Before proposing a new academic program, please consider the following items:

1. When will the new program be launched? New programs can only be launched in the following academic year, at the earliest. Keep in mind that NDSU's undergraduate application opens in August for admission in the next academic year. Ideally, there will be at least one academic year in between program approval and student enrollment in the program to ensure sufficient time to make prospective students aware of the program through marketing (e.g., a program proposed and approved during the 2024-2025 academic year will enroll students starting Fall 2026 since the application will open in August 2025).
2. How will the program be delivered? Fully online? This means that students will not be required to come to campus to meet degree requirements; all courses will need to be offered online asynchronous or synchronous.
3. What will this program do for students? More specifically, what are the learning outcomes for this program? All required courses for this program need to be aligned with these learning outcomes.
4. Why is this program necessary? Why should this program be included in NDSU's academic portfolio? How does this new program align with NDSU's mission and strategic plan?
5. Why will students want to enroll in this program? What is the employer demand for students to complete this program?
6. Do other NDUS institutions already offer this program? If another program is offered, how will this program be distinct?

The first step in proposing a new academic program is to contact Jeff Boyer, Vice Provost for Assessment & Strategic Initiatives. He will work with you to:

1. determine the appropriate CIP code for the proposed academic program,
2. determine if approval from the Higher Learning Commission (NDSU's institutional accreditor) is required, and
3. generate an NDUS-required labor market report from Lighcast (formerly Emsi Burning Glass) that will be uploaded as a supporting document during the curricular review process.

The curricular review process for proposing new academic programs occurs in two distinct stages: the program exploration stage and the program request stage. The first stage is the new academic program exploration notice. The goal of this stage is to announce the intent to offer an academic program not currently offered at NDSU. The second stage is the new academic program request. Both stages include the following approvals after the new program proposal is first initiated in CourseLeaf's Program Management module:

1. Department Chair or Head
2. College Curriculum Committee
3. College Dean
4. Graduate Council (for graduate programs)
5. University Curriculum Committee
6. Faculty Senate (consent agenda)
7. Provost
8. NDUS Academic Affairs Council (AAC)
9. State Board of Higher Education Academic & Student Affairs Committee (program requests only)

Each stage requires an additional form to be completed and uploaded as a supporting document along with the CourseLeaf proposal. Please upload the Word version (.docx) of the document to CourseLeaf.

1. Academic program exploration notice template
2. New academic program request template

After the exploration notice stage is complete, RaNelle Ingalls (Associate Registrar) will contact the proposal initiator to let them know that the proposal has moved to the program request stage.

NOTE: If you are proposing an academic program that will confer a lesser credential than an existing higher-level credential with the same program name (e.g., proposing a new graduate certificate in mortuary science when there is an existing master's degree in mortuary science OR proposing a new undergraduate minor or certificate when there is an existing bachelor's degree), the curricular review process only includes steps 1-8 above (that is, it does not occur in 2 stages) and requires a different form, program-plan modification template, which should be completed and submitted as a supporting document along with the CourseLeaf proposal. Please let RaNelle (ranelle.ingalls@ndsu.edu) know that you've submitted a program request for a lesser credential, so she can adjust the CourseLeaf workflow accordingly.

1. Contact Jeff Boyer for required information (see above).
2. Open the CourseLeaf Program Management module. You will need to authenticate using your Bison Login.
3. Click on the Propose New Program button. An electronic form will open in a new window.
4. Complete the proposal information in the electronic form using various drop-down fields, radio buttons, and text boxes.
5. Upload the required supporting documents, which include the Lightcast labor market report, the appropriate NDUS form (see above), and a plan of study for the proposed program.
6. Upload any additional documents (for example, a letter of support from another department) that will be helpful as supporting documents.
7. Click on the Save Changes button if you plan to return and make additional changes.
8. Click on the Start Workflow button if the proposal is ready to begin the curricular review process.

Proposal initiators may access the CourseLeaf Program Management module at any time to see the workflow progress and approval path for the proposed academic program. Use the search feature to locate the proposed program, then click on the program within the table of search results. Workflow and approvals will appear on the right side of the CourseLeaf interface.