Curriculum Committee

The curriculum development process is governed by the Faculty Senate. At the university level, the FSCC considers proposals for new curricula, changes to existing curricula, and discontinuations of curricula. Additional information on specific aspects of the curriculum review process may be found in the governance documents of specific colleges and departments. An important aspect of the curriculum approval process is documentation of consultation with any academic programs that may be affected by the change.

This document gives an overview of the approval process, the path through Iowa State University and the Iowa Board of Regents.

• Offering a New Curriculum - Approval Process Overview (PDF)

Curriculum proposals should follow the approval process indicated in the following table, beginning with the department or interdepartmental program. This guidance is adapted from Table 10.8 of the Faculty Handbook:

• Approval Procedures Table (PDF)
• Approval Procedures Flowchart (PDF)

The curriculum approval process generally consists of a proposal from the department/program level, with documentation of appropriate consultation with other programs, and as approved by the department/program curriculum committee (if applicable), college curriculum committee, other representative committees (if applicable) and the dean. Additional approvals are needed from the Graduate College (Graduate Council and Graduate Dean) if the program proposal is a graduate program. The program proposal is then submitted to the FSCC for review. After FSCC review, the Academic Affairs Council reviews the proposal before passing it on to the full Faculty Senate. The Board of Regents, State of Iowa approves all new programs and majors. Pre-major program curricula require approvals only from the relevant department, college, and from the Associate Provost for Undergraduate Programs. For additional information about the approval process, see information in the ISU Faculty Handbook:

• Faculty Senate/Faculty Handbook Curriculum Approvals – Section 10.8 (PDF)

Interdisciplinary programs, across multiple departments and even multiple colleges, are essential to meeting the needs of our modern world and the interests of today’s students. However, these types of programs need to clearly lay out the structure for their management and governance and ensure input and representation from all involved.

If a new program (major, minor, or certificate) is interdisciplinary, a governance document should be created and submitted to the Associate Provost for Academic Programs (existing Faculty Handbook policy). The document must include the creation and operation of an interdisciplinary curriculum committee to manage the curriculum.  

• Interdisciplinary Governance Template

One “managing” college should be identified. One faculty member will serve as the Chair of the Curriculum Committee and coordinates with the managing college to administer the program each year.

Once this governance document has been reviewed by all of the partners involved (including college Deans, department chairs and the Associate Provost for Academic Programs), proposal forms for a new interdisciplinary program only need to be approved by the managing college’s curriculum committee (not multiple colleges). Members of the interdisciplinary curriculum committee are responsible for representing the interests of their respective departments. The approved document will be posted on the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee website.

• Interdisciplinary Governance Documents

The University Catalog provides information on academic programs and curricula, as well as program requirements for individual programs. The Office of the Provost oversees production of the University Catalog, an electronic document that is updated each year.

• Current Catalog
• Alphabetical Listing of Courses
• Four Year Plans of Study
• Link to Previous Catalogs

A new course that is not a required course in a program must be first offered on an experimental basis. This requirement provides an opportunity to determine whether there is sufficient student demand for the course, and to evaluate how the course contributes to existing academic programs. The course number is identified with an “X” suffix to indicate it is not in the published catalog. An experimental course can be included in the catalog if it was previously successfully offered no later than the fall term before catalog publication. For example, an experimental course successfully offered in Fall 2014 may be included in the 2015-2016 catalog. However, additional requirements may apply for each department and/or college. NEW: Experimental courses must be proposed using the online Experimental Course Inventory Management (CIMX) system which can be found at this link:

• Online Experimental Course Inventory Management System

Note: To use the CIMX system you must log in using your University Net-ID and password.  Please note that you may need to login from an on-campus access point (behind the University's firewall), or establish a Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection from off-campus locations to be able to access the CIMX system. ISU provides a free download - more information can be found here: https://iastate.service-now.com/esc?id=kb_article&sysparm_article=KB0011267.

If the content of a proposed new course is appropriate to consider for meeting University requirements for U.S. Cultures and Communities and/or International Perspectives, the following guidelines and approvals also apply:  

• U.S Cultures and Communities and International Perspectives Guidelines
• U.S. Cultures and Communities Proposal Submission
• International Perspectives Proposal Form (doc)
• Dual-Listing Proposal Form

New courses that are proposed as required courses for existing or new curricula are considered at the department and college level, and are included in annual reporting to the FSCC, which is considered for approval and then forwarded to the Academic Affairs Council, the Faculty Senate, the Office of the Senior Vice President and Provost and the Board of Regents.

