Topics Map > Program Proposals

Program Proposal: Curriculum and Requirements

This page provides guidance for answering questions in this section of the Lumen Programs form. The questions are in the order in which they appear on the form. Questions will display, be hidden or disabled depending on the type of program that is being created or edited.

Edit proposals where the question "Select yes if this proposal is only to add, remove, or rearrange curricular requirements, and will change less than 50% of the curriculum" is answered "Yes" will see that many fields on the form are visible but not editable.  If edits to such fields are needed the proposal must be submitted with the answer to this question set to "No".

For more information about the information about steps, timelines and planning new academic degrees, majors and options, and reorganizing or discontinuing those programs see Academic Program Approval Overview.

Note About Guide Tables: Several sub-sections in the Curriculum and Requirements section are Guide integration points, meaning the content added/changed will feed directly into Guide. Examples include Guide Requirements, How to Get In, and Four-Year Plans. These sub-sections also often include editable tables. To edit tables and/or courses embedded in tables, double-click on the blue box surrounding the table. For additional help editing tables, visit the Guide/Lumen Programs Table Help KB page. 


What percentage of the curriculum, if any, is being proposed to change via this proposal?

  • Proposal Type: Change
  • Required Field: Yes
  • Question Type: Dropdown List
    • No change to the curriculum
    • Less than 25% of the curriculum will change
    • 25% - 49% of the curriculum will change
    • 50% or more of the curriculum will change
  • In-Line Help Text: The Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the university’s accreditor, requires reporting for significant individual program changes (e.g., program state, mode of delivery, name, etc.) and/or curricular changes that impact 25% or more of the required credits to comply with federal regulation. DAPIR will use the response to this question to trigger required reports to the HLC.

Determining if a curricular change is less than 25%, between 25-49%, or 50% or more can be a hard determination to make. Following is some general guidance for answering this question: 

  • Following are examples of curricular changes that are equal-to or greater-than 50%:
    • Change in total required credits for a degree/major, named option, or certificate
    • Change to a degree requirement, such as the minimum cumulative grade point average
    • Adding or removing the doctoral minor requirement
    • Course additions/deletions that amount to 50% or more of the total credits and/or major coursework credits. For example: 
      • Capstone Certificate A is 18 total credits comprised of six 3-credit core courses. If the program is changing three of the six core courses (i.e., 9 credits), that is 50% or more of the total credits (18 credits).
      • Undergraduate Major B is 120 total credits, 30 of which required credits in the major. The requirements for those 30 major credits feature various required areas of coursework (e.g., seminar) with course lists for each. If the program is making changes to the overall 30-credit course list that totals 15 or more credits, that is 50% or more of the major coursework. 
  • Following are examples of curriculum changes that are between 25-49% of the curriculum:
    • Course additions/deletions that amount to 25-49% of the total credits and/or major coursework credits. For example: 
      • Certificate C is 18 total credits comprised of six courses—four 3-credit core courses and two additional breadth courses. If the program is changing two of the four core courses (i.e., 6 credits), that is 33% of the total credits (18 credits).
      • M.S. Degree D is 30 total credits comprised of 11 required courses. If the program would like to switch out a 4-credit course and two 3-credit courses (i.e., 10 credits), that is 30% of the total credits. 
  • Following are examples of less-than 25% changes:
    • Course additions/deletions that amount to less than 25% of the total credits and/or major coursework credits. For example: 
      • Certificate E is 18 credits comprised of four core courses and two additional breadth courses, each 3 credits. If the program would like to change one of the core courses or one of the breadth courses, that is a 17% change to the curriculum.
      • M.S. Degree F is 30 total credits comprised of three required courses totaling 8 credits, one additional 3-credit course selected from a list of six options, and 9 additional credits. If the program wants to change two of the required courses, which are 3 credits each (i.e., a total of 6 credits), that is 20% of the required 30 credits.
Provide an explanation of the reasons for such a substantial curricular change, the potential impact on students, availability of courses, and plan for transition.  
Changing over half of the requirements or required courses for a degree/major represents a substantial redirection of the academic program and as such requires approval beyond the school/college level. Typically the reasons for changing more than 50% of the curriculum are based in evidence that substantial changes would improve the student learning experience. Include information on planning for the changes and confirm that the courses are offered on a regular basis.
Please make a note in the summary/abstract box at the top of the form that this proposal includes curriculum changes of more than 50%. 
For more information regarding changes over 50%, see Substantially Redirect a Degree/Major: Curricular Change.
This question will display when the question "What percentage of the curriculum is changing?" is answered with "more than 50% or more of the curriculum is changing". This field has a 500 character limit.
 
