Academic Programs Forms & Templates

This page provides information to faculty members on proposing new academic programs, certificates, concentrations, or minors, as well as proposing new courses or changes to existing courses. Please consult with your Department Chair, Dean, or Associate Provost if you have any questions about these procedures.

New Academic Program Process Flowchart 

1. Proposals for new academic programs should use the New Academic Program Proposal Template (Microsoft Word).
2. All new program proposals should be submitted to the Academic Program Review Committee (APRC) for consultation. The APRC uses a New Academic Program Proposal Checklistto ensure that all program proposals are complete and have been vetted by appropriate University academic and administrative units.
3. Any new courses required to support a new academic program must follow the New Course Approval Process discussed below. All new courses associated with a new program must be submitted concurrently or after the new program proposal has been vetted.
4. All new academic programs are approved by the department chair, college faculty council, and dean.
5. All new undergraduate programs must also be reviewed by the Faculty Senate. All new graduate programs must also be reviewed and approved by the University Graduate Council and Associate Provost.
6. After all approvals have been received, the College Dean submits new programs for review by the University Deans' Council using the New Academic Program Proposal Template.

Certificate, Concentration and Minor Authorization Form

1. Proposals for new academic certificate programs follow the same procedures used for proposing new academic programs.
2. New academic certificate programs must be comprised of courses used in support of existing academic degree programs.
3. Any new courses required to support a new academic program must follow the New Course Approval Process discussed below. New courses must be associated with a full degree program.
4. Academic certificate programs may be offered to graduate students and senior undergraduate students by using 5000 level courses and ensuring that undergraduate students meet appropriate academic requirements.

New Course Authorization Form (Microsoft Word)
New Course Authorization Form

1. See the back of the form for detailed instructions.
2. All new courses are approved by the department chair, college faculty council, and dean.
3. All new undergraduate courses that are part of a new academic program must also be reviewed by the Faculty Senate (for undergraduate programs) or Graduate Council (for graduate programs) concurrently or following review of the proposal for the new program.
4. Course descriptions should be clear, accurate, concise, and precise. Focus only on the content of the course. Avoid using unneeded preambles such as "In this course the student will...." or "This course provides...."
5. Follow the University Style Guide wherever possible. Course descriptions are not required to use complete sentences, but phrases must use proper grammar. Do not capitalize words unnecessarily.
6. Avoid implied performance guarantees such as "By the end of the course students will be able to ..." or "Students will learn to ..."
7. Minor changes such as course description changes or prerequisite changes may be approved using the internal College process with approval by the Associate Provost. The Deans' Council should be informed of such changes as a courtesy, and other departments which may be affected by changes to prerequisites should also be consulted.

Hybrid and Online Scheduling Requirements

1. All LTU courses adhere to the federal definition of a credit hour: “[O]ne hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out-of-class student work each week for approximately 15 weeks for one semester […] hour of credit […] or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time.”
2. Each LTU course section taught using hybrid/distance/online delivery formats must be coded in Banner at 01H, 25H, 50H, 75H, or ALH to denote its online contact hour requirements. This information must also be provided to students in each course syllabus.
3. For hybrid/distance/online classes, Instructors must identify the "direct faculty instruction" components in course syllabi.