The
UNC Policy Manual
400.1.1[R]
Adopted
05/06/09
Amended
08/26/13
Amended
02/01/16*
Amended
11/14/18
Amended
10/16/19
I. Purpose. This
regulation defines the authority, responsibilities, and required processes as
related to academic program planning and evaluation in the University of North
Carolina System (UNC System).
A.
Compliance
1.
UNC System institutions are individually accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
and are responsible for compliance with SACSCOC criteria and procedures with
respect to any action related to academic programs that may constitute a
substantive change as defined by SACSCOC.
2.
UNC System institutions are required to adhere to the
SACSCOC policies and Best Practices and Protocols for Electronically Offered
Degree and Certificate Programs in planning, delivering and assessing distance
education courses and programs.
3.
UNC System institutions are responsible for meeting SACSCOC
expectations for the review of the effectiveness of their educational programs,
inclusive of student learning outcomes.
4.
The University of North Carolina System Office (UNC System
Office) utilizes the most recent Classification of Instructional Programs
(CIP), for the classification of all degree programs.
5.
If a program will be delivered out of state, whether
face-to-face or electronically mediated, the institution must assure the UNC
System Office that all required licensing or other authorization is
secured before the program is offered out of state.
6.
The UNC System Office will maintain an Academic Program
Inventory (API) as the official record of degree programs offered by the
University and of all actions taken regarding degree programs. Constituent institutions will work with the
UNC System Office to maintain the integrity of the API.
B.
Constituent Institution Policy and Procedure. Each institution must have a clearly defined
process for the review and approval of proposals to plan or establish new
degree programs, including online or site-based distance education, off-campus,
or alternative delivery of degree programs.
All constituent institution processes must be followed and constituent
institution approval must be received before a proposal may be submitted to the
UNC System Office.
C.
Communication and Forms. Chancellors of the constituent
institutions shall communicate to the UNC System Office their intentions or
requests with respect to the following:
1. Request for
authorization to plan any new degree program.
2. Request for
authorization to establish any new degree program.
3. Request for authorization to
establish a new delivery mode of any existing degree program.
4. Request for authorization to change
the title, degree type, or CIP of an existing degree program.
5. Request for
authorization to discontinue a degree program.
6. Request for authorization to consolidate degree programs.
7. Notification of intent to establish
or discontinue a certificate or teacher licensure program.
Constituent institutions must utilize the
most recent versions of request forms as required, maintained, and made
available by the UNC System Office. Forms for new degree program requests must
at minimum address the areas indicated in Section 400.1, Policy on Academic
Program Planning, of the UNC Policy Manual, as the basis for decision making on
the requests.
II. Academic Program Planning
A.
New Baccalaureate, Master’s, and Doctoral Degree Program Proposals
1.
In addition to demonstrated capacity of the institution to
deliver a quality program, major considerations in the planning and evaluation
of new degree program proposals are student demand for the program, societal
demand (availability of employment for graduates of the program), budget and
source of funding for the proposed program, collaboration possibilities with
other degree programs within UNC System, and relationship of the new degree
program with institutional mission.
2.
Constituent institutions must comply with regulations on
fostering undergraduate student success that limit the number of baccalaureate
degree program credit hours to no more than 128 and that designate
baccalaureate programs exceeding 135 semester credit hours as five-year baccalaureate
programs.[i]
3.
The UNC System Office will be responsible for managing the
review process for new degree proposals and for making a recommendation to the
Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina (Board) according to the
attached flowcharts: Process for Planning and Establishment of New
Baccalaureate Degree Program, Process for Planning and Establishment of New
Master’s Degree Program, and Process for Planning and Establishment of New
Doctoral Degree Program. The UNC System Office may approve authorization to
plan proposed programs that clearly meet the considerations in II.A.1,
above. External reviews will be required
for all doctoral programs and may also be sought to evaluate constituent
institution readiness to deliver online or site-based distance education,
off-campus, or alternative delivery of degree programs at any level.
4.
The senior vice president of academic affairs at the UNC
System Office, in cooperation with the constituent institutions, will
periodically review and determine a standard maximum number of new degree
program proposals that each constituent institution can have under active
review at UNC-GA at any given time.
Proposals for new joint degree programs shall be exempt from these
limitations.
B.
Online and Site-Based Distance Education Programs and
Off-campus Programs. Distance education
occurs when students and instructors are not in the same place. Distance education may be mediated through
use of the Internet (online) or other means.
Off-campus program delivery occurs when students and instructors are
together at an instructional site that is geographically separate from the main
campus of the institution.
The UNC System Office has
authority to approve online and site-based distance education delivery and
off-campus delivery of degree programs previously established by the board
according to the flowchart Process to Request New Delivery Mode for Existing
Degree Program (any level); otherwise, new degree programs to be delivered
online, site-based, or off-campus are processed in the same way as all other
new degree program proposals and require board approval. Approval by the UNC System Office is required
if 50 percent or more of the degree program will be offered in an alternative,
online, or distance delivery mode, or a combination of these modes with the
following exceptions:
1.
The first online or site-based distance education degree
program offering for which a constituent institution must follow any SACSCOC
substantive change procedure, regardless of the percent offered in that format,
must be approved by the UNC System Office.
2.
Any off-campus offering of a degree program, regardless of
the percent offered in that format, must be approved by the UNC System Office.
Constituent
institutions proposing such programs will be expected to document how online
and site-based distance education programs and off-campus programs exhibit
comparable quality to programs offered on site at the constituent institution
in terms of both academic standards and standards for student support. The application and maintenance of academic
standards are the responsibility of the academic unit and constituent
institution offering the instruction online or at a site off-campus.
