Institutional Research & Planning

Responsible Office:

Institutional Research & Planning

The Graduate School

Contacts:

Kristin Walker

Manager of Academic Support,

Institutional Research & Planning

Kat Empson

Assistant to the Dean,

The Graduate School

ACADEMIC PROGRAM REGISTRATION

Application Title:

Creating a New Degree Program at the Doctoral Level

Release / Revision Date:

February 22, 2012

These guidelines apply to Cornell University:

·  Graduate Fields (submit to Kat Empson)

·  Professional Schools (submit to Kat Empson)

Table of Contents:

·  Summary

·  Approval and Registration Process

·  Proposal Format

·  Contacts

·  Authority

Page 1 of 20

SUMMARY:

These guidelines describe the requirements for the official approval of a new degree program at the doctoral level by Cornell University and the official registration of a new degree program at the doctoral level by the State University of New York (SUNY) and/ or the New York State Education Department (NYSED).

All new degree programs must be reviewed and approved internally by Cornell and externally by SUNY (for programs involving the contract colleges) and/or NYSED.

New degree programs may not be advertised on any web sites or in any other manner, or included in the Graduate School online application until they have been approved internally by Cornell and externally by SUNY and/or NYSED.

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APPROVAL AND REGISTRATION PROCESS SEQUENCE:

CREATING A NEW DEGREE PROGRAM AT THE DOCTORAL LEVEL
1. Dean of the Graduate School
2. General Committee of the Graduate School
3. Faculty Senate
4. Provost
5. Board of Trustees
6. External Review
7. SUNY (for contract college programs) and/or NYSED
8. Office of the University Registrar

PROPOSAL FORMAT:

The completed proposal becomes part of Cornell University’s public record.

PROPOSAL SUBMISSION DATE AND APPROVALS FOR THE NEW DEGREE PROGRAM
Date of Proposal Submission:
Signature of Undergraduate Department Chair or Director of Graduate Studies:
Signature of College or School Dean:
PROPOSAL CONTACT INFORMATION FOR THE NEW DEGREE PROGRAM
Name / Email / Phone
Department / Field:
College or School Dean:
PROPOSED DEGREE INFORMATION FOR THE NEW DEGREE PROGRAM
Degree Title: / Award: / Ph.D.
Total Credits / Proposed start date:
ANTICIPATED ENROLLMENT IN THE NEW DEGREE PROGRAM
Year 1 / Year 2 / Year 3 / Year 4 / Year 5
PROPOSED PROGRAM FORMAT OF THE NEW DEGREE PROGRAM
Format: / ☐ Day ☐ Evening ☐ Weekend ☐ Evening/Weekend ☐ Not full-time
Mode: / ☐ Standard ☐ External ☐ Independent Study ☐ Accelerated
☐ Distance Education (submit the distance education application with this proposal)
Other: / ☐ Bilingual ☐ Language Other Than English ☐ Upper Division Program
PROPOSED OFF CAMPUS INSTRUCTION FOR THE NEW DEGREE PROGRAM
(for programs occurring away from the Ithaca/Geneva campus)
Will this program or any constituent courses be offered off campus? / ☐ Yes / ☐ No
If yes, specify the number of courses and related credits: / Courses: / Credits:
If yes, provide the address of the off campus location:
SPECIAL ACCREDITATION, LICENSURE, AND/OR CERTIFICATION OF THE NEW DEGREE PROGRAM
Will special accreditation be sought? / ☐ Yes / ☐ No / If yes, by what date?
If yes, by what accrediting agency?
Will the proposed program lead to certification or licensure? / ☐ Yes / ☐ No
If yes, by what field or specialty?
JOINT REGISTRATION OF THE NEW DEGREE PROGRAM
Partner institution’s name:
Name and title of partner institution’s CEO:
Signature of partner institution’s CEO:

I. ABSTRACT

Prepare a one- to two- page summary of the proposal which briefly sets forth: the title of the proposed doctoral program and the degree to which it leads; the purpose and goals of the program and its relationship to the mission of the institution and to existing offerings of the institution; the curriculum; any unique characteristics of the program; requirements for admission to the program; the nature of the prospective student body (geographic origin, age, racial/ethnic characteristics, any other pertinent information); projected (full- and part-time) enrollment in the program’s first and fifth year of operation; faculty, facilities including library, equipment, and other academic resources available, and planned to be acquired, to support the proposed program; prospects for employment/further education for the program’s graduates; and, any additional basis of need for the program. Indicate the preferred beginning date of the program (i.e., enrollment date).[[1]]

II. CURRICULUM

Outline all curricular requirements for the proposed program, including prerequisite, core, specialization (e.g., track, concentration), capstone, project, and any other relevant component requirements. Include the total number of required credits; the number of required and elective courses; the distribution of courses by academic year; project or thesis/dissertation requirements; field/internship requirements; the utilization of existing courses; the addition of new courses, indicating which faculty are likely to teach each course; and syllabi for any new courses.

Describe research training appropriate for doctoral study (e.g., seminars, diverse and sophisticated research methodologies). Demonstrate the degree of emphasis on research and independent study, experimentation, and demonstration of professional performance, in existing graduate programs and/or the proposed doctoral program. Describe provisions for a full-time residency experience for students or an equivalent concentrated period of study or research.

III. STUDENT ADMISSIONS, ENROLLMENT, FUNDING AND SUPPORT SERVICES

Student Admissions:

Describe the criteria and procedures for admission to the proposed program, including any special or optional admission requirements. Describe how these requirements are intended to assure that students are prepared to complete the program. Describe the process for evaluating exceptions to those requirements. Describe the type of student body to be served. Of particular interest are the following: geographic and academic origins of students; proportions of women and minority group members; foreign students and students for whom English is a second language. How will the institution encourage enrollment by persons from groups historically underrepresented in the discipline or occupation? If there are special provisions or requirements for the latter, or for special admissions in any category, describe them.

Student Enrollment:

What is the projected enrollment when the program begins? What is the projected enrollment after five years? How were these projections determined? What planning has been made for the possibility that anticipated enrollment estimates are not achievable? Since the expected enrollment may affect the future campus enrollment composition and totals, estimate the impact of the program on total campus enrollment.

Academic Support Services:

Summarize the academic support services available to help students succeed in the program.

Student Credit for Experience:

If this program will grant substantial credit for learning derived from experience, describe the methods of evaluating the learning and the maximum number of credits allowed.

Student Funding:

Indicate the sources and amounts of funding for students for the duration of their degree programs. Please address all costs associated with student enrollment (internal and external fellowships, assistantships, stipends, and financial aid) for both domestic and international students. Indicate the proportion of the student body in each category of support including those receiving no support.

IV. PROGRAM ASSESSMENT AND IMPROVEMENT

Goals, Objectives, and Learning Outcomes:

Outline the programmatic goals and objectives for the program, including a list of the learning outcomes students should demonstrate upon completing the program. Include an assessment plan describing how those learning outcomes will be measured and monitored, using appropriate combination of direct and indirect measures.

Periodic Program Review and Special Accreditation:

To demonstrate how program quality will be maintained and monitored, describe provisions for periodic program review. What is the date of the initial periodic assessment of the program and the length of the assessment cycle (years). If this is a professional program for which special accreditation is to be sought, provide the name of the accrediting agency and a timetable for completing the accrediting process. If special accreditation will not be sought, explain why.

V. STAFFING AND OPERATIONS

Department or Field Membership:

Does your department or field have endowed appointments only, contract appointments only, or both? Will the department or field membership change as a result of this proposal? If so, describe. Will any faculty need to make changes to their concentrations and areas of research?[1] (If this proposal involves a new field, or new/renamed subjects or concentrations, changes will be necessary; list which faculty will be members of which field, subject, concentration).

Fiscal, Physical, and Human Resources:

Provide evidence that the institution has sufficient fiscal, physical, and human resources to support the changes proposed and to do so without diminishing the quality of existing programs. Elements to address will normally include the following: research and laboratory facilities and equipment; computer facilities and services; technical and secretarial services for students and faculty; and office, classroom, and study space. If there will be changes made to existing programs to support the proposed program, describe them and provide the rationale and plan. Specify a budget commitment that ensures that students will have the opportunity to complete the program. Describe special support facilities and unique resources.

Library Resources:

Summarize the analysis of library resources for this program by the collection librarian and program faculty. Include an assessment of existing library resources and their accessibility to students. Describe the institution’s response to identified needs and its plan for library development. Indicate the annual financial allocations for additions to the collection which will be used specifically to support the proposed program for a five-year period.

VII. MARKET NEED AND DEMAND

Student Demand:

How many potential students (e.g., students currently enrolled at Cornell, students currently enrolled at other institutions, alumni) have requested the proposed program? Describe and document how such persons were identified (e.g., surveys). How long has the above demand existed and what evidence is there that it will continue? Have enrollments in similar programs been growing locally, regionally, on a statewide basis, on a nationwide basis? If this is a proposed doctoral program, explain why the demand to study this program cannot be accommodated by other doctoral programs in the State.

Employer or Special Group Demand (or other groups, such as clients or patients)

For what occupation(s) does this program prepare its graduates? What is the extent of occupational demand for such persons? Explain how that demand was measured. Why aren’t existing programs at other institutions able to meet that demand? List potential employers of the graduates. Name any employers who have requested establishment of this program at this institution and provide evidence of the number of employees they will need over the five-year period beginning with the year in which the first students are expected to graduate.

Institutional Demand

Explain the need of the institution to complement the program(s) it now offers. Describe the relationship of the proposed program to the state mission of the institution and to those programs it will complement, and explain the ways in which its establishment will result in strengthening those programs. Provide evidence to show that the program does not represent unnecessary duplication of programs. If the proposed program is needed to maintain the institution’s competitiveness, explain why.

Societal and/or Academic Discipline Demand

Explain fully the basis for the perception that society, the academic discipline, or both (as appropriate), need this program either now or in the future.

VIII. INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT

Institutional Effect

Explain the relationship of the proposed program to the stated mission of the institution. Describe the relationship between the new program and the ongoing programs. State anticipated effects on existing programs. Explain how negative effects, if any, will be mitigated. In the event the proposal does not receive University and/or State approval, how else might you accomplish the goals it represents? Describe the extent to which the institution will redirect resources to support the program, as well as the area(s) of the institution from which resources will be withdrawn.

New York State Effect (for contract college / graduate field degree program proposals only)

What effect would the proposed program, if approved, have on other institutions in the State? List the other institutions in the State that offer programs in the same discipline. Describe those elements of the proposed program (e.g., academic focus, intended clientele, method of delivery) that make it distinctive from other programs identified. If the proposed program requires the use of clinical facilities that are not under the control of the institution (internship or practica sites, etc.), to what extent are such sites already being used by similar programs at other institutions? Name the institutions and the similar programs that currently use the sites and describe the effect of the proposed program on the use of those sites. If the proposed program will draw upon scarce resources (such as faculty in high-demand disciplines), what steps will be taken to ensure that the proposed program will not weaken similar programs in the State by drawing those resources from them?

VII. EXTERNAL REVIEW OF NEW DEGREE PROGRAM PROPOSALS:

If the proposal represents a new or emerging undergraduate field, or the proposal is for a new graduate degree program, an evaluation of the program will be required after the internal Cornell approvals of the program, to be conducted by a recognized expert in the field who has been approved in advance by the New York State Education Department. The evaluation and the institution’s response to the evaluation, highlighting how the proposal was modified in response to the reviewer’s comments will be required. Please indicate here the names, titles, institutions, and websites of 3 individuals with appropriate credentials to review the program, so these names can be vetted with the New York State Education Department. (Please see Report Form for External Evaluation of New Degree Programs, at the end of this document.)

LIST OF POTENTIAL REVIEWERS FOR NEW DEGREE PROGRAM PROPOSALS AT THE DOCTORAL LEVEL
Name / Title / Institution / Website

VIII. TABLES REQUIRED FOR NEW DOCTORAL DEGREE PROGRAMS

TABLES REQUIRED FOR NEW DEGREE PROGRAM PROPOSALS AT THE DOCTORAL LEVEL
(see bleow for templates to complete)
# / Title
1 / Sample Student Schedule
2 / Data on Faculty Directly Associated with the Proposed Doctoral Program
3 / Data on Other Faculty Associated with the Proposed Doctoral Program
4 / Projected Staff for the Proposed Doctoral Program
5 / Student Characteristics of the Proposed Doctoral Program
6 / Projected Enrollment in the Proposed Doctoral Program
7 / Projected Expenditures for the Proposed Doctoral Program
8 / Projected Expenditures for the Proposed Doctoral Program in Other Departments
9 / Projected Revenue Related to the Proposed Doctoral Program

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