Which students are eligible for the certificate?  
Typically undergraduate certificates should be available to all undergraduates but in some circumstances they may be limited to a specific school/college. If enrollment in the certificate is limited the reasons for doing so must be explained. For more information on certificate eligibility, see the FAQ on who is eligible to earn an undergraduate certificate and Certificates Guidelines/Policy.
For more information regarding certificates, including policies and guidelines see the Academic Planning and Institutional Research website and the Courses and Academic Programs KB.
This question will display when the program type is certificate and the audience is undergraduate.

*List the specific schools and colleges. 
If the certificate is limited to students enrolled in a specific school or college indicate which one here. Typically, undergraduate certificates are available to all undergraduates; this is the default and is what is recommended. 
This question will display when the question "Which students are eligible for the certificate?" is answered with "Undergraduates in specific schools and colleges".


*Provide justification for the limits.   
Explain why enrollment is limited to students in a particular school or college. 
This question will display when "Which students are eligible for the certificate?" is answered with "Undergraduates in specific schools and colleges". There is no character limit but one or two paragraphs is typical.

Is this certificate available to University Special (non-degree seeking students)?   
This question defaults to “No”. Undergraduate certificates may be open to University Special (non-degree seeking) students who hold a bachelor’s degree, though it is discouraged because there are other preferred ways to serve these students. 
   
