Handbook for the Curriculum Subcommittee

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• PART 1 - Course Actions
  • 1.1 Add a New Course
  • 1.2 Change an Existing Course
  • 1.3 Inactivate or Delete a Course
  • 1.4 Course Related Policies
• PART 2 - Program Actions
  • 2.1 How Program Approvals Work
  • 2.2 Creating a New Program
  • 2.3 Changing an Existing Program
  • 2.4 Program Modifications
  • 2.5 Additional Program Actions
  • 2.6 Suspend or Discontinue a Program
• PART 3 - Curriculum Subcommittee Overview and References
  • 3.1 Mission and Guidelines
  • 3.2 Membership
  • 3.3 Curriculum Committee Processes
  • 3.4 Meetings and Procedures
• Additional Helpful Links

Download PDF Handbook

PART 1 — Course Actions

1.1 Add a New Course

A new course proposal must be submitted through Coursedog Curriculum Management. The proposal should clearly identify the curriculum need being addressed and demonstrate alignment with departmental and institutional mission.

What to Submit

• Completed Semester Course Approval Form
• Course syllabus

Questions to be Considered

• What curriculum needs are addressed?
• Is the course required or optional for a specific program?
• Before proposing a new course, ensure you can clearly articulate why the course is needed, who the intended audience is, and what specific role it will serve within your curriculum.
• Is it replacing an existing course? Has the existing course been retired?
• What financial demands will the course place on departmental resources?
• Will there be a course fee?
• If there are prerequisites, is enrollment in those prerequisite courses expected to increase? What about other departments?
• Have impacted departments been consulted?
• Does this course duplicate content in other departments?
• Has the USHE common-course numbering table been consulted when selecting the course number?
• Will the course be cross or dual-listed?

Cross Listing vs. Dual Listing

A Cross Listed course is listed across departments (e.g., BIOL/PSC 6200).

• Cross-listed courses represent the same course offered by multiple departments and must therefore be identical in all respects. This includes the course title, description, grade mode, credit hours, repeatability, prerequisites, registration restrictions, and special approval requirements. The only allowable differences are the course prefix and the administrative department.
• A course may be cross listed with up to five others.
• All courses must have a single administrative department designated as the primary department, and all proposal forms must originate from that department.

A Dual-Listed course is listed across levels within a department (e.g., HIST 5600/6600).

• Dual-listed courses represent the same course offered by the same department at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. As such, they must be identical in course title, description, grade mode, credit hours, and repeatability.
• No course below the 5000 level may be dual listed- with a graduate course.
• No dual listing is permitted among 1000–5000 level courses.
• The graduate level course must require additional required work, as noted in the course description.
• While not required, it is strongly recommended that dual-listed courses be numbered across course levels within the same department (e.g., HIST 5600/6600) and share the same last three digits whenever possible.

Credit Hours

If requesting a credit hour change as part of a new course sequence, note:

• Approval may be granted for 0.5 credits
• All other credits must be in whole increments of 1

Course Numbering

A course number that was previously used must have been deleted for at least six (6) years before it may be reused. Contact the Curriculum team in the Office of the Registrar if unsure. Overview of Course Numbering System

Common Course Numbering

Common Course Number Designation” (“CCN”) means common numbers assigned to courses the USHE faculty majors committees have identified as having the same course quality, content, competencies, and credit earned at all USHE institutions. CCN designated courses transfer as equivalent credit. (R475 Common Course Numbering)

1.2 Change an Existing Course

Changes to existing courses must be submitted through Coursedog Curriculum Management using the Semester Course Approval Form. Each type of change requires clear justification and must follow the deadlines.

Below are the major types of course changes, organized by the action a user may want to take

Departments should evaluate whether proposed revisions fundamentally change the nature of an existing course.

Significant changes to a course’s description, learning outcomes, or core content may warrant creating a new course rather than modifying an existing one. Before proceeding, consider why the new course is needed and whether it will serve a substantially different role in your program requirements.

Departments should consult with the Office of the Registrar when there is uncertainty about whether a proposal should be submitted as a course modification or as a new course.

