Substantive Change

New degree or certificate programs may require SACSCOC notification or approval, depending primarily on the amount of new instructional content created for the program and whether TWU already offers similar content at the same level (for example, bachelor’s or master’s level). Please see the TWU Substantive Change Types and Requirements Overview table for information about the percentage of new content that requires SACSCOC notification or approval and contact the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation for assistance with determining how much new instructional content will be created for the program you are developing.

If your program will be more than 50% online and has not previously been approved for online delivery, we will need to notify SACSCOC about the addition of a distance education method of delivery. If the program will no longer be available for students to complete more than 50% face-to-face, we will also need to close the face-to-face program delivery method by submitting a teach-out plan to SACSCOC for approval. Please contact the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation for assistance with preparing the notification letter and teach-out plan, as applicable. 

In most cases, curriculum revisions should not constitute a substantive change for SACSCOC purposes. However, if any of the following scenarios apply, please contact the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation for assistance with determining whether SACSCOC notification or approval will be required. 

• Creating more than one new course
• Increasing or decreasing the program’s total number of required semester credit hours
• Adding an option to receive credit for prior learning
• Adding courses that utilize a competency-based delivery method
• Entering into an agreement with another institution or entity to deliver instructional/didactic (not clinical) content

No SACSCOC notification or approval is required.  However, if the program curriculum will also change, please see the response to "We are proposing changes to the curriculum of an existing program" above.

Tracks within existing degree programs rarely require SACSCOC notification or approval. However, if any of the curricular changes described in the items above apply to the new track, or if the new track will be the first program track offered in an online delivery method or at a new off-campus location, please contact the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation for assistance with determining whether SACSCOC notification or approval will be required.

When a program stops accepting students, SACSCOC considers that program closed. SACSCOC requires institutions to inform them in advance of such moves. Programs wishing to only temporarily suspend or pause enrollment MUST notify TWU's SACSCOC Liaison, Gray Scott (grayscott@twu.edu) and provide the anticipated date at which enrollment will resume. Programs that do not have active enrollment for at least one program track after 12-18 months will be required to submit a teach-out plan for closure.

Yes, program closures require a teach-out plan and SACSCOC approval. SACSCOC defines a closure as closure to admission or entry, not the cessation of instruction.  Please notify the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation BEFORE the program ceases instruction and prior to ending admission so that a teach-out plan can be developed and submitted to SACSCOC.

A location geographically apart from TWU’s main campus where courses or programs (degree or certificate) are being offered may require substantive change notification or approval, depending on the percentage of program instruction represented by the offering. This can include 

• face-to-face courses at an off-campus location
• hybrid distance education courses with in-person meetings at an off-campus location
• or 100% online distance education courses that are delivered to students who are required to be at a specific off-campus location to receive the instruction. 

Please see the Substantive Change Types and Requirements Overview table for information about the percentage of program instruction that requires SACSCOC notification or approval and contact the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation for assistance with determining whether SACSCOC notification or approval will be required for the site. Off-campus sites that do not currently meet the criteria for SACSCOC notification or approval will be monitored for any increases in program offering.

No SACSCOC notification or approval is required.  These campuses are already approved off-campus instructional sites with SACSCOC. We are not required to notify SACSCOC or seek approval to offer additional, existing programs at those sites.

If the degree or certificate program will no longer be available to complete at any location, the change will require a teach-out plan and approval from SACSCOC. Please contact the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation for assistance with preparing the required documentation. Note that if only a single track is closing but other track(s) will continue to be offered at the site, then this would not constitute a closure. However, closure requirements do apply if the program will no longer be offered face-to-face but will continue to be offered through distance education.

In most cases, ending a single track will not constitute a closure as long as one or more other program tracks is still available. However, if the track you are removing from the catalog was the only program option available in a specific delivery method or at a specific location, this may constitute a closure. Please contact the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation for assistance with determining whether SACSCOC approval will be required.