Academic Program Development

Towson University faculty develop and design academic programs through a robust process under the auspices of internal governance. Certain types of academic program proposal also require external approvals. The Office of the Provost facilitates the external approval process. The table below can help guide you to the appropriate procedures.

Questions regarding the information presented below should be directed to Rhodri Evans, Assistant Provost for Assessment, Accreditation and Compliance (rhodrievans AT_TOWSON; 410-704-3312).

Proposal type	Proposal Life-cycle & requirements
New Courses/Changes to Existing Courses	New Courses & Changes to Existing Courses
New Academic Program	A new academic program requires successful completion of the following sequential steps in the program development life cycle. This process is detailed more fully in TU's New Academic Program Review (NAPR) Guidelines and Optimal Timeline for Academic Program Development and Approval. (Note that the current NAPR guidelines do not yet reflect the new MHEC LOI review stage for graduate programs outlined below.) 1. Program Concept Note. If the college leadership is supportive of a faculty member's idea for a new program idea, the college Dean submits the Program Concept Note to the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs (cc'ing the Assistant Provost) for review. 2. Letter of Intent (LOI) and Budgetary Worksheets. If a program idea passes the Program Concept Note stage, the department chair/academic unit head submits the LOI and budgetary worksheets to the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs for review, cc'ing the Assistant Provost, college Dean, and Dean of Graduate Studies (for graduate proposals only). Use the USM undergraduate LOI template for undergraduate program proposals; use the MHEC graduate LOI template for graduate program proposals. For both undergraduate and graduate program proposals, the same set of Budgetary Worksheets should be completed. The Associate Provost will convene the Program Concept Review Group to consider the LOI and worksheets and decide on the proposal. 3. USM Circulation Period. For both undergraduate and graduate program proposals, the Office of the Provost submits the LOI to the University System of Maryland (USM), who will circulate it to other USM institutions for comment during a 21-business-day review period. 4. (New) MHEC LOI Review (for graduate programs only). If there are no objections raised during the USM circulation period, the Office of the Provost submits the LOI to the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) for review. 5. MHEC Proposal Development & Review. If there are no objections raised during the USM circulation period, and if the feedback (for graduate programs only) provided by MHEC also supports moving the proposal forward, the department/academic unit drafts the full MHEC proposal (following the MHEC Proposal Template) and supporting documentation (assessment plan; curriculum map) and submits it to the Assistant Provost, who will review for completeness. Once deemed complete by the Assistant Provost, the department chair/academic unit head submits the MHEC proposal and supporting documentation through TU's curricular review and approval process (college curriculum committee; University Curriculum Committee or Graduate Studies Committee; Academic Senate) via the Course Inventory Management (CIM) system. The Registrar's Office provides support on how to use CIM. 6. External USM/MHEC Review: If institutionally approved, the Office of the Provost submits the completed MHEC proposal to USM and MHEC for review. As part of this external review, MHEC will circulate the proposal to all Maryland institutions for 30 days to comment on or object to the proposal. Assuming there are no objections, once USM and MHEC both approve the proposal, the program can launch, accepting applications and enrolling students.
Substantial Modification to Existing Academic Programs	When a program's coursework/curriculum changes by more than 50%, MHEC considers this a "substantial modification" requiring MHEC approval. MHEC counts changes made to a program's curriculum cumulatively, based on the version of the curriculum originally (or most recently) approved by MHEC as the starting point. However, MHEC does not provide much guidance on what constitutes a curricular change and how such changes should be calculated. Departments/academic units considering curricular changes to a program should first consult with the Assistant Provost to determine whether these revisions qualify as a substantial modification before submitting any paperwork. A substantial modification to an existing program follows a similar review/approval process to the development of a new academic program (see previous section), except that stages 2 (Letter of Intent (LOI) and Budgetary Worksheets), 3 (USM Circulation Period), and 4 (MHEC LOI Review) are bypassed. Instead, as a first step, the college Dean should submit the Program Modification Concept Note to the Associate Provost for Academic Affairs (cc'ing the Assistant Provost) for review (see stage 1 in previous section). If the Office of the Provost supports the proposed program changes and determines that they qualify as a substantial modification, a department/academic unit will proceed through stages 5 and 6 (as outlined in the previous section), starting with the drafting of the MHEC proposal. The addition of an Area of Concentration within an existing degree program is also considered a substantial modification and follows the same review/approval process as outlined in the preceding paragraph.
Online Programs	MHEC defines an online (or distance education) program as one in which all the required coursework (i.e., 100% of the program) can be completed online. Senate Executive Committee and MHEC approval is required before offering an existing program fully (100%) online. Note that MHEC approval is not required when offering an existing program on a hybrid instructional basis (i.e., when a combination of in-person and online instructopn is used to deliver coursework). A department/ academic unit wishing to offer an existing program fully online should complete the Change in Program Modality Request Form (PDF) and email it to the Assistant Provost, who will review and provide guidance on the review/approval process. Note that in addition to obtaining MHEC approval, a department/ academic unit will also need to complete FACET's Online Faculty & Course Development Process (see Path 4: Moving an Entire Program Online) before offering a program fully online.
New Certificate Program Within an Existing Degree	A department/academic unit that wishes to introduce a new certificate program whose entire coursework is drawn from an existing "parent" degree program should complete the New Embedded Certificate Proposal Form and email it to the Assistant Provost, who will review and provide guidance on the internal TU (Senate) and external (USM/MHEC) review/approval process. Note that a new certificate program that does not draw its entire coursework from an existing "parent" degree program is considered a standalone certificate by MHEC and the New Academic Program review and approval process outlined above should be followed.
Off-Campus Programs/Instruction	MHEC recognizes various categories of off-campus programs/instruction - for example, delivering an academic program off-campus where enrollment is restricted to employees of a designated organization versus an open enrollment program - which require different review and approval processes. A department/academic unit that is considering offering an off-campus program/instruction should consult with the Assistant Provost to determine what actions, if any, are required.
Non-Substantial Program Modifications	A non-substantial modification involves changes to an academic program that do not meet MHEC's criteria for a substantial modification. This includes both curricular changes that do not meet the 50% threshold outlined in the Substantial Modification to Existing Academic Programs section above, as well as various other actions such as changing a program's title, suspending a program, discontinuing a program, changing a program's CIP designation, establishing an articulation agreement between a TU program and a program at another institution, etc. TU is required to notify or obtain approval from MHEC before these actions/changes can be implemented. A department/academic unit that is considering making a change to an academic program, however minor, should first consult with the Assistant Provost to determine whether MHEC notification or approval is necessary and, if so, what documentation is needed.