1.2.1 Change a Course Title

When changing a course title:

• Check the Title Change box.
• Enter the new title in the title field.
• Provide justification explaining the need for the new title.

1.2.2 Change a Course Number

A course number may only be reused if it has been deleted for at least six (6) years. If proposing a number change:

• Check the Course Number Change box.
• Ensure the previous number is eligible for reuse and provide justification for the change.
• Course number changes should be requested only when there is a clear academic or curricular reason for the change. Before submitting a proposal, departments should consider:
  • Whether the change affects prerequisite relationships, degree requirements, or transfer equivalencies.
  • Potential impacts on historical enrollment data, reporting, and degree audits.
  • Whether the proposed change will create confusion for current students or advisors.
  • The administrative effort required to update curriculum, schedules, catalogs, and related systems.
  • Has the USHE common-course numbering table been consulted when selecting the new course number?

1.2.3 Change Prerequisites

• Check the Prerequisite Change box.
• Clearly identify which prerequisites are being added or deleted.
• Provide justification explaining why the change is necessary.
• You must review the dependencies section of the course proposal and reach out to impacted departments to identify and work through impacts of this change.

1.2.4 Change Co-requisites

• Check the Co-requisite Change box.
• Provide justification for the change.
• Ensure the change aligns with program requirements and student progression.

1.2.5 Change Grade Mode

• Check the Grade Mode Change box.
• Provide justification explaining why the new grade mode is appropriate.

1.2.6 Change Credit Hours

• Enter the new credit hours in the Semester Credit Hours box.
• Check the Credit Hour Change box.
• Approval may be granted for 0.5 credits; all other credits must be whole numbers.
• You must review the dependencies section of the course proposal and reach out to impacted departments to identify and work through impacts of this change.

1.2.7 Change Course Description

• Check the Course Description Change box.
• Provide justification for the change.
• Minor spelling/punctuation corrections do not require EPC approval.
• 40-character limit.
• Abbreviations should be written out in full whenever practical.
• Course descriptions should avoid stating course objectives and must use gender-neutral language.

1.2.8 Change repeatability

• Check the Repeatable for Credit Change box.
• Provide justification explaining the academic need.

1.2.9 Change Course Prefix

Prefix changes are considered Fall only changes.

• Check the Prefix Change box and provide justification explaining the need for the new prefix.
• Requests for a new course prefix should be submitted to the Assistant Registrar for Curriculum in the Office of the Registrar by email prior to submission of the course modification proposal.
• You must review the dependencies section of the course proposal and reach out to impacted departments to identify and work through impacts of this change.
• Because course prefix changes have significant impacts on curriculum, scheduling, reporting, and student records, they should be requested only when there is a compelling academic rationale. Departments should consider the following before requesting a prefix change:
  • Impact on historical enrollment trends, course demand analysis, and institutional reporting.
  • Potential effects on degree requirements, transfer applicability, and course repeatability.
  • Administrative effort required to implement the change, including modifying all affected courses, deleting and rebuilding future course sections, and updating institutional reporting.
• To be considered, creation of a new course prefix or a course prefix change must:
  • Be associated with a bachelor's, master's, or doctoral program.
  • Use a prefix that has not previously been used in Banner.
  • Support transfer applicability within the Utah System of Higher Education (USHE), when applicable.
  • Include a clear justification demonstrating how the change benefits students and why those benefits outweigh the administrative and reporting impacts.

1.3 Inactivate or Delete a Course

Departments may choose to inactivate or delete a course depending on whether they intend to offer it again.

1.3.1 Inactivate a Course

Inactivation removes a course from the catalog but keeps it in the system for potential future use.

• Check the Inactivate box on the form.
• If this is a cross-listed or dual-listed, all participating departments must submit a separate form for each course.
• You must review the dependencies section of the course proposal and reach out to impacted departments to identify and work through impacts of this change.

1.3.2 Reactivate a Course

To reactivate an inactivated course:

• Check the Reactivation box.
• Ensure the course context and outcomes are still appropriate.
• Departments may not reactivate an inactive course to introduce substantive changes. If a course's content, structure, learning outcomes, or overall intent are being substantially altered, submit it as a new course proposal rather than a reactivation.

