Proposal for New Degree or Major Programs, New Minor Proposals, or New Area of Emphasis

NEW DEGREE OR MAJOR PROGRAMS

Effective this date and until rescinded, programs of academic work shall not be added to the curriculum of the University of Georgia unless recommended by the University Curriculum Committee in accordance with the Bylaws of the University Council, submitted by the President of the University of Georgia to the Chancellor, and approved by the Board of Regents of the University System. Policy and implementing guidance outlined herein are applicable to all academic degree programs involving 30 hours or more of course work in a field of study. The policy statement may be reproduced for local use. Minor programs (less than 30 hours of course work) and non-degree certificate programs shall be subject to separate policy statements and implementing guidelines. No provisions stated herein are intended to conflict with the Bylaws or the Academic Affairs Handbook.

A formal proposal is required when academic units contemplate adding a new degree or major program to the curricula of the institution.

Board of Regents' policy states that a baccalaureate degree must contain 120 semester hours (exclusive of physical education activity/basic health or orientation course hours that the institution may require). A baccalaureate degree program must require at least 21 semester hours of upper-division courses in the major field and at least 39 semester hours of upper-division work overall. All majors must be authorized by the Board of Regents. Master’s degrees are established at a maximum of 36 semester hours. Generally, master’s degrees at the university require between 30 and 36 hours. In some cases, exceptions may be made regarding the total number of hours required for a new program. Requests for an exception to offer a program with fewer than 30 hours or more than 36 hours will follow the same approval process as the new major proposal, and justification should be provided as part of the proposal.

Any changes above the 120 degree-credit hour maximum for baccalaureate degree programs or the 36 degree-credit hour maximum for master’s degrees must be presented in the form of a request for waiver to degree-credit hour length through the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost with a rationale for such changes. The rationale shall include references to external accrediting body requirements that exacerbate the need and requirement to increase credit hours in a program. Exceptions to degree-credit hour requirements indicated above may be made only with approval of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer of the University System of Georgia.

For more information on this policy, click here.

To submit a request, please follow the steps below:

• Click here to find the Budget Form Instructions.
• Credit hour waivers should be submitted with your proposal.  Click here for a list of questions.
• If your proposal uses courses outside of Franklin College, you will need to provide support letters from those units with overlapping content.
• Complete the Curriculum Request Form.
  • When you click on the link above, the form will open in a browser.  You will need to save the form and open in Adobe Acrobat.  This will allow you to complete the fillable form and add your signature.
  • Supporting documentation:
    • New Degree or Major Programs Proposal Form
    • New Degree or Major Programs Budget Form
• Please submit your PDF request to April Brown at albrown@uga.edu.
• New degree and major proposals will need to be reviewed and approved by the Faculty Senate.  A representative from your department will need to be present at this meeting to discuss the proposal as well as answer any questions or concerns that might arise.
• Once your request has been approved by both the Franklin College Curriculum Committee and the Faculty Senate, the request will be emailed to the Office of Curriculum Systems and to the Department Head. 
• Please refer to the New Degree and Major Programs Approval Routing Chart.

New Minor Proposal

The option to create a minor and the formulation of requirements for a minor are curriculum decisions; therefore, they should originate from the faculty of the academic unit offering the minor.

Ordinarily, a minor may be offered only in a field for which there exists a corresponding major. Exceptions may be made if (1) the proposed minor is in a recognized academic field or discipline, and (2) the University has in place sufficient courses, faculty, and facilities for the offering of the minor.

The availability and requirements of a minor will appear in the Bulletin. Proposals for a new minor should include the total number of hours required, along with the enumeration of any particular courses that are mandated or excluded, residency requirements (if any) for the minor courses, and grade requirements for minor courses if those requirements differ from the general University standard for credit (a D as the minimum passing grade). Board of Regents' policy states that a minor must contain 15 to 18 semester hours of coursework with at least 9 hours of upper division coursework (numbered 3000 or above). Courses taken to satisfy Core Areas I through V may not be counted as coursework in the minor. Core Area VI courses may be counted as coursework in the minor.

A student may have more than one minor. Students must be currently enrolled in a major program to pursue a minor.

The intent of establishing minor fields of undergraduate study is to offer students the opportunity to broaden their education through the minor field. The selection of a minor field of study should be made to fulfill this goal.

A student may select a minor in consultation with the advisor in the major field. The student may then consult an advisor in the minor field, who can inform the student of remaining requirements for the minor. When the student has met the requirements for the minor, the advisor in the minor field will then certify that fact to the student's dean. The completed minor will be recorded on the student's permanent transcript but not on the diploma. For students completing a minor before graduation, the minor will appear on the transcript at the time of graduation. For students completing a minor after graduation, the statement shall appear on the transcript in chronological order following the courses taken subsequent to graduation.

A student must be enrolled at the time a minor is approved by the University Council, or subsequent to that date, to receive credit for the minor.

For more information on this policy, click here.

To submit a request, please follow the steps below:

• Click here for a list of approved minors.
• Complete the Curriculum Request Form.
  • When you click on the link above, the form will open in a browser.  You will need to save the form and open in Adobe Acrobat.  This will allow you to complete the fillable form and add your signature.
  • Supporting documentation:
    • New Minor Proposal Form
  • Please submit your PDF request to April Brown at albrown@uga.edu. 
• New minor proposals will need to be reviewed and approved by the Faculty Senate.  A representative from your department will need to be present at this meeting to discuss the proposal as well as answer any questions or concerns that might arise.
• Once your request has been approved by both the Franklin College Curriculum Committee and the Faculty Senate, the request will be emailed to the Office of Curriculum Systems and to the Department Head. 
• Please refer to the New Minor Approval Routing Chart.

New Area of Emphasis

The option to create an area of emphasis within a major or certificate and the formulation of requirements for the area of emphasis are curriculum decisions; therefore, they should originate from the faculty of the academic unit offering the major or certificate. Although graduate study by its very nature focuses on specialized areas of study, students may benefit from the formal recognition of specialized study that the official Area of Emphasis provides.

The official designation shall be "area of emphasis."

Only approved areas of emphasis will be included on the student’s official transcript.

Proposals for a new area of emphasis should include a program of study and a list of requirements for the major.

For more information on this policy, click here.

To submit a request, please follow the steps below:

• Complete the Curriculum Request Form.
  • When you click on the link above, the form will open in a browser.  You will need to save the form and open in Adobe Acrobat.  This will allow you to complete the fillable form and add your signature.
  • Supporting documentation:
    • New Area of Emphasis Proposal Form
  • Please submit your PDF request to April Brown at albrown@uga.edu.  
• New area of emphasis proposals will need to be reviewed and approved by the Faculty Senate.  A representative from your department will need to be present at this meeting to discuss the proposal as well as answer any questions or concerns that might arise.
• Once your request has been approved by both the Franklin College Curriculum Committee and the Faculty Senate, the request will be emailed to the Office of Curriculum Systems and to the Department Head. 
• Please refer to the New Area of Emphasis Approval Routing Chart.

 QUESTIONS?  Please contact April Brown at albrown@uga.edu