Proposals to add or modify undergraduate majors, programs or minors, must be reviewed by the Curriculum
Committee. Actions affecting other departments or programs must include all appropriate departmental
signatures.
Section A: General Proposal Information:
1. Originating Department/Program: _________________________________
2. Originating Department/Contact (name, email, extension): ______________________________
3. Is this proposal for a NEW major, program or minor?
Yes No
4. What is the name of the proposed major, program or minor being added or changed?
**FOR NEW MAJORS, PROGRAMS and MINORS, skip to SECTION D.**
SECTION B: Type and Rationale of Proposed Changes
5. Type of proposed changes for Major/Program/Minor (select with an “X” all that apply):
Name
Prerequisites
Prefix
Description
Course Number
Deletion
Number of credits
Courses
Other
It may be necessary to provide additional explanation and details of the type of proposed changes. You
may include this material here or provide it as a separate document attachment.
6. What is the rationale for the changes?
SECTION C: Impact of Proposed Changes
7. How does it relate to department/program and/or College goals?
8. How do these changes affect the Core Curriculum?
Proposal to the Curriculum Committee
For Adding or Modifying Existing Majors, Programs and Minors
December 2014
9. How do these changes affect the access to courses by non-majors?
10. How do these changes affect any double-numbered courses?
11. How do these changes affect other majors, programs or minors? Indicate their response to this
proposal.
12. When is the expected implementation of the proposed changes (year, semester)? ________________
13. How will current or already admitted students be affected by the proposed changes? What alternatives
will they have?
14. How will the proposed changes affect the departmental/program 2 year course projections?
15. What additional resources (faculty, equipment, supplies, facilities, transportation, Library resources) will
be required to implement the proposed changes?
**Proceed to SECTION E**
SECTION D: Proposal for a New Major, Program or Minor
Proposals for new majors, programs or minors are first evaluated by the Curriculum Committee and then
the Committee makes a recommendation to the full Faculty. As it is difficult to devise a universal form that
can be used by any discipline or any foreseeable type of proposal, it is best to provide your proposal in a
narrative form. The following list of Tips and Guidelines has been compiled to assist in addressing certain
issues that seem to consistently appear during the proposal evaluation process. The list is not
comprehensive or exhaustive and it does not guarantee that no other questions will be asked or that a
proposal following them will be automatically approved and recommended to the Faculty. Using this list,
though, should act as a guide that can assist in submitting a more complete proposal, be better prepared to
respond to questions and allow the Curriculum Committee to quickly find information. The list is divided into
four major topic areas: Curriculum, Resources, Administrative and Enrollment.
Note: In these Tips and Guidelines, the word “major” is used loosely and also refers to “program” or “minor.”
16 Curriculum
16.1 Provide a background of the proposed major. (What is it about? Why is it important?)
16.2 How many new courses will have to be developed? (Should have course proposals and syllabi
for each one.)
16.3 What are the course requirements for this major? (Provide: a list of courses, number of credits, a
sample “program completion” plan for new and transfer students.)
16.4 Will existing double-numbered courses be satisfying requirements?
16.5 How does the proposed major align with the College’s future goals and vision?
16.6 How does the proposed major fit with the rest of the majors in the College? (Describe how the
major enhances the College’s offerings. Does it complement existing offerings? Are there any
overlaps or conflicts with existing majors?)
16.7 How does the proposed major fit in providing a liberal arts education?
16.8 What is the format of the major? (Ex: is it a cohort?)
16.9 Credits and Courses (Provide information on the number of credits and/or courses required to be
taken at Hood.)
16.10 Will non-major students be able to take courses from this program? (Provide a list and the
associated prerequisites.)
16.11 How does the proposed major fit with the Core Curriculum? (Will there be courses fulfilling
certain parts of the Core?)
16.12 What is the value of the proposed major? (Information with respect to current and future
students, the College, the department, the curriculum overall.)
17 Resources
17.1 What are the facility, equipment and library resources required to offer the major? (Provide
detailed information for each one. For labs, provide required infrastructure and cost; for library,
provide subscriptions and cost; for equipment, provide type and frequency of replenishment and
cost, etc.)
18 Administrative
18.1 What Department will be “housing” the new major? (If major will be multi-disciplinary, also
provide departments/programs affected. Obtain agreements.)
18.2 Department description. (Brief history and background of the department “housing” the new
major. Include some numbers; ex: majors/programs/minors currently offered, class sizes,
number of graduates last five years.)
18.3 Leadership. (Provide information on how this major will be directed. Faculty name and status (ex:
existing faculty? new faculty? current chair? FTE? non-FTE?)
18.4 Staffing I. Will faculty resources be required? (Provide specific information, number of faculty,
load, number of FTE/non-FTE and adjunct faculty requirements.)
18.5 Staffing II. Type of faculty resources required. (Provide the educational level and/or certifications
or experience required by faculty to run the major. Is there enough and available expertise in the
department or the College to address the needs for the proposed major? Similarly, is there
enough and available expertise in the adjunct “pool” or the market in general?)
18.6 Faculty Reviews. How will the faculty be evaluated?
18.7 What are the accrediting bodies that may accredit the major?
18.8 Will the major require accreditation beyond MHEC in order to enroll students? (Provide
information on accrediting body, time-frame, associated costs.)
18.9 Are there any external sources of support to help or cover the cost for the major (facilities,
resources, faculty salaries)? (Provide information on any partnerships, programs, endowments,
etc. Provide the type, time, extent and level of commitment along with the reciprocal
expectations for such partnerships and support. Provide a break-even point analysis or
projection that will demonstrate the timing and impact of such support.)
18.10 Are there similar programs in competing or neighboring institutions? (Provide information on the
differences and similarities of such programs and any relevant details such as typical
enrollments, number of faculty supporting such programs and any other laboratory/library/other
resources dedicated to these programs.)
19 Enrollment
19.1 What is the expected projected enrollment for the major? (Provide justification and enrollment
projections for the next couple of years.)
19.2 Are there any opportunities to help recruiting students? (Provide information on partnerships,
programs, etc.)
19.3 When is the expected implementation of the proposed major? (year, semester)
19.4 Will current or already admitted students be able to switch to the new major? If yes, what are the
requirements? (Provide information on minimum requirements to become a major to ensure that
current or admitted students can switch majors and are able to take the first required courses of
the new major within a reasonable number of semesters.)
SECTION E: Required Signatures
This proposal has been discussed with all departments or programs affected, unless otherwise
noted, as indicated by the signatures below. It is the responsibility of the party submitting the
proposal to include all comments from the affected departments or programs concerning the
proposal. The party submitting the proposal should provide information regarding how these
concerns might be addressed.
Signature of Department Chairperson(s):
______________________________________________ Date: ________________________
______________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Signature of Program Director(s), if applicable:
______________________________________________ Date: ________________________
______________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Signature of Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs:
______________________________________________ Date: ________________________
Please submit one electronic copy of this completed form and any supporting documentation to the
Secretary of the Curriculum Committee and to the Dean of the Graduate School (if it affects double-
numbered courses). Also submit a signed copy to the Secretary and/or Provost as appropriate.
* A new major proposal will be circulated to the faculty for comment for one week.