Skip to Local Navigation
Skip to Content
California State University, Long Beach
CSULB Curriculum Handbook Banner
Print this page Add this page to your favorites Select a font size Select a small font Select a medium font Select a large font
 

Section Two - Program Development and Approval

Fountain near CSULB Theatre

CSU Chancellor's Office Proposal Template for New Degree Programs Word Document

CSU Degree Program Proposal Template (with CSULB notes)

Please Note:

  • Campuses may mention proposed degree programs in recruitment material if it is specified that enrollment in the proposed program is contingent on final program authorization from the CSU Office of the Chancellor.

  • Approved degree programs will be subject to campus program review within five years after implementation. Program review should follow system and Board of Trustee guidelines (including engaging outside evaluators) and should not rely solely on accreditation review.

1. Program Type (Please specify any from the list below that apply/delete the others)

  • State-Support
  • Self-Support
  • Online Program
  • Fast Track
  • Pilot
  • Pilot Conversion
  • Conversion of Self-Support to State-Support Program
  • Elevation of Option or Concentration to a Full Degree Program
  • New Program
  • Proposal Revision (updating a previously reviewed proposal)

2. CPEC COVER PAGE (required for graduate programs only)

The California Post-Secondary Education Commission now requires for each graduate program proposed, a table of contents cover page that lists the following review criteria and that identifies the page numbers on which those criteria are addressed in the proposal.  The criteria include:

  • Student demand
    This can be demonstrated with surveys of student intention to enroll in the program.  Include current and projected enrollments of related existing programs at the proposing campus or feeder institutions.

  • Societal Needs
    The proposal should establish that there will be sufficient employment opportunities for graduates of the proposed program. Workforce demand projections can be helpful in establishing the balance between graduates and employment opportunities.  Letters from regional employers are helpful, as well.  Workforce data are available at: http://www.calstate.edu/app/workforce_data.shtml

  • Appropriateness to Institutional and Segmental Mission
    Describe how the proposed degree program fits with the campus, school/college, and departmental missions.

  • Number of Existing and Proposed Programs in the Field
    Demonstrate how the proposed program differs from or is similar to existing programs in the state. 

  • Total Costs for the Program
    Are there sufficient funds available to support the resources that are required in order to initiate and maintain the program, including: the number of new faculty required; equipment; library resources; and classroom, office, and laboratory facilities.  Identify the source of the funds required to support the program, both initially and in the long run.

  • Maintenance and Improvement of Quality
    Submit formal assessment plans that address program goals and student learning outcomes.  Goals should be measurable; plans should be manageable, and data should be meaningful.  Goals should be related to institutional and program mission, and to the curriculum.  See the CSU assessment site for further information: http://www.calstate.edu/acadaff/sloa/index.shtml

  • Advancement of Knowledge
    Describe how the program will contribute to the growth and development of intellectual and creative scholarship.

3. Program Identification

  • a. Campus

  • b. Full and exact degree designation and title (e.g. Master of Science in Genetic Counseling, Bachelor of Arts with a Major in History).
    • CSULB NOTE: if this is a request to change a current program, as in "Elevation of an Option or Concentration to a Full Degree Program," list the Current Degree Designation and Title, followed by the Proposed Degree Designation and Title.

  • c. Total number of Units Required. A justification is required later in the proposal for any proposed undergraduate program requiring more than 120 semester units, 180 quarter units.

  • d. Date the Board of Trustees approved adding this program projection to the campus Academic Plan.

  • e. Term and academic year of intended implementation (e.g. Fall 2007).

  • f. Name of the department(s), division, or other unit of the campus that would offer the proposed degree major program. Please identify the unit that will have primary responsibility.

  • g. Name, title, and rank of the individual(s) primarily responsible for drafting the proposed degree major program.

  • h. Statement from the appropriate campus administrative authority that the addition of this program supports the campus mission and will not impede the successful operation and growth of existing academic programs. (CPEC "Appropriateness to Institutional and Segmental Mission")
    • CSULB NOTE: The proposal should include a statement from the dean and then the appropriate administrator in the Office of the Provost cover letter will serve as endorsement.

  • i. Any other campus approval documents that may apply (e.g. curriculum committee approvals).

  • j. Specify whether this proposed program is subject to WASC Substantive Change review.
    • CSULB NOTE: WASC approval is needed for a Substantive Change: e.g., when 50% or more of a degree program will be offered via distance learning technology or at a site more than 25 miles from the home campus. Another example is for a structural change: when we want to offer a new degree program (such as the Ed.D.) at a level we have never offered before. Joint doctorates must also go through this process.

