All new programs and curricular changes require college approval before university approval can occur. Since approval processes and timelines vary at the college level, the first step in any curricular change proposal should involve your college. Please contact your college office to assist you through the necessary governance processes:

• Examples of previous proposals

The first step of program approval is to submit a notice of intent to the Planning and Priorities Committee of Council. This should be done prior to the development of the full proposal so that input and guidance can be given early in the process.

The notice of intent should be accompanied by a cover letter signed by the appropriate dean, associate dean or executive director of the sponsoring academic unit. If the proposed program is a graduate program, the covering letter should indicate that the dean or associate dean of the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is aware of and supports in principle the development of the program.

The Notice of Intent Form should be submitted to the Secretary, Planning & Priorities Committee of Council.

• Notice of Intent Form

Committee provides comments

Subsequent to its review of the notice of intent, the Planning & Priorities Committee (PPC) will share its perspective on the proposed program with the proponent, the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (when the new program is at the graduate level), the Academic Programs Committee (APC), the Provost's Committee on Integrated Planning (PCIP) and Registrarial Services. Any issues that the committee thinks should be addressed by the proponent during the development of the full proposal will be highlighted.

Consult with the Registrar and the Institutional Planning & Assessment Office

A consultation meeting with the registrar and representatives of the Institutional Planning and Assessment (IPA) Office will be the next step in the college's development of a program proposal. Decisions made at this meeting will be included in the proposal submission to the Academic Programs Committee (APC).

To set up a consultation meeting, please contact Seanine Warrington.

Once feedback is received from the Planning & Priorities Committee (PPC), the registrar, and the Institutional Planning and Assessment (IPA) Office, the college will develop a full program proposal with input from the Provost's Committee on Integrated Planning (PCIP) and other units, as required.

Submit:

1. Proposal Form for Curricular Change
   containing the following:
2. Consultation with the Registrar form Word | PDF (to be completed at the consultation with the registrar meeting)
3. Library Requirements form  Word
4. ICT Requirements form  Word |  PDF
5. Physical Resource and Space Requirements Form PDF
6. Budget Requirements form  Word | PDF

For budget modelling and TABBS modelling information, please contact your college financial analyst and the Institutional Planning & Assessment Office. 

Proposals should be submitted by your college through the Catalogue Office.

• Examples of previous proposals

College Approval

The program proposal requires approval of the college faculty council before being submitted to the Academic Programs Committee (APC). If the program is at the graduate level, the College of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Faculty Council will need to approve the proposal. Each college has its own curricular approval process. Check with your college office for guidance.

APC Approval

After faculty council approval of the program proposal has been secured, you may submit the full proposal to the Academic Programs Committee (APC). Comments and feedback will be provided by this committee.

 In some cases, the Academic Programs Committee will be final authority required for approval. Please consult the Academic and Curricular Changes Authority Chart for details.

University Council Approval

The Academic Programs Committee (APC) will bring your proposal to University Council for discussion and final academic approval. If you intend the new program to appear in the upcoming Course and Program Catalogue (released annually in March), University Council will need to approve the program by December.

Board of Governors' Approval through the Provost's Advisory Committee (PAC)

After University Council approval has been secured, the Institutional Planning and Assessment (IPA) Office will bring your proposal to the Provost’s Advisory Committee (PAC)  The PAC will make recommendations to the Board of Governors for final tuition and fee approval. The PAC meets twice a year to tuition: once in December and once in March. Approval must be secured by the December meeting in order for the program to be included in the March release of the Course and Program Catalogue. Brand new programs that receive University Council, PAC and Board of Governors’ approvals in January and March (note: there is no University Council meeting in February), may be included in the Program Addendum of the Course and Program Catalogue for implementation in the Fall Term. Please contact Seanine Warrington in Registrarial Services for information on the Program Addendum.

*Note: Academic approval is normally secured before the board's approval of tuition. In rare cases, the order of approval may be reversed. Please contact the Office of the University Secretary for further information.

Once approved, your program will be added to the Course and Program Catalogue. It can also be marketed to prospective students on the following prospective student websites:

• admissions.usask.ca: for undergraduate programs
• grad.usask.ca: for graduate programs
• continuing.usask.ca: for community level programs