1.3.3 Delete a Course

Deletion permanently removes a course from the catalog and starts the six-year clock for reuse of the course number.

The justification should explain:

• Why the course is no longer needed
• Whether the course is required or used as a prerequisite elsewhere
• Whether impacted departments have been notified
• You must review the dependencies section of the course proposal and reach out to impacted departments to identify and work through impacts of this change.

1.4 Course Related Policies

This section includes other Curriculum Subcommittee policies related to courses

1.4.1 Restrictions, Prerequisites, and Special Approvals

Departments may set registration restrictions such as:

• Major restrictions
• Class standing restrictions
• Special approvals (e.g. instructor or advisor permission)
• Special approvals are assigned only at the section level and only when the corresponding restriction is already listed for the course in the catalog. Requests for special approvals that are not supported by an existing catalog-level restriction will not be permitted.
• Registration restrictions must be listed in the catalog to be enforced at registration.

Departments may set course enrollment prerequisites, which may include:

• A specific course
• Minimum grade point average (GPA)
• A qualifying test score.
• Prerequisites must be listed in the catalog to be enforced at registration.

Prerequisites must be listed in the catalog to be enforced at registration.

1.4.2 Section-Level Titles

• Subtitles may be used for variable topic courses.
• Customized titles must be consistent with catalog standards.

1.4.3 Course Prefix Requests

Requests to create or modify course prefixes must:

• Be justified by curricular need
• Follow the same deadlines as other Fall only changes

PART 3 — Curriculum Subcommittee Overview and References

Governance, committee structure, and procedural information.

3.1 Mission and Guidelines

The University Curriculum Committee is a subcommittee of the Educational Policies Committee (EPC).

The subcommittee has responsibility for undergraduate courses and programs.
The Graduate Council has parallel responsibility for graduate programs.

3.2 Membership

3.2.1 Voting Members

Per USU Policy 4001 2.12.6.5, the Curriculum Subcommittee consists of:

• Chairs of each college curriculum committee of each academic college
• Three faculty members from the elected membership of the Educational Policies Committee
• One Library faculty representative
• Two students (one appointed by USUSA and one elected graduate student representative)
• Additional non-voting members may be appointed by the chair as needed to support committee operations.

Faculty terms on the subcommittee align with their terms on the Educational Policies Committee. Student members serve one-year terms.

The subcommittee elects a chair to serve a two-year term, typically at the final meeting of the academic year.

Voting members are responsible for:

• Representing their unit to the subcommittee
• Communicating deadlines, processes, and approved actions back to their unit

3.2.2 Supporting (Ex Officio) Members

Role	Responsibilities
Assistant Registrar for Curriculum	Screens submitted items for policy compliance. Oversees the team that builds the student information system and catalog after proposals are approved. Provides guidance on policies and practices.
Administrative Assistant to University Curriculum Subcommittee	Prepares agendas and minutes for the University Curriculum Subcommittee and EPC. Serves as a clearinghouse for communications under the direction of the Assistant Registrar for Curriculum and the Office of the Provost.

3.3 Curriculum Committee Processes

3.3.1 Relationship to Other Committees

Curriculum review and approval flow through multiple committees depending on the nature of the change.

3.3.2 College Curriculum Committees

Each college has its own curriculum committee that reviews and approves course and program proposals. Approved changes are endorsed by the Dean (or Academic Associate Dean) and forwarded to the Curriculum Subcommittee via Coursedog Curriculum Management workflows.

3.3.3 Council on Teacher Education (CTE)

The Council on Teacher Education advises the University on teacher preparation. It develops and approves teacher education curricula, establishes admission and licensure policies in coordination with the State Office of Education, and supports continuous improvement of teacher education programs.

All course approval forms and R401 proposals affecting a teacher licensure program are reviewed by the CTE as part of the approval workflow.

3.3.4 Graduate Council

The Graduate Council:

• Establishes regulations and standards for graduate study
• Reviews all R401 proposals affecting graduate programs

Note: Course approval forms for graduate level courses are not reviewed by the Graduate Council.