  • k. Optional: Proposed Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Code and CSU Degree Program Code. Campuses are invited to suggest one CSU degree program code and one corresponding CIP code.

If an appropriate CSU code does not appear on the system-wide list at: http://www.calstate.edu/app/documents/HEGIS-CIP2000_102406.xls , you can search CIP 2000 at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/cip2000/ to identify the code that best matches the proposed degree program. The Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) is a National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) publication that provides a numerical classification and standard terminology for secondary and postsecondary instructional programs. The CSU degree program code (based on old HEGIS codes) and CIP code will be assigned when the program is approved by the Chancellor.

  • CSULB NOTE: The CSU Office of the Chancellor is offering the department the opportunity to select the best-suited codes for reporting purposes, both internally (CSU Degree Program Code) and on a national level (CIP Code). The CSU Degree Program Codes are already paired with a CIP code as referenced on the Program Code chart accessed above, but if you are not satisfied with the choices available on that chart, you may be able to be more specific with the CIP code. If you select a new CIP code, the CSU Office of the Chancellor will assign an appropriate Program Code to go with it. If you choose not to select codes, then it will be done for you at the CSU Office of the Chancellor. If you need assistance with either code list, contact the Office of Academic Programs and Articulation (AS 124, x. 5-8221).

4. Program Overview and Rationale

  • a. Rationale, including a brief description of the program, its purpose and strengths, fit with institutional mission, and a justification for offering the program at this time. The rationale may explain the relationship among the program philosophy, design, target population, and any distinctive pedagogical methods. (CPEC "Appropriateness to Institutional and Segmental Mission)

  • b. Proposed catalog description, including program description, degree requirements, and admission requirements. For master's degrees, please also include catalog copy describing the culminating experience requirement(s).

5. Curriculum

  • a. Goals for the (1) program and (2) student learning outcomes. Program goals are very broad statements about what the program is intended to achieve, including what kinds of graduates will be produced. Student learning outcomes are more specific statements that are related to the program goals but that more narrowly identify what students will know and be able to do upon successful completion of the program.

  • b. Plans for assessing program goals and student learning outcomes. Some planners find it helpful to develop matrices in which student learning outcomes and required courses are mapped, indicating where content related to the learning outcomes is introduced, reinforced, and practiced at an advanced level in required courses. (CPEC "Maintenance and Improvement of Quality")

  • c. Total number of units required for the major; total number of units required to graduate.

  • d. Include a justification for any baccalaureate program that requires more than 120-semester units or 180-quarter units.

  • e. If any formal options, sub-options, or special emphases are planned under the proposed major, identify and explain fully. Optional: You may propose a CSU degree program code and CIP code for each concentration that you would like to report separately from the major program, if the option is approximately equivalent to a degree currently listed on the CSU application-booklet degree program table. If you do not find an appropriate CSU degree program code at: http://www.calstate.edu/app/documents/HEGIS-CIP2000_102406.xls, you can search CIP 2000 at http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/cip2000/ to help identify the code that best matches the proposed curriculum.

  • f. A list of all courses required for the major, specifying catalog number, title, units of credit, and prerequisites or co-requisites (ensuring that there are no "hidden" prerequisites that would drive the total units required to graduate beyond the total reported in 4c above).

  • g. List of elective courses that can be used to satisfy requirements for the major, specifying catalog number, title, units of credit, and prerequisites or co-requisites. Include proposed catalog descriptions of all new courses. For graduate program proposals, identify whether each course is a graduate or undergraduate offering.

    • NOTE: With regard to Sections 4f and 4g, a proposed program should take advantage of courses already offered in other departments when subject matter would have considerable overlapping content.

  • h. List of any new courses that are: (1) needed to initiate the program and (2) needed during the first two years after implementation. Only include proposed catalog descriptions for new courses. For graduate program proposals, identify whether each course is a graduate-level or undergraduate-level offering.

  • i. Attach a proposed course-offering plan for the first three years of program implementation, indicating, where possible, likely faculty teaching assignments.

  • j. For master's degree proposals, include evidence that program requirements conform to the minimum requirements for the culminating experience, as specified in Section 40510 of Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations.

    • CSULB NOTE: This evidence would be provided in the catalog copy, i.e., that there is a culminating activity required (thesis, comprehensive examination, and/or project).

  • k. Admission criteria, including prerequisite coursework.

  • l. Criteria for student continuation in the program.

  • m. For undergraduate programs, planned provisions for articulation of the proposed major with community college programs.

