellor

Subpart B. Termination of location approval. A location approval expires when a system college or university has closed all academic programs at the location.

Part 5. Academic Program Approval. The chancellor shall prepare guidelines for the preparation of academic program proposals.

Subpart A. Approval of new academic programs. A new academic program requires approval by the chancellor before it is offered by a system college or university.

All college level courses required for academic program completion, with the exception of preparatory courses, shall be included in the total number of credits for an undergraduate academic program.

Pursuant to guidelines prepared by the chancellor, academic program proposals must provide documentation of:

Authorization

alignment with the system college or university mission and award authority,

Resources

the capability to provide necessary human, facility, technological and financial resources,

faculty qualifications,

facility leases and bonding requests, where applicable,

Need

student interest,

occupational demand,

unnecessary duplication with academic program at other system colleges and universities,

Program Attributes

location(s) and delivery mode,

regional or other inter-institutional reviews where applicable,

special circumstances, such as a specified termination date, intermittent delivery, or rotating sites,

Curriculum

catalog description and student learning outcomes,

conformance to award requirements,

programmatic career pathways,

skills standards where applicable,

applicable industrial or professional certification requirements,

transferability of credit,

Approvals and Agreements

signed articulation agreements or collaborative agreements where applicable,

academic program advisory committee recommendations where applicable,

documentation of system college or university approval, and

other documentation that supports the application.

Subpart B. Approval of changes to existing academic programs.

1. Closure. Closure of an academic program requires approval by the chancellor. Approval will only be granted under the following circumstances:

The closure is requested by a system college or university, and the chancellor determines that the documentation provided supports closure,

The chancellor determines that closure is warranted, or

The academic program has not been reinstated following a suspension.

The academic program closure application must include evidence, as applicable, regarding

academic program need,

student enrollment trends,

employment of graduates,

the financial circumstances affecting the academic program, system college or university,

the plan to accommodate students currently enrolled in the academic program,

impact on faculty and support staff,

consultation with appropriate constituent groups including students, faculty and community,

alternatives considered, and

other factors affecting academic program operation.

A closed academic program shall not be relocated, replicated or reinstated.
2. Accreditation to deliver academic degree programs online. Higher Learning Commission accreditation can be extended for online delivery of one or more of its academic degree programs. Approval shall be granted by either:

the Higher Learning Commission or

the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs.

If approval is sought from and granted by the Higher Learning Commission, a system college or university shall notify the chancellor of its authorization to deliver one or more academic degree programs online within 60 days of receiving that notice.

If approval is sought from the Senior Vice Chancellor, system colleges and universities indicate their intent to offer one or more academic degree programs online by submitting an Institutional Change Request Report to the Minnesota Online Council. The Minnesota Online Council reviews the request, arranges a site visit by a peer review team and makes a recommendation to the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs. If approved, the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs shall notify the system college or university of its extended accreditation to deliver academic degree programs online.

A system college or university may deliver courses, certificates and diplomas online without an extension of accreditation.

Academic program approval and authority to deliver academic degree programs online can occur simultaneously.

The chancellor shall maintain an inventory of academic degree programs approved for online delivery.

3. Redesign. Prior approval shall be obtained from the chancellor for academic program redesigns that affect the approved name, CIP code, the addition of emphases, a change in award, or a change in credit length when the change exceeds the maximum or fails to meet the minimum credit lengths defined in policy.

Prior approval is not required for deletion of emphases or changes in credit length when the change is within the limits established by board policy. System colleges and universities shall report these changes to the chancellor.

4. Suspension and reinstatement. A system college or university may suspend an academic program for three years. The system college or university shall notify the chancellor of the suspension no later than 30 days after its effective date, and the notification shall include documented reasons for suspension and a plan and date for reinstatement. The suspension may be extended for up to one year with notification to the chancellor. The chancellor shall close an academic program that has not been reinstated following a suspension.

Reinstatement requires approval of the chancellor based on review of required documentation. The reinstatement plan must address the following, as applicable:

academic program need,

student enrollment trends,

employment of graduates,

financial circumstances affecting the academic program, system college or university,

the plan to accommodate students currently enrolled in the academic program,

impact on faculty and support staff,

consultation with appropriate constituent groups including students, faculty and community,

academic program accreditation or licensure,

alternatives considered, and

other factors affecting academic program operation.

A suspended academic program shall not be relocated or replicated until it is reinstated.

5. Academic program replication or relocation. Academic program replication and/or relocation within one institution requires approval by the chancellor when the replication or relocation:

is offered at a location that is new to the system college or university,

affects an existing agreement between institutions,

is in the same service area or within a reasonable commute of a similar academic program offered by another system institution, or

involves leasing non-system property.

If none of the above applies, only notification by the president to the chancellor of the location is required.

Relocation to another system college or university requires approval of the chancellor. The system college or university to which an academic program is reassigned must provide for the viability of the academic program including equipment, accreditation, facilities, curriculum and other factors.

Part 6. Student Options when Academic Programs are Suspended, Closed, or Changed. A system college or university shall establish plans to address students' opportunities to complete an academic program when it has been suspended or closed or when the requirements have changed

Subpart A. Academic program suspension and closure. A system college or university shall develop a plan to serve students who were admitted to an academic program proposed for suspension or closure. The plan shall identify admitted students who are covered by the plan and their options to complete the academic program.

The system college or university shall notify students about their options and assist them with their individual plans. Students covered by the plan shall maintain full-time enrollment status unless the system college or university makes other provisions.

Subpart B. Academic program changes. A system college or university shall notify students who have been admitted to an academic program of any changes to the academic program. Students shall be given an opportunity to graduate under the catalog requirements at the time of their admission to the institution or under any subsequent catalog requirements.

Part 7. Academic Review

Subpart A. Academic review criteria. Where applicable, the review shall address:

contributions to the mission and plans of the system college or university,

assessment of student learning outcomes,

effectiveness measures,

compliance with accreditation, licensure or certification requirements; or other requirements,

advisory committee or other appropriate industry or professional input as determined by the system college or university through established procedures,

compliance with Minnesota Transfer Curriculum requirements and

ther factors as appropriate.

Subpart B. Review of new doctoral programs. All new doctoral programs must be reviewed at the end of the first three years of operation and a report submitted to the chancellor. Elements to be reviewed include:

outcomes for goals and objectives described in the application,

achievement of specialized accreditation if required for operation,

enrollments levels and resources for sustainability,

unanticipated problems or developments, and

plans for improvement.

Subpart C. Annual report. The annual summary reported to the chancellor shall include:

a list of academic programs or academic units that were reviewed, including those that completed specialized accreditation review,

selected exemplary accomplishments,

identification of potential problems, and

the system college or university academic program review policy and procedure.

Subpart D. Chancellor’s reviews. The chancellor may report to the Board of Trustees on statewide or regional reviews of academic programs or program clusters. When necessary, the chancellor may impose conditions on academic programs.

Approval Date:	08/01/07,
Effective Date:	08/01/07,
Date & Subject of Revisions: