A. Curriculum
The requirements for the degree must be the same as the approved on-campus program. The courses required in the program and an adequate number of electives must be offered in the program delivery mode to allow the students to be able to complete the program as approved. Thus, required courses and adequate electives must be offered using the chosen delivery mode in a time period that allows for completion within the Graduate College time limit policies.
B. Student Admission
Graduate College minimum admission requirements are the same for off-campus/online students as they are for their on-campus counterparts (minimum GPA and an earned bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution). However, departments may require different application materials of on campus, online and off-campus students if they desire, in order to assess each of those groups for admission purposes. Nevertheless, the overall quality required of an applicant to be admitted must be similar across the programs.
C. Relationship to Existing Programs
Proposals should include how will this new cohort of students be similar to or different from the existing on-campus cohort with regard to the department, the curriculum, and the employment sector, and explain how the new and existing programs interact with each other.
D. Resource Implications
The program must have thoroughly investigated the long-term budget and resource implications of starting an online or off-campus program. The program must be sustainable both in terms of unit budget and staffing of faculty and administrators. Account for potential program growth in this explanation. If special tuition or tuition arrangements are desired, these require additional campus approvals. These approvals should be requested during the proposal process and must be obtained before a program may be implemented.
E. Proposal Process
If a new degree will be created to be offered extramurally or online, the unit should follow the instructions for new degree programs, and the additional reviews needed for extramural/online program review will be included in the approval process. If an existing degree will be offered online or at an off-campus location (at least 50% or more of the degree), units should follow the instructions for revised degree programs. Programs in which instruction will take place outside the U.S. must be reviewed by the Office of International Programs and Studies (to secure needed campus and university approvals).
F. Approval
All programs offered online and off-campus must be reported to the Higher Learning Commission. However additional reports, reviews and approvals may be necessary depending upon the type of program and the location/mode of delivery. Please see the Levels of Governance document maintained by the Office of the Provost.