For more information about University Special certificates, see this Undergraduates Certificate FAQ: How is serving University Special students different than serving undergraduate students.
*Which University Special students are eligible for the certificate?   
It is the responsibility of the school or college and department to track these students and determine when they should be awarded the certificate. Based on the answer to this question a line of text will be added to the Requirements tab for the certificate indicating which students may pursue the certificate as a special student.
The options are: 
'Members of the community that hold a bachelor's degree, but have not earned credits towards the certificate while a UW-Madison undergraduate'  
'Started as an undergraduate at UW-Madison, and graduate before completing the requirements.' 
This question will display when "Is this certificate available to University Special (non-degree seeking students)?" is answered with "Yes".
*Describe certificate program procedures to advise students who do not complete the certificate to notify the program advisor if they re-enroll as a University Special student to complete the certificate.   
If a certificate can be started by an undergraduate student and completed as a special student after they have graduated with their baccalaureate degree, explain the process of advising these students. 
This question will display when "Is this certificate available to University Special (non-degree seeking students)?" is answered with "Yes".
*Describe certificate program procedures to notify Adult Career and Special Student Services (ACSSS) of those University Special students who are formerly unaffiliated with the program who intend to complete a certificate.   
Departments are expected to communicate with the Division of Continuing Studies about special students intending to complete this certificate. 
This question will display when "Is this certificate available to University Special (non-degree seeking students)?" is answered with "Yes". The field has a 500 character limit.
*Describe the communication procedures for reporting to the Office of the Registrar when a University Special student has completed the certificate. (Note: SIS eDeclaration and DARS are not available for University Special students.)  
To report University Special students completing certificates, you will need to email degreeaudit@em.wisc.edu an Excel spreadsheet containing the names, campus IDs, completion term and SIS certificate code (plan code) for University Special students who have completed the undergraduate certificate program. 
This question will display when "Is this certificate available to University Special (non-degree seeking students)?" is answered with "Yes". The field has a 500 character limit.
Parent Plan Admissions/How to Get in Requirements  
This is a display only field appearing on proposals for named options. Changing what is displayed here requires a separate change proposal for the parent major. 
Guide Admissions/How to Get In tab  
Explain the process and/or requirements for declaring or being admitted to this program.
For undergraduate programs, the How Get In requirements can be edited here. Undergraduate named options must adhere to How to Get in requirements for the parent major, proposals for undergraduate named options will not have an editable Guide Admissions/How to Get In tab field. For more information regarding undergraduate major declaration, see the Policy on Major Declaration for Schools/Colleges that Enroll Undergraduates and the policies specific to school or college.
There is a specific Graduate School format for graduate programs, which includes pre-formatted tables for admissions and requirements. Named options at the graduate level may have Admissions requirements separate from their parent degree/major. 
For more information regarding Master's level degree/major program admitting status, see the protocol for changing the admitting status.
For certificate programs, How to Get In requirements should be related to interest or aptitude for the content and not based on a high GPA cutoff. 
For more information regarding undergraduate certificate declaration, see the Establishing Online Process for Certificate Declaration document.
What is entered in this field will publish in Guide exactly as entered. For help editing content that displays in Guide, see these KB documents.
Describe plans for recruiting students to this program.  
Information about recruiting should be appropriate to the nature of the proposed program, for example, revenue programs will have plans that differ from those for a new PhD program. 
This field is required for all new programs and has no character limit.
What is the recruiting and admissions strategy for underrepresented students?  
This question will display on the proposals for a new degree/major, certificate, or capstone certificate when the audience is graduate/professional. The field has no character limit.
Will students be declared in an intended major while completing the admission requirements?  
The instances where there is a need to create a separate plan code to track students interested in but not yet declared in a degree/major are limited. If an intended major code is requested, the program will be expected to provide student services to the students who have been declared in the intended major. 
This question will only display when the proposal is for a new undergraduate degree/major. 
*Describe how the students will be advised and the transition to other degree granting program if they are not admitted.  
 The expectation is that sufficient advising and support is available and that students in the intended major who do not proceed to the degree granting major will be assisted with their transition to another degree granting program. 
This field will display when the question "Will students be declared in an intended major while completing the admission requirements?" is answered "Yes". The field has no character limit.
Projected Annual Enrollment 
Enter the projected annual enrollment for the first five years of the program as evidence that this is a program with a sustainable level of demand. Select a year from the drop down menu under 'Year' and then estimated annual enrollment in the 'Projected Enrollment' field.  Clicking the green plus in the upper right will add a new row.
This field will display when the proposal is for new a program. 
Maximum enrollment that can be supported with existing instructional and student services resources. 
This field should be numeric, calculated based on existing resources. This question will display when the proposal is for a new program. 
Describe plans for supporting enrollments that are much higher or much lower than the anticipated enrollment.  
Provide information about how the program faculty and staff are planning to deal with unexpectedly high or low levels of enrollment. 
This question will display when the proposal is for a new degree/major, certificate, or capstone program. There is no character limit.
Are international students permitted to enroll in this program?  
The University must seek permission to allow international students to enroll in capstone certificate programs, unless the capstone certificate program features a fully online mode of delivery with no on-campus requirements. If it is a fully online capstone certificate program, no additional approvals are needed and the program may permit international students to enroll. If the program has a face-to-face component, then visa eligibility comes into play and the program must be evaluated by International Student Services, which will advise on the eligibility and process to enroll international students. Please note, this evaluation has a fairly long lead time (approximately one year) due to the necessary review by campus and the Department of Homeland Security. This may delay new program proposals. 
This question will display when the proposal is for a capstone certificate.  
Those who are not familiar with using the html editor fields may upload a document with information about the curriculum for use by those who will format and edit the content that will appear in the Guide. 
This is a document upload field, for proposers who are not familiar with using the html editor tool that is a part of the fields that once approved will display in Guide exactly as entered on this form may wish to upload a Word or other type of document that could be used by a Guide editor at the school/college level for formatting these according to the requirements for Guide.
Select the school or college degree requirements that will be used.  
School/college requirements are a consistent set of higher level requirements that all students must complete, based on which school/college they are declared. It is preferred to have a distinct set of requirements at the school/college level so students can see what the are distinct major requirements, if they ever needed or wanted to switch majors.
Some schools/colleges fold their school/college requirements into the major requirements. If a program does not have specific school or college requirements, leave the drop down as "Select..." 
The undergraduate University requirements will be administratively added to Guide pages.  
Note: If the school/college requirements need to be updated, see the Lumen Structures form.
This question will display on proposals for  undergraduate degree/majors. 
Will this plan have Honors in the Major?  
Honors in the major is an advanced course of study typically culminating in a senior-year experience in which students are exposed to the cutting edge of that particular field.  Honors in the major is noted on the transcript. Honors in the major are distinct from Honors in the Liberal Arts or school/college-wide honors programs. Not all school/colleges offer honors in the major.
The requirements for honors in the major are entered at the bottom of the Requirements tab. A plan that has honors in the major will have a sub-plan code under the plan code for this program, this code is recorded on the program proposal form in the Administrative Use section.
For information regarding Honors in the Major, see the Guidelines for Named Options within Academic Majors.
This question will appear on proposals for undergraduate degrees/majors.
Parent Requirements  
This is a display only field appearing on proposals for named options. Changing what is displayed here requires a separate change proposal for the parent major. 
 
