Program Proposals

• Talk to the area component leader and college dean, especially if proposing a new program.
• Gather Information. New degree programs must comply with Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) Standards for Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Programs and should address job market need, degree requirements, marketable skills, resources, costs, and more. When proposing new doctoral or professional programs, please refer to Coordinating Board Rules §5.46.
• Contact the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation to develop or revise the assessment plan as needed, and to determine which substantive change notifications to SACSCOC, if any, will be required. The new or revised assessment plan is required to be submitted with the new or revised program proposal. Please note: Depending on how substantive a proposed change is, approval from our regional accreditor could as long as a year to obtain. Proposed new programs may not accept students until approval is received.
• If proposing a new online/hybrid program, or proposing a change in delivery mode for an existing program from face-to-face to online/hybrid, the proposal must be approved by the Distance Education Advisory Committee (DEAC) before the proposal can go to the Provost. Talk to Dr. Lynda Murphy, Director of Teaching and Learning with Technology, about this before starting the workflow.
• Submit any new course proposals or modifications to existing courses in inventory required for the new or revised program to the Curriculum Committee. The curriculum committee process will happen simultaneously with the new or revised program review process.
• Submit any new undergraduate courses or existing courses for core curriculum and/or global perspectives to be routed through Undergraduate Council, Provost’s Office, and the THECB (core curriculum only).
• Review new or modified degree plans with Academic Component Leader, Director of Transfer & Compliance, and any department that might offer similar outcomes for the proposed degree.

Timeline

• New Undergraduate and Graduate Program proposals should be submitted a minimum of one year before the hoped-for first cohort start date.
• New Doctoral Progam proposals should be submitted a minimum of two years before the hoped-for first cohort start date.
• External agencies meet on their own timetables to consider new program submissions. Approvals can take up to a year to receive a reply. External approval is not guaranteed, and the external agency may have questions that they wish answered prior to approval. 
• Minor modifications to existing programs should be submitted by March 31 for inclusion in the next year's catalog and degree audit.  Substantial modifications to existing programs should be submitted in the same timeline as new programs above, given they may require additional internal and external approvals.

Workflow and Approvals

All new and modified program proposals follow the TWU Program Proposal Workflow.  Each step in the workflow can either send the proposal back to earlier steps of the workflow to request additional clarity or recommend approval of the proposal and move it to the next step of the workflow.  Comments from all those in the workflow appear at the end of the proposal in the CIM system. 

Note that all new and some substantially modified programs require TWU Board of Regents and external approvals from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) and/or the  Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Board of Regents approval requests must be received by the General Council and approved by the Provost a minimum of 8 weeks in advance for inclusion on the Regents' Agenda.

External approvals are required for:

• New degree programs and certificates
• New educator certificate program in a disciplinary area in which the institution already offers an undergraduate degree program
• Increase in SCH, coding, designation, or title for a degree
• Undergraduate Core curriculum changes (annual)

Please review the Required Institutional and External Approvals chart. Additional external approvals may also be required on a case-by-case basis.  External approvals can take up to, and occasionally over a year, to receive.  See the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Notifications/Approvals and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) accordions on this page for additional details.

TWU-THECB Liason

Kimberly Miloch, Ph.D.
Vice Provost for Faculty Success
Professor, School of Health Promotion and Kinesiology
kmiloch@twu.edu
940-898-3406

The following actions require review and or approval from the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB).  Please carefully review the linked THECB information and download any required forms from the THECB website.  The TWU-THECB Liason will submit the required forms to THECB.

Administrative Changes

Administrative changes are those that result in the creation of or modifications to an academic administrative unit at a university or health-related institution.

Requires Notification - Complete the Administrative Change Notification Form and email it directly to the TWU-THECB Liason.

New Program Requests

All new program requests require THECB review and approval. New tracks within a program do not require THECB review or approval.

You will need to complete the required THECB forms and acquire any required signatures up to the Dean level.  The remaining signatures will be acquired by the Office of Curriculum and Strategic Initiatives.  Attach the required THECB forms to the program proposal and submit them to the workflow.

• New Bachelor's and Master's Programs - Complete the Certification Form or Full Request Form, attach it to the new program proposal, and submit to the workflow.
• New Doctoral Programs - Complete the Full Request Form, attach it to the new program proposal, and submit to the workflow.

New degree programs or certificate programs require notification of other public institutions of higher education within a 50-mile radius of the proposed location of the new program 30 days before submission to THECB. Objections must be resolved before submitting requests to the Coordinating Board.

New Certificate Requests

New Certificate programs require THECB review and approval depending on the level and total semester credit hours required. 

Complete the Certificate Program Certification Form, attach it to the new certificate proposal, and submit to the workflow.

Changes to Existing Programs

The following changes to existing programs require THECB notification and/or approval. (Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter C, Rule 5.55).  Please carefully review the Guidelines Related to Changes to Existing Programs.

