Part VI, Section VII: Curriculum Procedures, Academic Program Development, and the Academic Calendar

Updated: March 25, 2025

In accordance with ECU’s commitment to strong academic programs and the SACSCOC Principles of Accreditation, ECU “places primary responsibility for the content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum with its faculty.” Program and curriculum changes are initiated, prepared, and presented for review through ECU’s curriculum management system. All proposals follow an approval process inclusive of all relevant ECU campus bodies and voting faculty as defined in this document. Three levels of approval are defined according to the specific delegated authority of final approval bodies. Proposals governed by the policies and procedures of the UNC System Office (UNC-SO) and/or Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) will follow additional approval steps and will therefore take longer to proceed through the entire approval process.

Academic Planning and Accreditation (APA), a unit of Institutional Planning, Assessment and Research, facilitates the curriculum and program development process through administration of ECU’s curriculum management system and direct consultation with faculty planners. The Office of Continuing Studies and Distance Education and APA process requests to deliver new and existing academic programs through distance education. Consultation with the unit curriculum liaison, personnel in the Office of the Registrar, and personnel in APA is recommended at the onset of curriculum and program development.

The Academic Program Development Collaborative Team (APDCT), an advisory body to the Academic Council, is comprised of the Educational Policies and Planning Committee (EPPC) chair; dean of the Graduate School; representatives from the Office of Continuing Studies and Distance Education, Institutional Research, Academic Planning and Accreditation, and Division of Health Sciences; and the Chair of the Faculty. APDCT collaborates with faculty planners to strengthen program proposals and makes recommendations to the Academic Council, EPPC, and the dean of the Graduate School (as applicable) on developing programs.

Academic committees of the Faculty Senate and the Graduate School review course and program proposals, as well as proposed changes to the academic calendar in accordance with their stated charges. Faculty Senate committees also approve requests for special course designations.

In cases of financial exigency or the initiation of a discontinuation, curtailment, or elimination of a teaching, research, or public service program, the provisions of the ECU Faculty Manual will apply.

The Chancellor or designee in consultation with the Chair of the Faculty may establish deadlines of not less than two weeks by which each person and/or committee listed must report its concurrence (approval) or non-concurrence with the proposed action. Failure to report by the established deadline shall be considered an abstention and the proposed action shall progress to the next level for consideration.

A. Definitions

  1. Degree Programs
    A degree program is a program of study in a discipline specialty that leads to a degree in that distinct specialty area at a specified level of instruction. All degree programs are categorized individually in the University’s academic program inventory (API) at the six-digit CIP code level, with a unique UNC-SO identifying code, and teacher licensure area, if applicable. As a rule, a degree program requires coursework in the discipline specialty of at least 27 semester hours at the undergraduate level and 21 semester hours at the doctoral level. A master’s level program requires that at least one-half of the total hours be in the program area. Anything less than this within an existing degree program should be designated a concentration. Degree programs require final approval by UNC-SO and the UNC Board of Governors (BOG). Minors and concentrations receive final approval at the campus level. (Paraphrased from Academic Program Guidance (PDF), UNC System Office, 1/25/16.)
  2. Certificates
    A certificate program provides an organized program of study that leads to the awarding of a certificate rather than a degree. ECU offers certificate programs at a minimum of 6 credit hours at the pre-baccalaureate level, and a minimum of 6 credit hours at the post-baccalaureate, post-master’s, and post-doctoral levels. Once a certificate is approved, it must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Education to determine if the program is eligible for participation in Title IV (financial aid) programs.
  3. Teacher Licensure Areas (TLAs)
    These are specific course clusters that meet licensure requirements of the State Board of Education but do not lead to the conferral of a particular degree or certificate. These may be at either entry level or advanced level of teacher licensure. When an institution receives authorization from the State Board of Education to offer a TLA, UNC-SO must be notified. A current inventory of teacher licensure programs approved by the State Board of Education is available on the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Website.

B. Program Coordination

Each degree program and certificate will have a designated Program Director or Coordinator who must be approved by the unit chair (or, in the case of interdisciplinary programs, appointed by the college dean) and qualified to lead development and review of the program’s curriculum. (FS Resolution #19-08)

C. Levels of Delegated Authority for Course and Program Approval Process

Level I Course and Program Changes:

Level I course and program changes require campus approval by the department, college/school, and university Undergraduate Curriculum, designation-granting, or Graduate Curriculum Committees. The Faculty Senate delegates authority to the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee and designation-granting committees, and the Graduate Council delegates authority for these actions to the Graduate Curriculum Committee and designation-granting committees.

Level I Course Changes:

  1. Revising a course: title, description, objectives, prerequisite(s), prefix, repeatability, credit hours, and content
  2. Renumbering an existing course at the same or different level
  3. Adding or removing a course designation
  4. Revising the prefix for an entire course list or program*
  5. Banking or deleting courses
  6. Removing a 5000-level course from the undergraduate catalog
  7. Proposing new courses

* Memo-only action; committee may waive faculty attendance

Level I Program Changes:

  1. Revising degrees: revising course selections (excludes total credit hours); revising core requirements, electives, admission standards, and/or descriptive text; adding or removing thesis/non-thesis options
  2. Revising certificates: revising course selections (excludes total credit hours); revising core requirements, electives, admission standards, and/or descriptive text
  3. Revising concentrations and minors: revising course selections (including total credit hours); revising titles; revising core requirements, electives, admission standards, and/or descriptive text; discontinuing

Program changes excluded from Level I are degree and certificate title and/or CIP code changes; revising total credit hours of degree programs; change in delivery mode; and moving degree and certificate programs to a new academic home, as these actions require EPPC review and some are reported to UNC-SO and/or SACSCOC as indicated below.

