The process and requirements for changing an academic program's name. Includes proposal how-to help, information on required research and survey processes necessary to justify the name change.
When considering a change to an existing academic program name (i.e., degree/major, named option, certificate, or minor), the following steps must be completed in the sequence noted. Submitting a proposal and the subsequent governance review are the last steps of the process. Consult your school/college dean’s office contact and/or academic planners early in the process. School/college contacts will consult with Data, Academic Planning & Institutional Research (DAPIR), as needed.
Preliminary steps: exploration of names
Landscape assessment and feedback from stakeholders
Develop a communications plan
Survey current students
Submit a proposal to change the name of the program (Governance review)
Rules
Programs may not submit name change proposals until they complete their university five-year academic program review.
Once a program name has been changed, it cannot be changed again for ten (10) years.
Programs are strongly encouraged to use A-Z (upper and lower case) characters only. UW-Madison uses a wide, and expanding, variety of data systems and their ability to consume special characters varies, which may necessitate removing special characters.
General timing considerations
Recognize the following general points regarding timing. Specific information regarding timing based on proposal type is available further down in the KB.
The process may take several years to complete.
The timeline by which a program may change their program name depends on the student survey/feedback.
Name changes only take effect for a fall term to coincide with the start of a new academic year. The name change may not be the next soonest academic fall.
Timing examples
If the proposal is approved by the University Academic Planning Council (UAPC) at/by the November meeting and will be effective for the following fall term (e.g., November 2025 UAPC meeting, Fall 2026 effective date), the January mid-cycle Guide update can include a notice on the pending name change. The subsequent June Guide edition will publish with the new name.
If the proposal is approved by UAPC at/by the April meeting and will be effective for the following fall term (e.g., April 2024 UAPC meeting, Fall 2024 effective date), the new name will be reflected in Guide in the subsequent June edition.
For undergraduate majors, the name change implementation timeline is dictated by the application cycle.This means there will be a delay in the name change to align with the undergraduate application cycle. For example, if the name change proposal is approved by UAPC in April 2024, the new name will be on the next application for undergraduate admissions that will be published on 1 August 2024 for students who are applying to enter the university in Fall 2025. Guide will not reflect this name until the edition goes live for Fall 2025.
Preliminary Steps: Exploration of Names
When embarking on a program name change, consult with your school/college academic planner and/or dean’s office regularly throughout the process. They can provide support and guidance before spending considerable time on the preliminary steps.
These steps ensure that a program’s name is durable, consistent with trends in the field, and remains distinct among existing UW-Madison programs.
Do market research.
Review your peers.
Identify stable trends in the field.
Review the program array already offered by UW-Madison and UW-System.
Collect feedback from stakeholders.
Develop a communications plan.
Landscape assessment and feedback from stakeholders
Departmental faculty must research and identify a program name that meets the requirements of their stakeholders and is on par with similar programs among their peers. The following elements provide evidence the change is reasonable and necessary, which are required for the program change proposal process.
Market research
Consider the needs of the field, and what employers and graduate schools require of our students. Market research does not need to be formal but considerations of these expectations must be documented to support any name change.
Tips
Review job postings by companies that regularly hire your alumni (national, state, regional, local market workforce)
Review the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor available data (https://www.bls.gov/data/)
Peer review
Investigate what your peers have as their program name. Document which peers you surveyed and any recent changes to their program names.
Identify current trends in the field and make an assessment on the stability of a name change. Program name changes shouldn’t be made often, so selecting terms that are “buzzworthy” or trendy without long-term value are not recommended.
Tips
Review the Big 10 Academic Alliance program arrays. Determine if like-programs have recently completed name changes or are in the process of changing their name.
Review whether current research, publications, and/or terminology have been revised to a new “standard.”
Program Array at UW-Madison and in the UW-System
UW-Madison Programs
We must maintain distinct programs, so utilizing a name that is already in use at UW-Madison is not allowable. Programs with similar names must be assessed to ensure they are distinct programs within areas of speciality (review curriculum, learning outcomes, and CIP codes). While programs must be distinct, no specific word is owned by any department or school/college.
Tips
All programs at UW-Madison are in Guide.
See these other resources from DAPIR to review other aspects of the program array
Programs may have similar/overlapping names with other programs within the Universities of Wisconsin System. Review the curriculum for each program with a similar name to determine commonality or distinctness.