• Total Semester Credit Hours - Complete the Semester Credit Hour Change Form, attach it to the program modification proposal, and submit to the workflow.
  
  • Reduction in SCH – Requires Notification.
    Revisions may not reduce the required hours below the minimum requirements of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), program accreditors, and licensing bodies, where applicable.
  • Increase in SCH – Requires Review and Approval.
    Revisions resulting in an increase in the overall number of semester credit hours required for the program must be reviewed and approved by THECB prior to implementation by the university. The institution must provide detailed written documentation describing the compelling academic reason for the increase in the number of required hours. The Coordinating Board will review the documentation provided and make a determination to approve or deny the request.
• Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) Coding – Requires Review and Approval. Complete the CIP Change Request Form, attach it to the program modification proposal, and submit to the workflow.
• Degree Title - Requires Review and Approval. Complete the Degree Title Change Request Form, attach it to the program modification proposal, and submit to the workflow.
• Consolidation of Programs Request - Requires Review and Approval. Complete the Request for Consolidation of Programs Form and email it directly to the TWU-THECB Liason. 

TWU-SACSCOC Liason

Gray Scott, Ph.D.
Director of Academic Assessment & Accreditation
940-898-2327
grayscott@twu.edu

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) approvals can take a minimum of 6 months to a year, depending on the time a proposal is submitted to SACSCOC. Note that the TWU accreditation office has other missions, components, and accreditation demands and that prospectuses may take time to prepare and submit.

• Proposals submitted between July 1 and Dec 31 of the same year will be reviewed by SACSCOC on Jan 1.
  
• Proposals submitted between Jan 1 and June 31 of the same year will be reviewed by SACSCOC on July 1.

Contact the Office of Academic Assessment and Accreditation to develop or revise the assessment plan as needed, and to determine which substantive change notifications/approvals to SACSCOC, if any, will be required. The new or revised assessment plan is required to be submitted with the new or revised program proposal. 

Creating a New Program, Track, Certificate, Minor

When required, approval from SACSCOC must be received (or notification be sent) related to a new program, track, certificate, or minor before TWU can accept students. This includes many forms of recruitment, Student Life activities, Financial Aid support, etc.  TWU can advertise - see the Marketing, Advertising, Recruitment, and Admissions section fo this webpage.

• If 50% or more of the coursework is new or differs from another existing program, it requires SACSCOC approval. 
• If 49% - 25% is new or differs, it requires a notification to be sent to SACSCOC.
• If less than 25% is new or differs, no notification or approval is required.

Modifying to an Existing Program, Track, Certificate, Minor

When required, approval from SACSCOC must be received (or notification be sent) related to a proposed modification to an existing program, track, certificate, or minor.

• If 50% or more of the coursework is new or differs from another existing program, it requires SACSCOC approval. 
• If 49% - 25% is new or differs, it requires a notification to be sent to SACSCOC.
• If less than 25% is new or differs, no notification or approval is required.

Approval is also required for:

• A significant change in delivery method or competency-based credit.
• When there is a change in degree level being offered - i.e., an entirely UG component deciding to offer graduate programs for the first time.

Questions SACSCOC may ask include

• How much of an “experiment” are we doing on the students?
• Are the ingredients and resources available?
• What is the market value?
  

New programs and substantive changes to existing programs are subject to both the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) Advertising and Student Recruitment policy and Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) guidelines. Marketing, advertising, and recruitment may start after a program is submitted and approved by the TWU Board of Regents and before receiving state and accreditation approvals, provided the disclaimer statements of pending approval are clearly included in all marketing information. Admission applications may be taken, but admission offers, including contingent offers, should not be made until the program is fully approved by all external agencies.

1. Make sure the THECB liaison has filed with the state and SACSCOC liaison has submitted a prospectus before marketing, advertising, or recruiting.
2. All marketing and advertising materials must include the appropriate statements “Pending approval by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges." and “Pending approval by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board."
3. Hold off on admission offers until all external approvals have been received.

New bachelor's and master's program proposals should be completed and submitted a minimum of one year before anticipated admission of the first cohort, and doctoral programs two years.  This time allows for both internal TWU and external state and accreditation approvals. 

Incomplete or inaccurate proposals will be returned in the workflow for correction or clarification, and may result in delayed approval and admission of students.

Submission of a new program, track in a program, certificate, or minor is completed via TWU's new Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) Programs form.  We are piloting this new system feature, and thank you for your patience while we continue to make improvements.  Please send any issues, suggestions, or feedback to Scott Martin; Manager of Curriculum, catalogs, and Academic Communications; at smartin4@twu.edu or 940-898-3508.

The new CIM Programs form takes all the prior separate program processes and forms from across the institution and centralizes them into a single online form and workflow. 

Create any new coursework in the CIM system that will be part of the new plan.  The coursework must be entered into the CIM system to build out the required degree plan information.