Proposals for credit changes may be submitted in the form of a memo outlining the current level of credit awarded for the course, the proposed new credit, a justification for the change, and the process by which it was approved by the program to the relevant college curriculum committee.  Requests approved by college committees will be sent to the FSCC for consideration and if approved will be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar. 

Proposals for new degree programs (majors, minors, and certificates for both undergraduate and graduate programs) require documentation using templates and procedures established by the Board of Regents. It is the responsibility of those proposing new programs to consult with any other affect programs and to assemble and document relevant information on the new program, including program objectives, student learning outcomes, relationship of the program to the instructional mission of the university, the relationship of the program to existing programs, resources needed to support the new program, and evidence of demand and need for the program. All program proposals must include documentation of the approval process (see “Academic Program Approval Voting Record Form” at the link below). Proposal templates for majors, minors, and certificates are accessible at the following links: 

• Proposals for New Degree Programs - Regents Form A
• Proposals for New Minors
• Proposals for New Graduate Minors (for where no graduate major exists)
• Proposals for New Undergraduate Certificates
• Proposals for New Graduate Certificates
• For information on curricular requirements (e.g number of credits) for undergraduate minors or certificates refer to the university catalog: http://catalog.iastate.edu/collegescurricula/ 
• For information on curricular requirements for graduate minors or certificates see the Graduate Handbook https://www.grad-college.iastate.edu/handbook/ chapter 4 and Appendices B and C.
• Academic Program Approval Voting Record Form

If there are special GPA, Grade or other requirements stipulated in a new program proposal (e.g., a minimum grade in a prerequisite course, a minimum GPA in a set of courses to advance in the program, restrictions on how many times a student can take a course), those must be approved by the Faculty Senate Academic Standards and Admissions committee as per the following policy:

• ASAC Approval of Special GPA, Grade or Other Special Requirements

Proposals for name changes of majors, minors, and certificates for both undergraduate and graduate programs require documentation using templates and procedures established by the Board of Regents. It is the responsibility of those proposing a name change to assemble and document all relevant information on the name change, including a justification for the proposed name change, documentation of involvement of program faculty in developing the proposal as well as stakeholder input, consistency with program names at other institutions, and anticipated effects of the name change in terms of course requirements, currently enrolled students, and potential costs. All program proposals must include documentation of the name change approval process (see “Academic Program Approval Voting Record Form” at the link below).

• Proposals for Program Name Changes – Regents Form G
• Academic Program Approval Voting Record Form

Resources for routine catalog editing activities are located in the online Catalog Inventory Management (CIM) System. Use of this system requires authorization from the office of the registrar and is typically overseen by department and college curriculum committee chairpersons. Resources for catalog editing are available at the following links: 

• A Quick Catalog Editing Guide
• General Curriculum Tutorials

Note: To use the CIM system you must log in using your University Net-ID and password.  Please note that you may need to log in from an on-campus access point (behind the University's firewall), or establish a Virtual Private network (VPN) connection from off-campus locations to be able to access the CIM catalog editing system.

Proposals for suspension or discontinuation of degree programs, majors, minors, and certificates (for both undergraduate and graduate programs) require documentation using templates and procedures established by the Board of Regents and/or the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee. It is the responsibility of those proposing program suspension or discontinuation to assemble and document relevant information, including rationale for discontinuation, procedures for accommodating students already in the program, and recent trends in enrollment and graduation from the program. All program proposals must include documentation of the approval process (see “Academic Program Approval Voting Record Form” at the link below). The suspending or discontinuing a degree program or major requires approval through the Board of Regents and uses the Board Form J provided below. The suspending or discontinuing of a minor, certificate or graduate specialization requires approval within the institution up through the provost/president and uses the form approved by the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee provided below.

• Discontinuation of Degree Programs – Regents Form J (PDF)
• Discontinuing Minors, Certificates, or Graduate Specializations - FSCC Form (PDF)
• Academic Program Approval Voting Record Form (doc)