Feedback from other stakeholders (current studnts, alumni, accrediting bodies, employers etc.)
Collect feedback and/or confirmation from any additional stakeholders that are vested in your program. Survey the market and identify trends prior to soliciting feedback from stakeholders.
Tips
Solicit feedback from alumni (survey or poll).
Solicit confirmation from any accreditation or certification/licensing body that a name change will not impact the accreditation or certification/licensure.
Review the job positions of recent graduates. The First Destination Survey viz (internal; requires login and VPN) can provide some of this data.
Interview students? What are they looking for in a credential? Are current students’ needs being met?
Consider prospective students. In recruitment activities, is there a clear need from prospective students that isn’t covered by the current name?
Communications plan considerations and rules
Departments must develop a communications plan that includes notification to stakeholders, prospective students, information on departmental websites, program materials, Guide, scholarships, internal documentation, etc.
Identify stakeholders that must be notified of the name change, post-university governance approval (University Academic Planning Council).
Identify places where the current name of the program exists and make note where these need to be updated (Guide, departmental websites, pamphlets, career resources, etc.).
Develop a socialization plan for current students on why the program is requesting the name change. Include information from the landscape assessment.
Factor whether departmental URLs will change and where those live, primarily in Guide. If the URLs in Guide must be updated, align the changes so everything goes live at the same time. Some URLs cannot be updated at any time (i.e. governed content in Lumen Programs).
Communication to students in the process of declaration/admission before formal governance approval
Once the preliminary steps to a program name change have been completed, the program may and should alert any new student of the intent to change the program name. Follow these guidelines:
Continue to refer to the program with its current name.
Provide the new program name and when that change will go into effect.
When declaring new students, collect confirmation from each student that they have been notified of and by declaring the major, and accept the new program name.
Admitted students that have not yet been declared into a specific program are not necessarily guaranteed the old name.
(Undergraduate only) Ensure that new students at SOAR are aware of the program name change.
Communication post-university governance approval
Once the name change has been approved by the University Academic Planning Council (UAPC):
Programs may include the new name in all materials, including when that name goes into effect. You must also include the current name.
Guide pages will include future name changes and when they will go into effect on the Overview and Admissions/How to Get in tabs.
Consider having references to the old name after the new name goes into effect for those who are more familiar with the old name.
Student Survey
Before initiating a Program or Structures proposal, the department must survey current students to determine when the proposed program name change may take effect and/or if the proposed name is desireable or advantageous.
Rules
All declared students must be notified of and given the opportunity to object to the name change. They were admitted into the named academic program and must be given the opportunity to earn that credential.
The department cannot force students to accept the program name change.
Individual majors are not an acceptable alternative for undergraduate students who oppose a program name change. There is no information about an area of study on the transcript and provides no detail of a program of study. Only if the student elects to complete an individual major, may this be an alternative during a program name change.
Special Graduate Committee degrees may be used for graduate students during a program name change for students who oppose a name change, if the student finds it as an agreeable solution. The transcript provides program specific information regarding the area of study via a named option documentation.
From the time the student survey is initiated, any new students interested in the program must be notified that a proposal is in-progress to change the program name.
For programs with a relatively open pipeline, it is important to notify incoming students of the proposed change. This could be done by adding a note to the major's declaration and/or application forms (as applicable), having all incoming students in the current semester acknowledge the change prior to being added to the major.
Survey process
It is ideal to survey/contact students in early fall (i.e., September). This is when the fewest students are declared in the program given recent graduations and fewer students declaring into the program at the start of the term.
The notification should include rationale, timeline, impacts on transcript/diploma, etc.
Programs are encouraged to provide opportunities for students to discuss the proposed change, via a combination of emails, town hall meetings, classroom conversations, and outreach with student ambassadors/organizations, etc.
Ideally, a response will be collected from each individual student; this is most often done with an online survey or poll.
Solicitation of feedback from or notification to students can be done via email.
Departments can use a speak-now-or-hold-your-peace approach, meaning the program provides the notification and gives students the means (e.g., an email address) and timeline to raise questions or concerns.
The survey process, questions, and responses must be detailed in the Lumen Program proposal requesting the name change.
Data collection
The following methods are recommended:
Poll
Email
Town hall meetings
Outreach with student ambassadors/organizations
Updated declaration process: inclusion of a statement that "by declaring this (major, cert, etc). I am aware of the name change.")
