When should I start a curricular change if I want it to be active in the official catalog by a certain semester?
The Timelines for Approval of Curriculum Items can guide your planning. As a general rule, for new courses, new programs, and substantive program changes (three or more changes), the time from initial planning to an active program in the catalog takes about two calendar years. For course changes and minor program changes (fewer than three changes), plan on one calendar year.
Why does it take so long to obtain approval for course and program changes?
The curricular process is governed by faculty committees and ultimately approved by the Provost, the Chancellor, and, in some cases, the UA System Board of Trustees, the Arkansas Department of Higher Education (ADHE), and the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE). Once these approvals are in place, it takes additional time for on-campus implementation. The workflow chart for proposed curricular changes provides a visual of the UA Little Rock process.
If I am proposing a course for the general education (“core”) curriculum, what do I need to do?
Proposing courses for addition or removal from the University Core involves a different process. For information on how to propose the addition or removal of courses from the Core Curriculum, please contact Nathan Holloway in the Provost’s Office at 916-3204 or nholloway@ualr.edu.
If your proposal involves a course that is already a part of the Core Curriculum, please follow the normal process for submitting your Curriculum Change for review by the Undergraduate Council.
Does the Provost’s Office submit items to the Arkansas Department of Education for programs that lead to teacher licensure? (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
No. These forms must go through the College of Education and Health Professions. The ADHE will not approve a program leading to licensure until it has been or is being approved by the ADHE at the same time.
My department wants to obtain approval to put its face-to-face program 100% online. What do I need to do? (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)
You need to submit an Online Program Pre-Approval Form before pursuing external approval by the ADHE for offering the program online. Contact the Office of eLearning at 916-3227 or the Provost’s Office at 916-3204, for more information.
Do I need a letter of notification (LON) or letter of intent (LOI) to accompany my program change form?
Departments proposing program actions that require UA Board of Trustees and Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board approval MUST submit the appropriate Letter of Notification or Letter of Intent to the Council. Descriptions of the various types of LOIs and LONs are available to help you determine whether or not your type of change requires external notification, see LOI descriptions and forms and the LON Submission form. If you have any questions, please contact the Provost’s Office at 501-916-3204.
Do I need to submit a sample syllabus with my change form?
The following curriculum changes require a sample syllabus to be submitted along with the CCF:
- New undergraduate course
- New Dual-listed course
- New Cross-listed course
- All graduate courses
- A change in the level or number of credit hours
Council members review each syllabus for the following :
- Concise and accurate course descriptions
- An accurate grading scale
- Inclusion of the most up-to-date disability statement
- For dual-listed courses: a clear statement of difference in requirements between undergraduate and graduate students.
Do I need to submit two Curricular Change Forms (CCF) if my proposal involves a dual-listed (4000/5000 level) course?
No, please submit one CCF and include information for both the 4000/5000 level courses. The same CCF must be reviewed and approved by your college’s undergraduate AND graduate-level curriculum committees before being submitted to the Provost Office. The university-level Undergraduate and Graduate curriculum councils will review the CCF respectively.
Am I required to complete and submit a Preparation Worksheet along with my PCF or CCF?
No, but approval at the Provost’s Office level will require that the questions on the Preparation Worksheet be sufficiently answered in some format.
What programs are approved by ADHE at UA Little Rock?
All academic programs approved by the ADHE can be found here.
Will my new certificate program be eligible for financial aid?
Most certificate programs are not eligible for financial aid, but some are eligible based on several characteristics. Certificate programs that are aid-eligible must track graduates to make certain disclosures about gainful employment. Contact the Provost’s Office at 916-3204 for more information and guidance.
How does ADHE determine program viability?
Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board (AHECB) Policy 5.12 states that viability standards, based on a three-year average, are as follows:
- An average of four (4) graduates per year for career and technical education certificates (CTE) and career and technical associate degree programs (AAS);
- An average of four (4) graduates per year for bachelor’s degrees in science, mathematics, engineering, foreign languages, middle school education, and secondary education programs for licensure in science and mathematics;
- An average of six (6) graduates per year for transfer associate degrees (AA, AS, and AAT) and bachelor’s programs;
- An average of four (4) graduates per year for master’s, specialist, and first-professional programs; and,
- An average of two (2) graduates per year for doctoral programs.
Cognate, embedded, and related programs will be considered one program for program viability purposes.
New certificates and associate degrees will be identified for program viability standards after three years, and bachelor’s degrees and above will be identified after five years.