Academic Program and Unit Proposals
Review the Academic Program and Unit Development Guide.
Learn more about the specific proposal guidelines and the review procedures for the following types of proposals:
Organizational Unit
Degrees & Majors
Certificates
Minor & Concentration
New Organizational Units
Proposals for the creation of a new academic unit such as a College, Department, School, Center, or Institute - as well as any significant changes to an existing academic unit (merging of two units into one or splitting one unit into multiple units) undergo extensive internal and external review.
Once the proposal is submitted to Academic Affairs, it takes approximately one year to go through the approval process.
To create a new organizational unit, please contact Kerstiena Dodge to discuss the process, the proposal, and the budget.
Required Documents
To establish a new organizational unit or to make significant changes to an existing unit, please submit the following documents:
- A proposal (Word document)
- Download the College, School, and Department Proposal Form
- Download the Center and Institute Proposal Form - Supporting documents (e.g. letters of support) as appendices (optional)
- Budget table for new Organizational Units (Excel document)
- Cover memo from the Dean's Office
Review & Approval Process
| Internal Review | External Review |
|---|---|
| Department or School | University of Nebraska Provost |
| College | Chief Academic Officers |
| Faculty Senate | Academic Affairs Committee (BoR) |
| Education Policy Advisory Committee | Board of Regents |
| Academic Affairs Leadership | Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education |
| Chancellor's Cabinet |
Degrees & Majors
Proposals for the creation of a new degree or majors require internal and external review. Prior to using the CourseLeaf Program Form to create a new major or degree, please contact Keristiena Dodge to discuss the proposal and its budget.
Majors share the following elements:
- Majors consist of a minimum of 30 hours of undergraduate or graduate coursework, all courses must adhere to UNO's college-level Rigor Policy and Guidelines.
- Majors are discipline and content specific with a coherent plan of study;
(Ensure that the program of study follows the appropriate undergraduate or graduate academic guidelines) - Majors have limited overlap with other majors;
- Majors provide both depth and breadth within a specific-content area; and
- Majors are not printed on diplomas, but recognized on transcripts.
- Majors are discipline and content specific with a coherent plan of study;
To create a new degree or major, please submit the following:
- A proposal (Word document)
- Supporting documents (e.g. letters of support) as appendices (optional)
- Budget table for new degrees or majors (Excel document)
- A cover memo from the Dean's Office
Review & Approval Process
| Internal Review | External Review |
|---|---|
| Department or School | University of Nebraska Provost |
| College | Independent External Review (grad only) |
| Graduate Council (grad only) | Executive Graduate Council (grad only) |
| Faculty Senate | Chief Academic Officers |
| Education Policy Advisory Committee | Academic Affairs Committee (BoR) |
| Academic Affairs Leadership | Board of Regents |
| Chancellor's Cabinet | Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education |
New Certificates
Proposals for the creation of an undergraduate or graduate certificate require internal and external review.
Prior to using the CourseLeaf Program Form to create a new certificate, please contact Keristiena Dodge to discuss the proposal and its budget.
Certificates share the following elements:
- Certificates generally consist of 12-18 hours of coursework;
(Ensure that the program of study follows the appropriate undergraduate or graduate academic guidelines) - Certificates provide an opportunity for a recognized specific set of skills and knowledge;
- With departmental approval, the certificate coursework may be applied to a graduate or undergraduate degree program; and
- Certificates provide an independent or professional credential that is awarded in addition to, or independently from, a graduate or undergraduate degree.
To establish a new certificate, please submit the following:
- A proposal (Word document)
Download the Graduate Expedited Certificate Proposal Form
Download the Full (Graduate and Undergraduate) Certificate Proposal Form - Supporting documents (e.g. letters of support) as appendices (optional)
- Budget table for Certificate proposals (Excel document)
- A cover memo from the Dean's Office
Review & Approval Process
| Internal Review | External Review |
|---|---|
| Department or School | University of Nebraska Provost |
| College | Chief Academic Officers |
| Graduate Council (grad only) | Academic Affairs Committee (BoR) |
| Education Policy Advisory Committee | Board of Regents |
| Academic Affairs Leadership | Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education |
| Chancellor's Cabinet |
New Minors & Concentration
Minors share the following elements:
- Minors generally consist of 15-18 hours of undergraduate coursework, must include 9 hours at the 3000 level or higher, or 9 hours of graduate coursework;
- Minors provide an opportunity for a secondary set of skills and knowledge in addition to a major;
- Minors cover an area outside of the major; and
- Minors are recognized on transcripts.
Concentrations share the following elements:
- Concentrations are a subset of a major with a limited number of hours required;
- Concentrations generally consist of 12-18 undergraduate credit hours or at least 9 graduate credit hours. The BMS concentrations have 30 hours of coursework;
- Concentrations share a core set of requirements for the major;
- Concentrations may overlap with other concentrations within a major;
- Concentrations have some distinct or unique requirements that differentiate from other concentrations or within the major; and
- Concentrations are recognized on transcripts.
Prior to using the CourseLeaf Program Form to create a new concentration or minor, please contact Denise Devney to discuss the proposal.
The following documents are required to create a new concentration or minor.
- A proposal (Word document)
- Supporting documents (e.g. letters of support) as appendices (optional).
- A cover memo from the Dean's Office.
Review & Approval Process
| Internal Review |
|---|
| Department or School |
| College |
| Graduate Council (grad only) |
| Education Policy Advisory Committee |
| Academic Affairs Leadership |