Elements to include in the survey
Provide a short rationale why.
Include the anticipated timeline by when the name change will take effect.
Include other anticipated changes to the program, if any.
Solicit the student’s name and/or net-id.
Provide instructions to the student on how respond to the poll, including approval, have no opinion, or disapproval of the change and by when they must respond.
It’s recommended to provide additional information if the student is not in favor of the name change to provide feedback or other opportunities to discuss the changes.
Other optional pieces to include
Are you currently declared in [old program name]? (confirmation they are impacted where feedback is necessary)
(affirmation) I understand if this name is approved and implemented before I complete the program, my transcript will reflect the new name of [insert new program name].
Rate how strongly you oppose the name change (scale 1-5)
When all students approve of the name change, the proposal can be done “turn-key”meaning it will happen all at once. Even if all students agree to the name change, the implementation term may be delayed due to application and admissions processes.
Considerations for timing
Undergraduate programs that admit directly from the undergraduate application (students will automatically be declared in the admissions process). These program name changes will likely be delayed.
Undergraduate programs where there is no direct admit (i.e. L&S majors that may flag a program of interest but must declare a major once matriculated). These program name changes may be done earlier than programs that directly admit.
Graduate programs must factor open applications periods. These program name changes may be delayed.
If one or more students oppose the change
If any student opposes the name change, the program must either:
Delay implementation of the name change (i.e., future-date the effective date) until all enrolled opposing students have graduated, or
Propose a new academic program with the new name and suspend/discontinue the existing program. This requires full authorization and UW-System Board of Regents approval.
Considerations for timing
If the program delay’s implementation, the proposal may progress through governance and be approved years in advance. Guide will include the future name change on the Overview and Admissions/How to Get in tabs.
If proposing a new program, factor in substantial time on the front-end to complete the Notice of Intent (NOI), full proposal, and inclusion of the program on any application (undergraduate or graduate).
Proposals: next academic year implementation
If the program name change is turn-key (100% student agreement) and can be done during the current editing cycle (likely candidates: certificates, minors, named options), the changes must be requested via Lumen Programs.
Provide a brief overview of the proposal with sufficient detail so governance groups have an "elevator speech" overview of the proposal.
If approved, what term should the proposed change start?
Select the soonest fall term. If you want the next edition of Guide to reflect the new program name, the approval must be reviewed and approved by university governance, University Academic Planning Council, by April.
Guidance on the soonest term by Guide Edition
Current Academic Year
Guide Editing Edition
Fall term to select
2024-2025
2025-2026
2025
2025-2026
2026-2027
2026
2026-2027
2027-2028
2027
2027-2028
2029-2029
2028
Are the proposed changes minor, such as minimal curricular changes, small Guide language edits, red-box course corrections, etc.?
Changing a program's name may only be done when the answer to this question = No.
Basic Information
Transcript Title
Revise the transcript title field to the new name.
Will this name change apply to all enrolled students in the same term (turn-key)?
The default answer to this questions is "yes." In this scenario, there is 100% approval by students so this radio button should remain "yes."
If you select the "no" radio button, you will receive further instructions to complete a different type of proposals.
Accreditation and/or Certification/Licensure
If the program has an accrediting body or certification/licensure content that populates in Guide, ensure any references to the old name are revised to the new name.
Rationale and Justification
Utlizing the findings from the preliminary steps, populate the following fields, as applicable.
What is the rationale for this change?
What evidence do you have that these changes will have the desired impact?
What is the potential impact of the proposed change(s) on enrolled students?
Use this field to address the student survey. Articulate how the students were surveyed, the findings, and additional information regarding their feedback.
For example: In September 2024, all [number of students] [program name] students were surveyed via a Qualtrics survey, with [#] responding. Of those, [#] supported the change, [#] had questions and requested follow up, and [#] opposed the change. Survey directions and two reminder emails indicated that a non-response would be interpreted as support for the change. The [#] student(s) who opposed the change took meetings with the program director and subsequently endorsed the change.
What is the potential impact of the proposed change(s) on faculty and staff?
Include the information and proceses by which all departmental and affiliated faculty have been consulted/informed of the name change.
Provide information about how the staff in the department or affiliated department(s) have been included and/or notified of the name change.
It's recommended to include the faculty voting results of the program name change in the approvals section of the proposal (entered by the department chair or designee).
