Curriculum & Program Development

The Office of Academic and Student Affairs oversees and authorizes final campus-level approval for all curriculum development activities at UNO. Curriculum development refers to the complex process of defining program goals, establishing instructional methods, and creating course and program coherence. Curricular activities generally include reviewing proposals for new courses, new academic programs, and new minors.

Curriculum Development & Review.

The review/approval process for curricular activities begins at the department level and extends in the case of new degree programs, to the Board of Regents and the Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education. Because review committees often meet only monthly, instructors should check other college and university committees' schedules to ensure a timely approval process.

Effective Fall 2006, ALL changes and additions to courses, including the course syllabus, are done online using the Course Catalog Management System (CCMS)

Each department/school and college has its own processes for reviewing course changes and new course proposals. Faculty should consult with their department/school and college for information regarding those processes. All proposed course changes and new course proposals must be reviewed at the department and college levels in accordance with their applicable policies and procedures prior to submission to the Office of Academic and Student Affairs.

Once a course change or a new course proposal has been approved at the college level, the course change/proposed course is sent to Academic and Student Affairs for review by the Educational Policy Advisory Committee (EPAC) for undergraduate courses and to the Office of Graduate Studies for review by the Graduate Council Committee B. All graduate new course proposals and changes to existing courses are reviewed by Committee B of the Graduate Council and approved by the Dean for Graduate Studies. At this point the proposed change is forwarded to EPAC for final approval. Please note, Committee B meets monthly beginning in September and ending in April. EPAC reviews graduate courses after approval by Graduate Studies. After all reviews of courses (undergraduate and graduate), the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs will send the course change or new course proposal to the Records and Registration Office for inclusion in the UNO online Course Catalog Maintenance System (CCMS).

All changes to existing courses, new courses, and significant changes to existing courses will be processed through the CCMS.

The links below provide access to information for using the online CCMS for changes to existing courses and for proposing new courses.