Proposals for New Undergraduate Programs, Program Revisions, and New Undergraduate Minors
In accordance with Binghamton University Faculty Senate bylaws, proposals for new degree programs and modifications of existing programs are the responsibility of academic units. Proposals for new degree programs are then reviewed by the Faculty Senate, which makes recommendations to the President. In addition, the Senate must also review proposals to discontinue or deactivate a degree-granting program. Proposals for modifications of existing programs may need to be reviewed by the Faculty Senate's Educational Policy and Priorities Committee (EPPC); please see below for details.
SUNY and SED Information
New SUNY Planning Guide and Forms
In November 2013, SUNY launched the new Guide to Academic Program Planning and associated new Academic Program Planning forms.
- SUNY Guide to Academic Program Planning - Please review this document before submitting any new program announcements, new program proposals, revisions of existing programs, or requests for discontinuance or deactivation.
- SUNY academic program planning forms - The new required forms can be found on this website. Forms are now required for program revisions and requests for discontinuance and deactivation, as well as for new program announcements and proposals.
- PowerPoint presentation covering "Program Proposal Troubleshooting" from the 9/19/17 Conversations with Program Reviewers webinar.
SED Inventory of Registered Programs
The most recent Inventory of Registered Programs, made available to campuses in Spring 2018, is available here: http://www.nysed.gov/heds/inst/internalli/211000.html.
How To's
For more information, contact Undergraduate Education.
- Submit New Program Proposals
Proposals for new undergraduate degree programs must first be approved by the department, then the school/college, then the Faculty Senate.
After campus approvals have been secured, SUNY System's review of proposals for new undergraduate programs involves two steps: the submission of a Program Announcement and a Program Proposal. The Program Announcement is designed to inform other SUNY campuses and to allow those campuses and SUNY Administration to comment on the proposal. New baccalaureate programs typically require external review by two experts in the discipline, chosen from a list of three to five proposed reviewers. The Program Proposal is the formal request for a new undergraduate academic program. New programs must be approved and registered by the New York State Education Department before they may be advertised or before students may be admitted.
Following are the steps in the approval process for new undergraduate degree programs:
- Creation of an Academic Business Plan, including a plan for an external evaluation, should it be required.
- Department approval of the proposed new program. If any courses are offered by another department or school, the department proposing the new major must consult with that department or school before including the courses in its major and must complete the form Sign-offs for Proposal for New Undergraduate Major.
- Draft of SUNY System's 1A Program Announcement (PA) and 2A New Undergraduate Degree Program Proposal prepared by the department in conjunction with the Dean's Office. (For the most recent versions of all SUNY forms, please go to http://system.suny.edu/academic-affairs/acaproplan/app/forms/.) The department, in conjunction with the dean's office, should also prepare a statement that addresses the concerns laid out in the Faculty Senate's diversity rubric.
- School/college approval of the proposed new program. School/college forwards the Academic Business Plan, the diversity statement and drafts of SUNY System's forms 1A and 2A to the Provost Office, who will review the drafts and forward them to the Faculty Senate.
- Faculty Senate approval of the proposed new program: please see the Faculty Senate Bylaws section on the EPPC for more details on the Senate approval process for new degree programs.
- Provost's Office finalizes the Program Announcement prepared by the department/school and transmits it to SUNY System, with a copy to the President.
- SUNY System sends out the Program Announcement statewide for comments. SUNY System's guidelines for submission of a new program indicate that the proposing campus will receive feedback from other campuses and System within approximately 30 days from the circulation of the proposal.
- Review and final revision of Program Proposal by the school/department in conjunction
with the Provost's Office. The Program Proposal must address any concerns raised by
other SUNY campuses or SUNY System. Please note that the completed Program Proposal
must be accompanied by reports from at least two SUNY-approved external evaluators,
which campuses select in consultation with the SUNY Provost's Office, and an institutional
response to those reports. Degree proposals may undergo revision between the time
they are initially developed and approved internally on campus and when they are submitted
to SUNY System, in response to recommendations from external reviewers. The Provost
will submit the final version of the degree proposal to the Faculty Senate Executive
Committee at least two weeks prior to planned submission to System Administration.
The FSEC reviews the final proposal and may decide to seek additional endorsement
by the full Faculty Senate if substantive changes have been made to the initial proposal
approved by the Senate.
The Program Proposal may be submitted no later than one year from the date that SUNY System circulated the Program Announcement to other campuses. The following forms must be submitted; for the most recent versions of all SUNY forms, please go to http://system.suny.edu/academic-affairs/acaproplan/app/forms/: - 2A New Undergraduate Degree Program Proposal
- Supplements, if applicable:
- 2D External Evaluation Report
- 2E External Instruction Form
- 2F Transfer Course Equivalency Table
- 4 Distance Education Format Proposal
- 9 Waiver Request: Seamless Transfer Requirements
- Other specialized forms may be required; please see the SUNY website for more information.
- The Provost's Office transmits the Program Proposal Form and other relevant forms, including the SED attestation cover sheet, to SUNY System.
- If SUNY System approves the proposed degree program, they then send it to the State Education Department for approval.
- The State Education Department must approve and register new degree programs before they may be advertised or before students may be admitted.
- Submit Revisions of Existing Programs
The procedures for changes to existing undergraduate programs differ depending on the extent of the changes. If you are revising an undergraduate program which has existing transfer articulation agreements, please contact Undergraduate Admissions to discuss whether these changes will affect your articulation agreements.
Significant Changes to a Degree Program
SUNY and the State Education Department must approve and re-register a program in which significant changes are made. Please see the SUNY document Guide to Academic Program Planning for information on what constitutes a significant change.