It's recommended to include letter's of support in the Supporting Information
Curriculum and Requirements
Review each Guide integration point to ensure any reference to the old name is revised to the new name:
Admissions
How to Get in
Requirements
Policies
Four-Year/Three-Year Plans
Reminder: review and update the non-governed Guide content to match the new name.
Recent “turn-key” program name changes
Proposals may include information, if included in the proposals, at the end of the proposal regarding the student survey process.
If the proposal to change the name is delayed (cannot be implemented for the next academic year), submit a Lumen Structures proposal. Most degree/major name changes take more than one year to complete due to the application cycle. Student opposition may also delay the timeline for implementation of a program name change. If a name change cannot be completed during the current editing cycle (i.e. the current editing cycle is 2024-2025 and the change must be implemented in 2026), submit a Lumen Structures Proposal.
Overview on Delayed Implementation timelines
Current Academic Year
Guide Editing Edition
Fall term of implementation
2024-2025
2025-2026
≥2026
2025-2026
2026-2027
≥2027
2026-2027
2027-2028
≥2028
2027-2028
2029-2029
≥2029
How-to proposal Lumen Structures form help
The Structures proposal provides a vehicle to provide the rationale/survey process and approval of the program name change outside of Lumen Programs. There can only ever be one proposal in process in Lumen Programs, which makes future effective dated proposals impossible. By using Lumen Structures, the name change can be approved while leaving the Lumen Programs form available for other changes, such as smaller curricular changes, fixing red-box courses, or other minimal changes. Significant other changes should wait until the proposal implementing the name change.
During the Guide editing cycle when the name change takes effect, the department must submit a Lumen Programs proposal with the updated name revisions applied to the proposal. If no other changes in the proposal require university governance, the proposal does not need to be re-approved at UAPC.
Provide a brief overview of the proposal with sufficient detail so governance groups have an "elevator speech" overview of the proposal.
Are the proposed changes minor, such as minimal curricular changes, small Guide language edits, red-box course corrections, etc.?
Changing a program's name may only be done when the answer to this question = No.
While university governance has already approved the program name change aspect, it's still necessary to answer "No" and proceed to answer the rest of the questions. Many answers may be pulled from the initial Lumen Structures proposal.
Basic Information
Transcript Title
Revise the transcript title field to the new name.
Will this name change apply to all enrolled students in the same term (turn-key)?
The default answer to this questions is "yes." In this scenario, there is 100% approval by students so this radio button should remain "yes."
If you select the "no" radio button, you will receive further instructions to complete a different type of proposals.
Accreditation and/or Certification/Licensure
If the program has an accrediting body or certification/licensure content that populates in Guide, ensure any references to the old name are revised to the new name.
Rationale and Justification
Utlizing the findings from the preliminary steps, populate the following fields, as applicable.
What is the rationale for this change?
What evidence do you have that these changes will have the desired impact?
What is the potential impact of the proposed change(s) on enrolled students?
Use this field to address the student survey. Articulate how the students were surveyed, the findings, and additional information regarding their feedback.
For example: In September 2024, all [number of students] [program name] students were surveyed via a Qualtrics survey, with [#] responding. Of those, [#] supported the change, [#] had questions and requested follow up, and [#] opposed the change. Survey directions and two reminder emails indicated that a non-response would be interpreted as support for the change. The [#] student(s) who opposed the change took meetings with the program director and subsequently endorsed the change.
What is the potential impact of the proposed change(s) on faculty and staff?
Include the information and proceses by which all departmental and affiliated faculty have been consulted/informed of the name change.
Provide information about how the staff in the department or affiliated department(s) have been included and/or notified of the name change.
It's recommended to include the faculty voting results of the program name change in the approvals section of the proposal (entered by the department chair or designee).
It's recommended to include letter's of support in the Supporting Information
Curriculum and Requirements
Review each Guide integration point to ensure any reference to the old name is revised to the new name:
Admissions
How to Get in
Requirements
Policies
Four-Year/Three-Year Plans
Reminder: review and update the non-governed Guide content to match the new name.
Proposal: phased implementation (new program and subsequent suspend/discontinuation implementation)
If the department wants to have the change the program name earlier than the timeframe for opposing students to graduate, they may opt to create a new program and suspend/discontinue the old. Also referred to as a "phased-in approach."
