Course Proposals and Curriculum Development

Proposals for New and Reinstated Courses | Courses Proposed to Satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements | Curriculum Development and Revision


Proposals for New and Reinstated Courses
Proposals for new courses typically originate in the board of study. A completed course proposal form is required for all new courses and when reinstating courses not in the current Purchase College Catalog. The course proposal form, with instructions, is available online:

  • School of Liberal Arts & Sciences • School of the Arts:
    Word (.doc) | Rich Text Format (.rtf) — last updated: 3/12/13
     
  • School of Liberal Studies & Continuing Education:
    Credit: Word (.doc) | Rich Text Format (.rtf) — posted 10/09/12
    Noncredit only: Word (.doc) | Rich Text Format (.rtf) — posted 10/09/12
     
  • Student Affairs (IDI courses) • Physical Education (PED courses):
    Word (.doc) | Rich Text Format (.rtf) — last updated: 1/20/12
     
    These forms can also be downloaded from Faculty Resources and Forms on the provost’s site.
     
  • The information is required by the Office of the Registrar to update the student information system, including the computerized degree progress report (DPR) and the eight-semester graduation plans; by the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs to edit as needed and publish online; and by the Office of Institutional Research to report required data to external agencies.
     
  • A reference chart on the credit/contact-hour relationship is available under Faculty Resources and Forms on the provost’s site. Faculty members with questions about course credits and instructional contact hours should consult with their board-of-study coordinator or the chair or director of their school or conservatory. For related information, please refer to Academic Credit and Student Workload in the Academic Policies section of the Purchase College Catalog.
     
  • A CIP code, required for institutional data reporting, must be included on the course proposal form. The purpose of the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) is to provide a taxonomic scheme that will support the accurate tracking, assessment, and reporting of fields of study and program completions activity.

Courses Proposed to Satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements

Appendix B: Course Addition Reporting Template (.doc)
Appendix C: Course Deletion Reporting Template (.doc)

The Liberal Arts and Sciences Academic Council (LASAC) or the Arts Academic Council (AAC) approves courses that are proposed to satisfy core curriculum requirements. If the course is proposed to satisfy a SUNY-wide general education requirement, approval of the Educational Policies Committee (EPC) is also needed.

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Curriculum Development and Revision

Academic program changes and revisions follow the academic and governance approval process, typically:

1. BOS Chair → Chair or Director → Dean → Assoc. Dean of Academic Affairs (P. Bice)

After review and approval by the appropriate chair/director and dean, the dean forwards the proposal to the associate dean of academic affairs. Regardless of who initiates it, the associate dean of academic affairs reviews each proposed change on behalf of the provost to determine whether it is (a) consistent with Purchase College, SUNY, and New York State policy, and whether it requires (b) internal and/or (c) external approval.

For changes that require SUNY or state approval, a completed program revision form and curriculum chart must be submitted to the associate dean before they can be considered by the appropriate internal or external governance bodies.

The internal governance approval process is:

2. Assoc. Dean of Academic Affairs → Academic Council(s) → EPC

This is followed by SUNY and State Education Department approval where required:

3. Assoc. Dean → Assoc. Provost/Provost → SUNY → NYS Education Dept.

Program changes must follow the above process before being published online (program site and/or College Catalog, etc.). Additional information may be required for publication. Please allow at least 30 days for publication. Minor program revisions should be proposed and approved in the fall semester in order to be ready for advance registration in April. For program revisions that require SUNY or state approval, please allow additional time.

For new academic programs, the campus files a new program announcement with SUNY, outlining the program rationale and proposed curriculum. The campus then develops a new program proposal for external review, and after responding to the review, resubmits the new program proposal for SUNY and state approval. For more information on new program proposals, please consult the associate provost for academic affairs or SUNY’s program proposal guidelines.


When academic requirements are changed, students may elect to comply with the new requirements or to remain under the requirements by which they are governed at the time of the change. The choice must be declared with the student’s advisor and noted on the graduation application submitted to the Office of the Registrar. (Academic Requirements for Degree Programs: Overview, Purchase College Catalog)

For information on the EPC and the Academic Councils, please refer to Articles VI and VII in the Faculty Bylaws, which are available on the College Policies site.

Updated April 30, 2013

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