Degree Program Review and Approval

The Higher Education Coordinating Board will be replaced by the Student Achievement Council July 1, 2012. The Council will no longer have responsibility for approval of academic programs for the state’s public four-year universities. It will continue to have the responsibility for regular program review and will maintain a listing of programs offered by the public institutions.

The following items address changes in the program review and approval process.

Between now and June 30, 2012, programs with the status ‘Permission to Develop a new Degree Program Proposal’ may recruit and admit students, but may not matriculate students until a full proposal is approved by the HECB. After July 1, 2012 this restriction will no longer apply.
Institutions seeking approval for a program extension must submit a Location of Notice of Intent (LNOI) by May 1, 2012 to allow sufficient time for processing and public comment. LNOIs received by this date will be processed according to existing policy. After July 1, this process will no longer be conducted.
Program review and system design will continue as responsibilities of the new Council. How these responsibilities will be carried out is still under discussion. In the interim, we ask that institutions notify us of the following kinds of program changes and their start or effective dates prior to implementing them.
- Establishing new degree programs.
- Changing existing programs including:
  - Name changes
  - New concentrations or specializations
  - Change in CIP code
  - Change in degree designation (e.g. from BA to BS)
  - Discontinuing a program (e.g. through suspension, termination, or merger/consolidation). Please indicate the planned teach-out period.
- New locations for degree programs
- New modality for degree programs (distance or online delivery, e.g.)

Providing timely information on program changes will be necessary to ensure our program database remains up to date and accurate. An accurate listing of programs is essential for the kind of system planning and coordination envisioned for the Council, including ongoing responsibility for needs assessment, capacity planning, and system design.

Programs Under Development

This includes the following: