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Chapter Topics: [ I. Administration & Governance] [ II. Funding, Budget and Operations] [ III. Personnel ] [ IV. Other Personnel Policies ] [ V. Curriculum and Related Policies ] [ VI. Student Academic Affairs ] [ VII. College Relations ] [ VIII. Resources & Services ] [ Glossary of L&S Terms ]
Chapter V Contents: [ V.1 Registration, Timetable & Enrollment Management ] [ V.2 Class Size & Course Enrollment Restrictions ] [ V.3 Instructional Workloads and Class Meeting Times ] [ V.4. Academic Program Review Guidelines ] [ V.5 Curricular Changes ] [ V.6 Academic Assessment ] [ V.7 General Education Requirements ] [ V.8 Writing Across the Curriculum ] [ V.9 The L&S Honors Program ] [ V.10 Service Learning and Community Based Research ] [ V.11 Instructional Materials ] [ V.12 Special Course and Non-Standard Fees ] [ V.13 Use of Readers ] [ V.14 Faculty & Student Evaluations ] [ V.15 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act Compliance ] [ V.16 Students Called to Military Service ] [ V.17 Holding Classes Off Campus ] [ V.18 Directed Study Issues ]

V.5 CURRICULAR CHANGES

Divisional Executive Committees, the L&S Curriculum Committee, the L&S Academic Planning Council, and the Dean may all be involved in the review of proposed curricular changes. The following guidelines may help departments determine where to send such proposals.

  1. New majors or certificates:  A proposed new major or certificate program must be approved by the Dean and the L&S Academic Planning Council prior to review by the Graduate School (if appropriate) and the campus Academic Planning Council. Proposals for new majors or degree programs will also require approval by the UW System Administration and the Board of Regents. Review at all levels will focus on cost implications as well as academic issues. Submit proposals to the Dean.  
  2. Changes to Degree Program Requirements:  Substantive changes in undergraduate major requirements, including requirements for admission to the major, must be submitted to the Curriculum Committee for review and approval before being implemented.  (Please refer to Section 1.3 for a summary of the Curriculum Committee's Duties and Procedures in this area.)  
  3. New Courses:  All new courses must be approved by the L&S Curriculum Committee and the Dean prior to submission to the appropriate divisional executive committee. Dean's approval is ordinarily routine, but is occasionally withheld because of budgetary or programmatic concerns not considered by a divisional committee. The L&S Curriculum Committee is responsible for deciding upon the appropriateness of any breadth designation requested for all courses, including new courses. 

    Requests for approval as a Communication A or B course will be submitted to the Communication Liaison of the General Education Committee; requests for QR A or B course approval will be submitted to the QR liaison; requests for ethnic studies designation are reviewed by the Ethnic Studies Subcommittee of the University General Education Committee. (More information on General Education Courses is available on the General Education Requirements website, www.ls.wisc.edu/gened.) 

Proposals should be sent to the L&S Curriculum Committee in care of Elaine Klein (307E South Hall).    

  1. Changes to existing courses:  Changes in existing course titles, level, prerequisites, and numbers of credits follow a process similar to that described above.  They must be reviewed by the L&S Curriculum Committee, which considers proposals for College-level implications of the requested changes, prior to approval by the Dean and subsequent submission to the appropriate divisional executive committees.  Departments are reminded that any course that is intermediate or advanced level should ordinarily have a prerequisite. 

Proposals should be sent to the L&S Curriculum Committee in care of Elaine Klein (307E South Hall).    

Please note:

(1) Curriculum Committee approval of proposals to add or change courses connotes approval of the academic proposal only. Approval of College resources or Timetable preferences should not be inferred.

(2) Changes in requirements and prerequisites affecting other departments and schools or colleges should be made only after consulting with the affected department.   Successful proposals will include letters of support from affected departments.

  1. Budgetary Impact:  Departments wishing to make changes that will have a budgetary impact on another department (e.g., requiring large numbers of students to take a course that will require additional staffing in another department) should recognize that an adjustment in their own budgets may be necessary to help provide the resources to enable the other department to accommodate this change. Please keep the Dean's Office informed of any such plans and negotiations.
  2. Honors:  Special permission is not required for an existing course to be designated as an Honors course, but the Honors designation is suitable only for courses that meet the needs of the most able and motivated students. These needs are typically met in courses that have restricted enrollments, that involve students in writing and discussion, or that offer a more accelerated or deeper treatment of the subject than the standard curriculum. Departments that wish to offer new Honors courses should ask the Director of the Honors Program about prevailing College standards in Honors courses.
L&S Handbook V.5 (ChapterFive/chV-5.htm)
Revised 8/24/07

 

It is the nature of this document to be a work in progress. 
The L&S Handbook is produced and hosted by the UW-Madison College of Letters and Science.
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This document is updated annually each summer; however, significant additions may be made at any time. Departments
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