Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee

Meetings 2024-2025

October

October 22 Agenda & Minutes
October 31 Agenda & Minutes

3.3.3.15 Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee [FS 12/13 #36]

AP&P will hear program change proposals only after all concurrent course changes relative to the proposed program change request have successfully completed the current curriculum approval process (e.g. course changes in the number of credits, course changes in prerequisites, and new course proposals).

1. Membership: Five members of the graduate faculty (one of whom will serve as chair), the Provost and Vice Chancellor or his/her designee, and one graduate student appointed by Student Senate. The Registrar or his/her designee, and the Director of Outreach and his/her designee will be ex-officio, non-voting members.
2. Term of Office: three years for faculty, one third to be appointed each year; one year for students.
3. Purposes:
   1. Graduate course proposals: to provide a University-wide forum for the critical reading of and response to new graduate course proposals and all substantial changes to existing course proposals.
   2. Graduate program proposals: to provide a forum for critical reading of, and response to, new graduate program proposals and all substantial changes to existing graduate programs.
4. Duties:
   1. Graduate course proposals
      1. to receive and evaluate all new and revised graduate courses that have been approved by the appropriate department/program, college curriculum committee(s) (for slash, combined undergraduate/graduate course), the college dean, and the director of graduate studies. The committee will review courses and make recommendations in relation to their quality and the application of credit. The Committee will also adjudicate and make recommendations in those cases that involve University regulations or cross-college/program/department overlap.
      2. to coordinate procedures with all college curriculum committees.
      3. to suggest changes in the format of the graduate course proposal form and transmittal form to the University Curriculum Committee.
   2. Graduate Studies Programs
      1. to examine and recommend to the Academic Program and Policy Committee proposals for new graduate degrees and graduate certificate programs. An academic program is defined as an organized group of college-level, credit-bearing courses, and their related experiences, designed to be used within the fulfillment of a degree or certificate. The Committee will also adjudicate and make recommendations in those cases that involve University regulations or cross-college/programs/department overlap.
      2. to examine and recommend to the Academic Program and Policy Committee proposals for substantial changes in graduate degrees and certificate programs.
      3. to suggest changes in the format of the graduate program proposal form and transmittal form to the Academic Programs and Policy Committee.
5. Procedure:

1. Graduate course proposals
   1. To request that the Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee consider a matter, all appropriate materials should be sent to a shared email – Also, instructions to send material to gscc@uwrf.edu shall be included in the appropriate place on the faculty Senate website.
   2. Graduate courses are usually generated and developed by department faculty. Graduate course proposals must be reviewed and approved at the departmental level. Letters of acknowledgment from persons in departments that were consulted where possible curriculum overlap may occur should be forwarded with the proposal. Letters of acknowledgment are required from consulted departments whose graduate course enrollments may be affected due to changes in or additions of graduate course prerequisites in the proposal. (Note: if reasonable and documentable efforts to obtain letters of acknowledgment have failed, the proposer(s) should indicate this in the materials accompanying the proposal). The originating department must sign off on the accompanying transmittal form. If the proposal is a combined undergraduate/graduate course it is then sent to the college curriculum committee or other appropriate committees if the course is intercollege in nature.
   3. The dean of the college approves or disapproves of new graduate courses and/or changes in graduate course offerings by signing the accompanying transmittal form. This signature is an indication that the Dean acknowledges the impact the course may have on faculty and financial requirements.
   4. The director of graduate studies approves or disapproves new graduate courses and/or changes in graduate course offerings by signing the accompanying transmittal form.
   5. Graduate course proposals approved by the deans and the director of graduate studies are forwarded to the Graduate Studies Curriculum (one copy per member plus an updated electronic copy). When a graduate course is revised or changed, copies of the old original proposal must be sent to the Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee. A signed transmittal form must accompany all graduate course proposals.
   6. The Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee chair will publish in the committee's agenda a list of all graduate courses to be reviewed by the committee to inform the University faculty. Information will be published in accordance with Wisconsin Open Meetings Law requirements.
   7. At the request of the committee chair, a departmental representative must be at the meeting to represent new and revised graduate course proposals. The representative should be prepared to provide a short verbal explanation/justification of the new or revised graduate course proposal. The representative will serve as a liaison between the Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee and the department in which the proposal originated. The committee may ask the representative to clarify information and provide background material.
   8. Guidelines for review and approval of graduate course proposals:
      1. 1. Review for accuracy information prompts, such as year of first offerings, and program requirements.
         2. Check for the inclusion of appropriate prerequisites.
         3. Review for adequacy of graduate course outlines and attachments including letters of acknowledgment from a person in departments that were consulted where possible curriculum content may occur.
         4. Adjudicate and make recommendations in those cases of overlap of other conflicts involving University regulations or intercollegiate differences.
         5. If substantive changes to the graduate course proposal are deemed necessary for the graduate course to be approved by the Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee, the proposal may be sent back to the appropriate college curriculum committe
   9. Guidelines for information dissemination after committee action:
      1. Minutes of all the meetings will be sent to:
         1. 1. 1. all committee members
               2. all college curriculum committee chairs
               3. all college Deans and the Director of Graduate Studies
               4. all chairs of the Academic Program and Policy Committee and the University Curriculum Committee
      2. Graduate course proposals approved by the Graduate Studies Committee will be forwarded to the University Curriculum Committee for additional review.
2. Graduate Program Proposals
   1. Recommendations dealing with new or revised graduate programs and certificates are approved by the department, college, curriculum committee, college dean, director of graduate studies, Graduate Studies Curriculum Committee, Academic Program and Policy Committee, Faculty Senate, the Provost and Vice Chancellor , and the Chancellor in that order.