  • n. If there is a Lower-Division Transfer Pattern (LDTP) for this major, indicate the relationship between the LDTP and the requirements presented in this proposal. Information on LDTP is available at: http://www.calstate.edu/AcadAff/ldtp.shtml

  • o. Advising "roadmaps" that have been developed for the major.

  • p. Provision for meeting accreditation requirements, if applicable, and anticipated date of accreditation request (including the WASC Substantive Change process).

Accreditation Note:

Master's degree program proposals

If subject to accreditation, establishment of a master's degree program should be preceded by national professional accreditation of the corresponding bachelor's degree major program.

Fast-track proposals

Fast-track proposals cannot be subject to specialized accreditation by an agency that is a member of the Association of Specialized and Professional Accreditors unless the proposed program is already offered as an authorized option or concentration that is accredited by an appropriate specialized accrediting agency.

6. Need for the Proposed Degree Major Program (CPEC "Societal Need," "Number of Existing Programs in the Field," and "Advancement of the Field")

  • a. List of other California State University campuses currently offering or projecting the proposed degree major program; list of neighboring institutions, public and private, currently offering the proposed degree major program.

  • b. Differences between the proposed program and programs listed in Section 5a above.

  • c. List of other curricula currently offered by the campus that are closely related to the proposed program.

  • d. Community participation, if any, in the planning process. This may include prospective employers of graduates.

  • e. Applicable workforce demand projections and other relevant data.

  • f. If the program was proposed to meet society's need for the advancement of knowledge, please specify the need and explain how the program meets that need.

    • NOTE: Data Sources for Demonstrating Evidence of Need

7. Student Demand (CPEC "Student Demand")

  • a. Compelling evidence of student interest in enrolling in the proposed program. Types of evidence vary and may include national, statewide, and professional employment forecasts and surveys; petitions; lists of related associate degree programs at feeder community colleges; reports from community college transfer centers; and enrollments from feeder baccalaureate programs, for example.

  • b. Issues of access considered when planning this program.

  • c. For master's degree proposals, the number of declared undergraduate majors and the degree production over the preceding three years for the corresponding baccalaureate program, if there is one.

  • d. Professional uses of the proposed degree program.

  • e. The expected number of majors in the year of initiation and three years and five years there-after. The expected number of graduates in the year of initiation, and three years and five years thereafter.

8. Existing Support Resources for the Proposed Degree Major Program (CPEC "Total Costs of the Program")

NOTE: Sections 7 and 8 should be prepared in consultation with the campus administrators responsible for faculty staffing and instructional facilities allocation and planning. A statement from the responsible administrator(s) should be attached to the proposal assuring that such consultation has taken place

  • a. Faculty who would teach in the program, indicating rank, appointment status, highest degree earned, date and field of highest degree, professional experience, and affiliations with other campus programs. For master's degrees, include faculty publications or curriculum vitae.

    • NOTE: For all proposed graduate degree programs, a minimum of five full-time faculty members with the appropriate terminal degree should be on the program staff. (Code Memo EP&R 85-20)

    • CSULB NOTE: For all proposed undergraduate degree programs, a minimum of three full-time faculty members with the appropriate terminal degree should be on the program staff. A CV is not needed.

  • b. Space and facilities that would be used in support of the proposed program.

  • c. A report provided by the campus Library, detailing resources available to support the program (discussion of subject areas, volume counts, periodical holdings, etc. are appropriate).

  • d. Existing academic technology, equipment, and other specialized materials currently available.

9. Additional Support Resources Required (CPEC "Total Costs of the Program")

NOTE: If additional support resources will be needed to implement and maintain the program, a statement by the responsible administrator(s) should be attached to the proposal assuring that such resources will be provided.

  • a. Any special characteristics of the additional faculty or staff support positions needed to implement the proposed program.

  • b. The amount of additional lecture and/or laboratory space required to initiate and to sustain the program over the next five years. Indicate any additional special facilities that will be required. If the space is under construction, what is the projected occupancy date? If the space is planned, indicate campus-wide priority of the facility, capital outlay program priority, and projected date of occupancy.

  • c. A report written in consultation with the campus librarian, indicating any additional library resources needed. Indicate the commitment of the campus either to purchase or borrow through interlibrary loan these additional resources.

  • d. Additional academic technology, equipment, or specialized materials that will be (1) needed to implement the program and (2) needed during the first two years after initiation. Indicate the source of funds and priority to secure these resource needs.

* * * End of CSU Degree Program Proposal Template * * *