Level II Course and Program Changes:

Delegated authority to EPPC and Academic Council. Level II changes course and program changes require approval at the department, college or school, and university levels including Undergraduate Curriculum/Graduate Curriculum Committee, Graduate Council, EPPC, Faculty Senate and the Chancellor (Academic Council).

  1. Increasing/decreasing a graduate degree total credit hours by less than 25%
  2. Moving a prefix, degree, certificate, concentration, or minor program to a new academic home
  3. Proposing an accelerated degree program
  4. Proposing a new certificate
  5. Proposing a new concentration in an existing degree program
  6. Proposing a new minor
  7. Revising an existing certificate title
  8. Revising an existing certificate total credit hours
  9. Revising a CIP code for an existing certificate
  10. Discontinuing an existing certificate (no UCC/GCC review required)

Level III Program Changes:

Require Chancellor Approval.

Level III changes are program changes or proposals that require approval at the department, college/school, and university levels/committees; Chancellor; and UNC-SO and/or SACSCOC approvals or notifications.

  1. Discontinuing an existing degree program (no UCC/GCC review required)
  2. Proposing a new degree program
  3. Revising an existing degree title
  4. Increasing/decreasing an existing undergraduate degree outside the UNC mandatory 120 total credit hours
  5. Consolidating two or more existing degrees
  6. Proposing a new delivery mode for an existing degree (no UCC/GCC review required)
  7. Increasing/decreasing graduate degree total credit hours by 25% or more
  8. Changing a degree designation (e.g., MA to MS)

UNCSO and/or SACSCOC approvals or notifications only (no UCC/GCC, or EPPC review required)

  1. Revising a CIP code for an existing degree program
  2. Discontinuing an existing teacher licensure area

D. New Degree Program Development Approval Process

Proposed programs must be approved for inclusion on the ECU Academic Program Plan through the Request for Inclusion process and, by special circumstance, through the Academic Council in consultation with the Educational Policies and Planning Committee. All program proposals accepted on the plan undergo a rigorous campus-wide vetting process and are submitted in accordance with UNC-SO policies and procedures. New degree programs may not be advertised until ECU receives UNC BOG approval.

Programs included on the ECU Academic Program Plan require approval at the department, college/school and university levels/committees through approval of the Academic Program Development Collaborative Team. In the first (planning) phase of development, all ECU faculty are invited to participate in a campus-wide process and are invited to provide formal feedback to aid in decision-making by the Academic Council. Upon approval of the Academic Council, the planning document is submitted to the UNC-SO. The establishment phase of development follows normal campus review processes, including curriculum and program proposals.

The proposing academic unit, Academic Planning and Accreditation, and the Office of the Registrar will collaborate to ensure that all approved actions are communicated to the campus community, as well as to UNC-SO and SACSCOC as required.

E. Academic Program Review

Every academic program that is not accredited by a specialized accrediting agency is required to be reviewed as part of a seven-year unit program evaluation. The Academic Program Review will be conducted according to the Academic Program Review Guidelines (PDF). Changes to these guidelines need to be approved by the Educational Policies and Planning Committee and the Faculty Senate. The Academic Program Review shall be used in the development of the program’s operational and strategic plans.

F. Academic Calendar

Because the Academic Calendar is fundamental to the “content, quality, and effectiveness of the curriculum,” (see paragraph 1 above; or SACS) no changes to the Academic Calendar shall be made without consultation of the Calendar Committee and Faculty Senate.

Faculty Senate Resolution #12-46, March 2012
Faculty Senate Resolution #12-50, March 2012
Faculty Senate Resolution #14-62, May 2014
Faculty Senate Resolution #15-63, May 2015
Faculty Senate Resolution #17-13, March 2017
Faculty Senate Resolution #18-22, April 2018
Faculty Senate Resolution #18-68, January 2019
Faculty Senate Resolution #19-08, February 2019
Faculty Senate Resolution #19-71, November 2019
Faculty Senate Resolution #19-79, December 2019
Faculty Senate Resolution #19-88, January 2020
Faculty Senate Resolution #20-31, April 2020
Faculty Senate Resolution #20-58, November 2020
Faculty Senate Resolution #20-72, December 2020
Faculty Senate Resolution #20-82, December 2020
Faculty Senate Resolution #21-02, February 2021
Faculty Senate Resolution #21-27, April 2021
Faculty Senate Resolution #21-33, June 2021
Faculty Senate Resolution #21-61, December 2021 Faculty Senate Resolution #22-66, January 2023
Faculty Senate Resolution #23-29, May 2023
Faculty Senate Resolution #24-21, April 2024
Faculty Senate Resolution #24-41, August 2024
Faculty Senate Resolution #25-14, March 2025