Constituent
institutions proposing such programs will also be expected to document how
online and site-based distance education programs and off-campus programs do
not result in an unnecessary duplication of effort and resources, including
among programs delivered to students on campus.
For
off-site delivery, priority should be given to partnering with UNC constituent
institutions and with the North Carolina Community College System where
appropriate.
Rapidly
changing technology may lead to new modes of delivery of courses and
degrees. Proposals for other methods for
delivery of degree programs must document the comparable quality of the
proposed programs to programs offered by the constituent institution in terms
of both academic standards and standards for student support.
C.
Degree-Related Distance Education Courses. The development and delivery of individual
degree-related distance education courses are institutional
responsibilities. Courses may be offered
without prior approval of the UNC System Office. However, institutions should list these
courses on their distance education web site.
Proposals to offer courses or programs through the Southern Regional
Electronic Campus (SREC) will be coordinated through the UNC System Office.
D.
Doctor’s Degree – Professional Practice. Professional practice doctoral program
proposals (formerly First Professional program proposals, as in medicine,
pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, law, and others) normally involve
outside reviewers in the early stages of development and in many cases an on-site
review team. Other high-cost programs
may also be addressed in the same manner.
Constituent institutions should consult with the UNC System Office
before beginning to prepare a Professional Practice program proposal.
E.
Joint Degree Programs.
Joint Degree programs result in the awarding of a single joint
degree by two or more UNC constituent institutions or by a UNC constituent
institution and non-UNC educational institution. Joint degree programs must be approved
through the regular institutional processes and have the approval of the
chancellor of each participating UNC institution before submission to the UNC
System Office for review and presentation to the board for approval.
Proposals
for joint degree programs must include documentation that, at minimum, the
fundamental elements of the following institutional processes have been agreed
to by the partners:
1.
Admission process;
2.
Registration and enrollment process for students;
3.
Committee process for graduate students;
4.
Plan for charging and distributing tuition and fees;
5.
Management of transcripts and permanent records;
6.
Participation in graduation; and
7.
Design of diploma.
Each student who will receive a
Joint Degree must be approved by each UNC institution whose name will appear on
the diploma using the institutional process for certifying a student to receive
a degree.
F.
Dual Degree Programs.
A Dual Degree program involves two academic units, either at the same
institution or at different institutions, including non-UNC institutions, in a
formal agreement to offer two degrees as part of a program of study that will
result in a student being awarded both degrees (two diplomas). While such programs offer the advantage that
some course work may count for each degree, the requirements for each of the
two degrees in a Dual Degree program must be substantially equivalent to the
requirements for a student taking only one of the degrees. For example, a juris doctorate and an MBA
could be linked in a Dual Degree program. While SACSCOC must approve dual
degree arrangements, these arrangements are considered by the UNC System Office
as articulation agreements among existing degree programs and do not require
additional approval by the UNC System Office or the Board.
G.
Expedited Program Review.
While board policy requires that the academic program planning
and evaluation process achieve a balance between responsiveness, due diligence,
and a state-wide outlook, it also necessitates development of expedited program
review processes for circumstances when rapid response is warranted. A request for an expedited review will be
warranted where there is an extraordinary need to have a program start up
immediately to meet a clear state need, or to announce immediately that the program
will be available at a certain future time.
An example might be the need for a degree program as part of a state
effort for recruiting or expanding business, industry, or a governmental
function. An expedited review will not
require a request for permission to plan, and some or all external review
requirements may be eliminated at the discretion of the UNC System Office
academic affairs leadership.
H.
Discontinuation of Academic Degree Programs. The Board of
Governors has the authority to establish and discontinue degree programs. A constituent institution may recommend the
discontinuation of a degree program at any time. The proposal for discontinuation should
provide a reasonable time for currently-enrolled students to complete their
academic requirements or provide an alternative way for these students to
complete their program of study. The
constituent institution may submit a letter for approval to reinstate the
degree program within five years of its discontinuation.
I.
Program Consolidation. Constituent institutions may request
that two or more existing degree programs be discontinued in order to be
combined in a single degree program. If
the resulting consolidated program differs substantively from the component
programs in both curricular requirements and program classification, then the
constituent institution must complete an abbreviated request for establishment
for expedited review by the UNC System Office and approval by the Board as a
new degree program. Alternately, a
constituent institution may seek to discontinue one or more degree programs to
become concentrations or tracks within another degree program whose core
requirements and program classification will otherwise not change. In this
case, the request for establishment and board approval as a new program are not
required, but for the programs to be discontinued, the request to discontinue
must be completed and approved by the board.
Constituent institutions should work closely with the UNC System Office
to assure the correct steps are taken for consolidation requests.
III.
Academic Program Evaluation. In
accordance with state statutes and on behalf of the Board of Governors, the UNC
System Office shall manage a biennial program review process in cooperation
with constituent institutions.[ii] All academic degree programs are to be
reviewed against criteria specifically developed to determine program
productivity. The review may result in
either decisions to strengthen programs that are or can reasonably be made
productive or in program discontinuation.
Availability of educational opportunities for North Carolina citizens,
including racial and geographic diversity, are also considered.
IV. Other
Matters
A. Effective Date. The requirements of this regulation shall be
effective on the date of adoption of this regulation by the president.
B. Relation to Federal and State Laws
and Policies. The foregoing regulation
as adopted by the president is meant to supplement, and does not purport to
supplant or modify, those statutory enactments, regulations, and policies which
may govern or relate to the subject matter of this regulation.
*Supersedes Section 400.1.1[R] of the same title, originally adopted May
6, 2009, and amended August 26, 2013.