3.3.5 Educational Policies Committee (EPC)

All actions of the Curriculum Subcommittee are submitted to the EPC for review and approval.

The EPC meets the first Thursday of each month of the academic year.

3.3.6 Course Approval Workflows

1. Department Review/Approval
2. College Review/Approval
   • If teacher licensure involved → CTE Review/Approval
   • If graduate degree involved → Graduate Council Review/Approval*
3. University Curriculum Subcommittee Review/Approval
4. Educational Policies Committee Review/Approval
   • Faculty Senate Notification

3.4 Meetings and Procedures

3.4.1 Regular Meeting Time

The Curriculum Subcommittee meets the first Thursday of each month at 2:00 p.m. in Champ Hall (Old Main 136), immediately before the EPC meeting at 3:00 p.m.

3.4.2 Notification

One week before each meeting, members receive electronic notification including:

• Agenda
• Support materials
• Discussion items

Agendas and minutes are available at: usu.edu/epc

3.4.3 Conduct of Meetings

Meetings of curriculum bodies that report through the Faculty Senate follow established parliamentary procedure consistent with Robert’s Rules of Order. These rules guide how motions are introduced, discussed, and decided, ensuring orderly and consistent decision making. Curriculum committees operate within this Faculty Senate framework, which provides structure, transparency, and continuity across academic governance.

3.4.4 Submission of Agenda Items

To appear on the agenda:

• Items must be submitted through Coursedog Curriculum Management
• Must have dean’s office approval by the close of business on the posted agenda deadline

Dates and deadlines are posted at usu.edu/fsenate/epc/subcommittees/curriculum

3.4.5 Semester Deadlines

Deadlines ensure:

• Database updates
• Prerequisite enforcement
• Administrative accountability
• Catalog publication

3.5 Definitions

3.5.1 University Entities

Center, Institute, or Bureau

Administrative entities that perform research, instructional, or technology transfer functions. These units provide services to students, the community, businesses, or other external audiences, and often exist to obtain external funds.

Academic Unit

An academic unit is a group of university faculty with an identifiable teaching, research, or academic mission. To be designated an academic unit, the group must meet all of the following criteria:

• Have an identifiable curriculum or formal description in the University General Catalog or other official publications.
• Have a separate, identifiable budget.
• Be designated an academic unit by the Educational Policies Committee, ratified by the Faculty Senate, and approved by the President, the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Higher Education.

Academic Department

An academic department is a group of university faculty with an identifiable teaching, research, or academic mission. To be designated an academic department, the group must meet all of the following criteria:

• Offer or administer at least one degree, certificate, or other official university credential.
• Have an identifiable curriculum and formal description in the University General Catalog or other official publications.
• Have a separate, identifiable budget.
• Be designated an academic department by the Educational Policies Committee, ratified by the Faculty Senate, and approved by the President, the Board of Trustees, and the Board of Higher Education.

3.5.2 Certificates and Degrees

3.5.3 Course Levels

3.5.4 Academic Programs Definitions

Major: A sequenced set of courses within a bachelor’s degree that provides in-depth study in an academic discipline. It appears on the graduate’s credentials and indicates mastery of the knowledge and skills expected in that field.

Minor: A sequenced set of courses in a secondary academic discipline that complements the major. It appears on the graduate’s credentials and reflects competency in ancillary study. USU does not require students to complete a minor.

Emphasis or Concentration: A focused area of study within an undergraduate major, with a formally approved curriculum. Approved emphases appear on transcripts. In graduate programs, similar focused areas are typically called concentrations or tracks to avoid confusion.

Specialization: A focused area of study within a graduate degree program, formally approved through the Graduate Council and institutional governance. Approved specializations may appear on transcripts.

Track: A concentrated area of study within an emphasis or specialization that requires departmental approval but not higher-level governance approval. Tracks may appear on major requirement sheets but are not listed on transcripts or credentials and are not programmed in the degree audit system.

K–12 School Personnel Program: Endorsement and licensure programs for teachers, counselors, administrators, and other school personnel, offered within existing major programs previously approved by the Board of Trustees and Board of Regents.