Guide Requirements tab  
This field displays all of the curricular requirements needed to complete a program. This should include all required courses, approved electives, credit and GPA requirements etc. A clear, consistent curriculum is critical for students so that they know what is needed to graduate. All changes or new programs are made effective at the start of a term, preferably the fall semester.  Any and all curricular updates for a program will be done through the Lumen Programs form. 
For capstone certificates and undergraduate programs, notifications about curricular changes made in Lumen Programs are sent to the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) encoders via workflow. DARS will not be updated unless changes go through Lumen Programs.
What is entered in this field will publish in Guide exactly as entered. For help editing content that displays in Guide, see these KB documents.
Total credits required  
Enter a numeric value. This should be the minimum number of credits required to earn the award. Undergraduate degrees must be at least 120 credits. Master's degrees are a minimum of 30 credits. Doctoral degrees are a minimum of 51 credits. Undergraduate certificates credits are between 12-21; Capstone certificates are at least 9 credits but no more than 16 credits. 
For more information on certificates, see the types, guidelines documents and forms page
Semesters to completion  
Enter the number of semesters the capstone program is designed to be completed in.
This field displays on proposals for a capstone certificate.
For more information regarding capstone certificates, see the Guidelines For-Credit Certificate Programs.
Parent Plan Graduate Policies  
This is a display only field appearing on proposals for named options. Changing what is displayed here requires a separate change proposal for the parent major. 
Guide Graduate Policies tab  
The graduate policies tab should include standardized information regarding student policies for the program. The formatting is consistent, please use an existing page as a reference for the policies that should be detailed (a separate template is not available at this time). A link to the  graduate handbook link should be included on this page. 
What is entered in this field will publish in Guide exactly as entered.  For help editing content that displays in Guide, see these KB documents.
Parent Guide Four-Year Plan tab 
This is a display only field appearing on proposals for named options. Changing what is displayed here requires a separate change proposal for the parent major. 
Guide Four-Year Plan tab  
Four-Year plans are a required field for undergraduate degree/majors. It is a requirement of the Board of Regents to provide a roadmap/four-year plan/plan-of-study to indicate that students are able to complete in four or less years. 
This field displays on proposals for undergraduate degree/majors and their named options. 
What is entered in this field will publish in Guide exactly as entered. For help editing content that displays in Guide, see these KB documents.
Guide Three-Year Plan tab 
Three-Year plans are optional for undergraduate degree/majors. Content should follow the format for the Four-Year Plan tab, with the addition of a clear set of assumptions of how the student can accomplish the plan in three years. Assumptions and expectations would include what AP credit would they have completed before enrolling at UW-Madison, credit loads expected while enrolled, use of summer terms, major declaration, or other significant considerations.  
This field displays on proposals for undergraduate degree/majors and their named options. 
What is entered in this field will publish in Guide exactly as entered. For help editing content that displays in Guide, see these KB documents.
Discuss expected progress to degree and time to degree. For undergraduate programs discuss considerations for supporting students to complete the degree in four academic years.   
Explain how students complete this degree/major/named option in an appropriate time frame. 
This field displays on new proposals for a degree/major or named option. There is no character limit.
Provide detail on how breadth will be achieved.  
The breadth is a required component of doctoral training. Typically it is achieved through a doctoral minor or other means determined by the program. 
This field displays when the proposal is for a doctoral degree (PhD).  
Describe part-time format (<8 credits fall and spring semesters < 4 credits summer term) here.  
If a program is available to be completed part-time, use this field to explain how the format is different than a full-time format. Specify any enrollment considerations or limits related to curricular design and how the program plans to serve part-time.  (Note: International students on a student visa are only eligible for full-time study; programs seeking to serve international students should be aware of this consideration.) 
This field displays on proposals for a capstone certificate when the question "Will you be seeking federal financial aid eligibility for this Capstone program?" is answered "Yes".  This field has a 100 character limit.
For more information regarding capstone certificates, see the Guidelines For-Credit Certificate Programs.
Describe full-time, time-compressed, intensive format here.  
This field displays on proposals for a capstone certificate when the question "Will you be seeking federal financial aid eligibility for this Capstone program?" is answered "Yes".  This field has a 100 character limit.
For more information regarding capstone certificates, see the Guidelines For-Credit Certificate Programs.
Describe other format here.   
This field displays on proposals for a capstone certificate when the question "Will you be seeking federal financial aid eligibility for this Capstone program?" is answered "Yes".  This field has a 100 character limit.
For more information regarding capstone certificates, see the Guidelines For-Credit Certificate Programs.