Topics Map > Governance
Guide: Editing Based on Content Type
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What is Guide?
A graduate program's Guide page is a legal, binding agreement with students that displays the requirements for completing awards (degrees/graduate/professional certificates/doctoral minors). This is a relatively static document with updates allowed during certain times of the year. The "normal" cycle for changes publishes on June 1 for each upcoming academic year.
This document only pertains to the graduate information in Guide. Questions about undergraduate or other content should be directed to the appropriate School/College Guide coordinator or academic planner.
Types of Content
There are two "types" of content on a program's Guide page. Programs must follow specific processes to update information based on content type.
Governed Content
- Requires review and approval from department, School/College, Provost's Office (DAPIR), Graduate School (GFEC), and University Academic Planning Council (UAPC).
- Changes must be drafted and approved via Lumen Programs.
- See Lumen and Guide KnowledgeBase for technical assistance related to system.
Non-governed Content
- Does not require shared governance approval.
- Edits are reviewed by a program's School/College Guide coordinator.
- See Guide Editing Tutorial course for self-paced resource.
Directory Information
- Contains information about people associated with the program.
- Refers to contact information box on page
| Governed Content | Non-Governed Content | Directory Information |
|---|---|---|
| Admissions | Overview | Contact information box |
| Requirements | Funding | |
| Policies | Professional Development | |
| Learning Outcomes | People | |
| Accreditation (if applicable) | Contact Information | |
| Certification/Licensure (if applicable) |
Edits and Effective Date
Changes are reviewed and effective for the following academic year. This means while a Lumen Programs proposal may be created in the current academic year, the changes are not effective until the June 1 publication of Guide. For example, a proposal may be finalized during the 2024-25 academic year, but not in effect until the 2025-26 academic year.
In general, programs should plan for the following periods to edit:
- Governed content: Fall term until School/College review deadline (usually February)
- Non-governed content: early November to early March
Contact your School/College academic planner for specific School/College governance deadlines. If changes to directory information are needed immediately, contact the Registrar's Office (guideeditor@office365.wisc.edu).