Contact Academic Assessment for assistance with developing an appropriate Academic Institutional Improvement Assessment Plan for the proposed degree/certificate program. This should be done simultaneously with developing the certificate/ degree program proposal itself and attached before the proposal is submitted to workflow.

Complete and attach any required Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) forms identified above with signatures.

Submit a new program, track in a program, certificate, or minor via the CIM system here.

Before working on any undergraduate program modifications, please contact Rachelle Land, Director, Transfer & Compliance at rland1@twu.edu or 940-898-3309.

To modify an existing program, track, certificate, or minor, please submit your proposal via the historic SharePoint system following prior existing guidelines:

Revised undergraduate academic program proposals (including modifications of undergraduate minors, certificates, tracks/concentrations, and academic degree programs) should be accompanied by the following documents and should be uploaded to SharePoint via the Revised Undergraduate Academic Program Request form: 

• Degree Requirements Template [xls]
• Plan of Study Template [xls]
• Marketable Skills [separate SharePoint workflow]
• Academic Assessment Plan

Revised undergraduate certificates and/or minors should be accompanied by the following respective document(s) and should be uploaded to SharePoint via the Revised Undergraduate Academic Program Request form: 

• Minor Template [xls]
• Certificate Template [xls]
• Certificate Program Certification Form (for certificates over 20 SCH) [pdf]

Review the Graduate Education Policies.

To modify an existing graduate program, track, certificate, or minor, please submit your proposal via the historic SharePoint system following prior existing guidelines.

To propose a NEW program as a Distance Education degree program, you will need to:

1. Complete the CIM New Program Proposal form, where you will identify the appropriate distance education type under the Delivery Method section.
2. Fill out the appropriate forms on the Teaching & Learning with Technology Administrative Procedures webpage and attach them to the New Program proposal.

To MODIFY an existing program to be a Distance Education degree program, you will need to:

1. Complete the required modification forms linked above and submit via the SharePoint system.
2. Fill out the appropriate forms on the Teaching & Learning with Technology Administrative Procedures webpage and attach them to the Modified Program proposal.

If you need assistance with the Distanced Education Proposal Form, please contact the Office of Teaching and Learning with Technology at 940-898-3409 or email TLT@twu.edu.

Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB)

TWU will leave closed programs on the books with the THECB should a component wish to reactivate a program at a later date.

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

Suspend a Program for a Brief Time

Any pause in accepting students MUST CLEARLY indicate on marketing, catalog, and websites materials that TWU is not closing the program and include an anticipated reopening date. Reasons suspensions are considered appropriate include:

• Lack of current resources to provide the program, with anticipation of future resource allocation to again offer the program at a later date.
• Reviewing a program.

Closing a Program

SACSCOC's definition of closing a program is when TWU is no longer accepting students into the program at the current time with no planned future offering. This ALWAYS requires advanced approval from SACSCOC (a notification is insufficient.) TWU MUST continue to accept students until SACSCOC approval to close is received.  

To close an active program, track, minor, or certificate, the academic component must first develop and submit for approval a teach-out plan with Academic Assessment.  This teach-out plan must be submitted and approved by SACSCOC.

Program closure includes ending a program at all locations or by all methods of delivery, but also includes ending a student’s completion option at a specific location or by a specific method of delivery. Therefore, program closure approval is required if a program closes 

• at a location (on-campus or off-campus instructional site) but continues to be offered at other locations, or 
• by a method of delivery but continues to be offered by other methods of delivery.  

“Stealth Closures” are against SACS guidelines and not permitted. A "Stealth Closure" is defined as when a component publishes and communicates a notification that they are “Not currently accepting students into the program.” (i.e., website/catalog).  At the time, the component may consider this a suspension or phase-out.  It is not if later, when no students are in the program, the program closes suddenly without a public notification that the program will be closed (timing needs to be clearly articulated in the catalog and on the website), without a teach-out plan, or approval from SACSCOC.

Closing an Undergraduate program, track, minor, or certificate

Submit the Revised Undergraduate Program Request form and select the removal option. 

Closing a Graduate program, track, minor, or certificate

Contact Dr. Carolyn Kapinus, Dean of the Graduate School at ckapinus@twu.edu or 940-898-4038.

For questions regarding Undergraduate programs or submission of modified programs via SharePoint, contact Rachelle Land, Director, Transfer & Compliance at rland1@twu.edu or 940-898-3309.

For questions regarding Graduate Programs or submission of modified programs via SharePoint, contact Dr. Carolyn Kapinus, Dean of the Graduate School at ckapinus@twu.edu or 940-898-4038.

For support with the submission of new programs via the updated Curriculum Inventory Management (CIM) system, contact Scott Martin, Manager of Curriculum, Catalogs, & Academic Communications at smartin4@twu.edu or 940-898-3508.