Proposals to significantly modify existing undergraduate degree programs or to change the name of existing undergraduate degree programs must first be approved by the department, then the school/college, then the Faculty Senate. The request must then be transmitted to SUNY System for approval.
Following are the steps in the approval process for a request to change an existing undergraduate program:
- Department approval of the proposed change. If any courses are offered by another department or school, the department offering the major must consult with that department or school regarding their courses and must complete the form Sign-offs for Proposal for Revisions to Undergraduate Major.
- Draft proposal explaining the requested change is prepared by the department in conjunction with the Dean's Office. SUNY now has two different Program Revision Proposal Forms; for the most recent versions of all SUNY forms, please go to http://system.suny.edu/academic-affairs/acaproplan/app/forms/):
- 3A Program Revision Proposal: Changes to an Existing Program
- 3B Program Revision Proposal: Creating a New Program from Existing Programs (e.g. a new multi-award and/or multi-institution program or a new program from a track or concentration)
- Supplements (if applicable): use the same supplements as those listed for new programs.
- School/college approval of the proposed revision. School/college forwards a draft of form 3A or 3B to the Provost Office, who will review the form and forward it to the Faculty Senate.
- Faculty Senate approval of the proposed revision: the EPPC must be notified of any changes, such as a significant change to a degree program, that require State Education Department approval.
- Provost's Office finalizes the document prepared by the department/school and transmits it to SUNY System, with a copy to the President.
- If SUNY System approves the proposed change, they then send it to the State Education Department for approval.
- The State Education Department must approve changes to programs before changes may be advertised.
Undergraduate Programs with Associated 3/2 or 4/1 Programs
Effective Spring 2018, SUNY and SED will no longer require registration of new 3/2 or 4/1 programs that meet certain conditions. As of August 2018, we have not yet received guidance as to what is expected with regard to revision of existing 3/2 or 4/1 programs. Please contact Undergraduate Education if you have questions about how revisions to your undergraduate curriculum might affect an existing 3/2 or 4/1 program. Any other questions regarding 3/2 or 4/1 programs -- including questions about creating new 3/2 or 4/1 programs or about deactivating/discontinuing existing programs -- should be directed to the Graduate School.
Minor Changes to a Degree Program
Minor changes (i.e., changes that do not meet the guidelines in the document linked above) are approved by the school/college. Routine changes to existing degree programs do not require notification of or review by the Faculty Senate EPPC. However, if an undergraduate program's changes over time involve one-third or more of the minimum credits required for the degree program, we are required to submit a Program Revision Proposal to SUNY (see above) for those aggregated changes.
In order to enable the Provost's Office and the deans' offices to track minor changes over time and monitor the total credits involved, we ask that any department which makes any changes to their undergraduate programs please submit the form Record of Changes to the Undergraduate Major, either in hard copy or via e-mail.
- Submit a Request to Deactivate or Discontinue an Existing Program
Deactivation is the decision not to admit any more students to a program but to maintain the program registration with SUNY System and the New York State Education Department. The date of deactivation is the first regular admission date as of which new students will not be permitted to enroll in the program.
Discontinuance is the decision to remove a program from the list of registered programs so that a degree will no longer be granted at completion. The date of discontinuance is the last date for which a degree will be awarded.
Proposals to deactivate or discontinue existing undergraduate degree programs must first be approved by the department, then the school/college, then the Faculty Senate. The request must then be transmitted to SUNY System using form 5 Deactivation and/or Discontinuance Proposal. (For the most recent versions of all SUNY forms, please go to http://system.suny.edu/academic-affairs/acaproplan/app/forms/.)
Following are the steps in the approval process for a request to deactivate or discontinue an existing undergraduate program:
- Department approval of the proposal to deactivate or discontinue the program.
- Proposal form explaining the request is prepared by the department in conjunction with the Dean's Office.
- School/college approval of the proposed request. School/college forwards a draft of form 5 to the Provost Office, who will review the form and forward it to the Faculty Senate.
- Faculty Senate approval of the proposed deactivation or discontinuance: please see the Faculty Senate Bylaws section on the EPPC for more details on the Senate approval process for requests for discontinuance or deactivation.
- Provost's Office finalizes the form prepared by the department/school and transmits it to SUNY System, with a copy to the President.
- If SUNY System approves the request, they then send it to the State Education Department for approval.
- The State Education Department must approve the request to deactivate or discontinue an existing program before it may be removed from the University Bulletin, departmental websites, etc.
- Submit a Proposal for a New Minor or Changes to an Existing Minor
For information on procedures for creating a new undergraduate minor or modifying an existing minor in one of the schools (Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Management, the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the College of Community and Public Affairs, and the Graduate School), please contact your dean's office.
Proposals for new undergraduate minors must first be approved by the department, then the school/college, then the Provost's Office. Following are the steps in the approval process for new undergraduate minors:
- Creation of a curricular plan for the new minor, showing all required and elective courses. If any courses are offered by another department or school, the department offering the minor must consult with that department or school before including the courses in its minor.
- Department approval of the proposed new minor.
- School/college approval of the proposed new minor.
- Provost's Office reviews the curricular plan for the proposed new minor and informs the school/college of its approval.
- Submit a Proposal for a New Degree Program or Minor Not Approved at the School Level
All proposals for majors, minors or any other form of curricular program that do not go through curricular review at the school level (Harpur College of Arts and Sciences, the Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science, the School of Management, the Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences, the College of Community and Public Affairs, the Graduate School) must be reviewed by the Faculty Senate PRC. This PRC review may apply to interdisciplinary programs or programs under the auspices of the Provost's Office when there is no review by the appropriate school or college listed above. In these cases, the PRC will act as the curriculum committee reviewing and approving these proposals.
